The Future of Little River & Little Haiti Forum

Thu Apr 23, 2026

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The Future of Little River & Little Haiti Forum

Where Community, Policy, and Real Estate Converge to Shape Miami’s Fastest-Emerging Urban Core

Thursday April 23 2026 @ 8:00 AM EDT

$100.00

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Speakers and Panels

Roots, Identity & Momentum: The Cultural and Economic Evolution of Little River, Little Haiti & Havana

How History, Community, and Creativity Set the Stage for Miami’s Next Great Development Wave

Keith Carswell

Director, Department of Economic Innovation & Development, City of Miami

Joann Milord

President & CEO, Little Haiti Revitalization Trust, City of Miami

Lyly Loor Villanueva

Co-Founder, The Triangle

The New Development Frontier: Opportunities, Risks & the Billion-Dollar Transformation Underway

What’s Being Built, Who’s Building It, and How This Submarket Became Miami’s Next Big Bet

Neil Fairman

Chairman, Plaza Equity Partners

Danny Fishman

CEO, GAIA Real Estate

Doron Broman

Founder & Managing Partner, Moderno Development

Alex Samoylovich

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, CEDAR Street Companies

Laura Tauber

Principal, TAUBCO

Michael Liu

Michael Liu has over 40 years of experience in housing policy and finance beginning from his service as a Delegate to the 1978 Hawaii State Constitution Convention. His career has also included service with the federal government as U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Small Community and Rural Development and U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing. In the private sector, he practiced real estate law for 13 years, and held executive officer positions with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, Bank of America (FSB), and Dutko Grayling. Prior to joining Swerdlow Group, Michael served as senior advisor on housing to the City of Miami’s City Manager, which followed a 9-year term as Miami-Dade County’s Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD) Director, the largest housing agency in the State of Florida. Among many accomplishments, Michael can point to creation of HUD’s Capital Fund Financing Program (like the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program (RAD)) a financing tool that involves leveraging private sector funds with public housing subsidy) that raised over $2 billion in its first 18 months of private sector funds for investment in public housing; expansion of the Native American home mortgage program 184 to assist with homeownership on non-tribal lands; establishment of RAD as the formal basis for the redevelopment approach for all of public housing in Miami-Dade County; improving PHCD’s 7 year public housing sub-standard designation to standard after 1 year; and establishing the redevelopment of public housing sites “Liberty Square/Lincoln Gardens” and the Senior Campus (now known as River Parc), developments that will involve in over $1 billion in equity, debt, and grants, and upon completion result in over 15,000 new and/or total rehabilitated units. Michael is a graduate of Stanford University (BA) and the University of Hawaii’s Richardson School Law. He is a member of the Hawaii and Washington, DC bar associations.

Swerdlow Group

Chief Strategy Officer

Michael Liu

Chief Strategy Officer, Swerdlow Group

Steven Wernick

Steven J. Wernick is an experienced land use attorney and maintains a multi-disciplinary practice throughout South Florida. He has significant experience representing real estate developers, property owners, and other real estate industry clients – skillfully navigating the intricacies of local government regulations and the development approval process to help clients deliver on great projects and revitalize urban core neighborhoods. Steve's work in recent years has been most prominent with projects under development in Wynwood, Miami's emerging arts district undergoing a significant transformation into a 24/7 live, work, play neighborhood that has become an epicenter for global art tourism and expansion of Miami's tech hub. Starting with his work for Goldman Properties on a portfolio of adaptive reuse projects and the award-winning Wynwood Garage, Steve has worked with local and national developers on entitlements for over 7 million square feet of new retail, office, multifamily and hospitality development constructed in Wynwood over the past decade. Previously, Steve worked as special counsel for the Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID) in the creation and adoption of the Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD-1), recognized by the American Planning Association with the 2017 National Planning Award in Economic Development. Additionally, he has secured zoning and development approvals on multifamily office, and hospitality projects within the City of Miami, Bay Harbor Islands, North Miami, Miami Beach and other waterfront communities in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Steve was intimately involved in securing entitlements for the Miami Design District Retail Street Special Area Plan – including infrastructure improvements, nonstandard covenants and a regulating plan to facilitate over 1 million square feet of development of luxury retail, art and civic space. Steve has built a reputation as a trusted advisor for creative zoning tools to support neighborhood revitalization in South Florida's emerging neighborhoods. As a trained urban planner and credentialed by American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Steve has the ability to communicate with diverse community stakeholders, and experience shepherding code amendments and overlay districts to unlock the potential for mixed use redevelopment. In 2021, Steve secured approval from City Commission for adoption of the Wynwood Norte Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD2), including land use map amendments and rezoning of 140 acres to spur development of multifamily housing and millions of dollars in reinvestment in one of Miami's oldest neighborhoods.

