Miami-Dade Mayor Levine Cava statement on federal eviction moratorium

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released the following statement following the Supreme Court’s decision to lift the federal eviction moratorium, reiterating Miami-Dade's ongoing commitment to support families and avoid an even deeper housing crisis:  

“Miami-Dade remains committed to supporting struggling landlords and tenants throughout the pandemic and getting relief funds to those who need it most,” said Mayor Levine Cava. “For months, Miami-Dade County has been mobilizing resources to protect the most vulnerable families and distribute funds to tenants and landlords who have struggled due to COVID – and we’re proud that we have distributed 80% of our federal allocation. Our County government will continue to assist families every step of the way to prevent and avoid evictions, making sure people don’t lose their homes and landlords don’t lose vital income. To create a county-wide social services support infrastructure to stop evictions, we brought together a whole-of-government response, coordinating across the departments responsible for public safety, housing, human services, and more along with the Homeless Trust and community-based organizations.”  

Since March, Miami-Dade's Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) – created to distribute federal relief funds to landlords and tenants impacted by COVID – has helped nearly 5,000 families, with payouts averaging $9,000, awarding a total of $44.8 million. In total, Miami-Dade County has paid out $43.8 million in direct awards and $48.8 million in total obligations, and has spent approximately 80% of our rental assistance allocation, already exceeding the federal government’s requirement of distributing at least 65% of the funds by September 30. Compared to approximately 11% nationally and less than 2% across the State of Florida, Miami-Dade's effectiveness working directly with both landlords and tenants to distribute funds as quickly as possible, will make the County eligible for additional emergency rental assistance dollars. 

“I'm also proud to announce that we have created a new role within the County focused specifically on advocating for tenants, to ensure that the emergency rental assistance program funds are reaching the households and landlords that need them the most,” concluded Mayor Levine Cava.  

For those who qualify for rental assistance, the application process has never been simpler. Applicants can apply online, in person, or through our fully staffed multilingual call center that fields questions from the public and answers emails. Eligible households can receive up to 12 months assistance to help pay back rent and an additional 3 months of future rent if needed.  

To learn more about the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, visit miamidade.gov/rentrelief or call 305-723-1815.