Day Pitney

Partner

Moderator

Steven Wernick

Partner, Day Pitney

Why Attend Bisnow's Future of Little River & Little Haiti Event

Little River
Little Haiti
Little Havana
All the littles north of Miami’s urban core have long been celebrated for their deep Caribbean roots, artistic energy, independent businesses, and working-class identity. Once defined by modest homes, industrial warehouses, and cultural landmarks, these neighborhoods are rapidly transforming into magnets for billions in investment, large-scale mixed-use projects, new residential towers, adaptive reuse developments, and next-generation commercial spaces. As land scarcity tightens across Miami’s core, developers and businesses are looking north to submarkets with zoning flexibility, available land, strong community partnerships, and the capacity for meaningful redevelopment. Major initiatives such as the Little River District are accelerating this momentum creating tremendous opportunity while also raising essential questions about affordability, displacement, infrastructure, and how to honor and preserve the cultural soul of these historic neighborhoods. Join Bisnow as we bring together community leaders, advocates, local businesses, developers, and investors to explore where Little River, Little Haiti, and Little Havana have been, where they are headed, and what you need to know if you’re considering building or relocating in this evolving region. We’ll unpack the past, present, and future of these communities and what it will take to shape responsible, culturally grounded growth in one of Miami’s most dynamic and rapidly changing markets.

Attendees will walk away with a deeper understanding of:

The historical and cultural DNA of Little River, Little Haiti and Little Havana and why this foundation matters as development accelerates.
Major projects reshaping the area, including the $3B+ Little River District, HueHub, adaptive reuse, transit-oriented sites, and large-scale workforce housing initiatives.
Why developers and investors are flooding into the corridor from zoning flexibility to transit access to land availability.
Challenges and community considerations, including displacement concerns, affordability, infrastructure needs, and the importance of maintaining cultural identity.
Which asset classes are gaining momentum from mixed-use, to multifamily, retail, industrial-to-creative conversions, and workforce housing.
Actionable insights for those looking to enter the market including entitlements, partnerships, public-sector alignment, and realistic timelines.

For questions regarding content and speaking, please email our Event Producer, Elizabeth Herrgott, at elizabeth.herrgott@bisnow.com. Want to get involved? Contact Jordan.Hinsch@bisnow.com to get information on sponsorship, pricing and availability at this event. To request disability-related accommodations, please contact ariel.fromm@bisnow.com no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Agenda

Time	Activity
8:00 AM 9:00 AM	Registration, Breakfast & Networking
9:00 AM 9:45 AM	Roots, Identity & Momentum: The Cultural and Economic Evolution of Little River, Little Haiti & Havana This opening conversation grounds the audience in the origin story and cultural fabric of the Littles. Panelists including historians, cultural leaders, longtime residents, local business owners, and civic voices will trace how these neighborhoods grew from early settlements into vibrant Caribbean cultural hubs with deep artistic and entrepreneurial energy. We’ll explore how cultural identity and decades of under-the-radar authenticity created the very conditions that now attract investment and talent. Attendees will hear why this submarket is uniquely positioned for smart, inclusive growth and what must be protected as the landscape transforms.
9:45 AM 10:00 AM	Networking Break
10:00 AM 10:45 AM	The New Development Frontier: Opportunities, Risks & the Billion-Dollar Transformation Underway This panel brings together developers, investors, planners, and public-sector leaders spearheading the transformation of the Littles. We’ll break down the projects redefining the corridor like HueHub’s seven 35-story towers, to adaptive reuse of industrial properties and rapidly expanding mixed-use corridors. Developers will discuss timelines, absorption trends, capital markets appetite, Live Local implications, infrastructure challenges, and the realities of building in a culturally sensitive, politically active part of Miami.
10:45 AM 11:30 AM	Post-Event Networking

Want to get a recap of everything covered at the event?

Purchase the post-event summary and get the highlights sent to you in a post-event summary. Purchase here.

Call:	202-684-2034
Email:	eventregistration@bisnow.com