Two Miami Republican congressmen who helped steer millions in federal community project funding toward a Sweetwater housing redevelopment also collected six-figure political donations from the project's developer at roughly the same time, newly obtained records show. The contributions, totaling about $400,000 when routed through joint fundraising committees and related accounts, flowed into political committees tied to Reps. Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz-Balart as federal money was requested and later approved for the same Sweetwater project. All of this is unfolding against the backdrop of high-profile evictions and demolitions at the Li'l Abner mobile home park, which pushed out longtime residents in the same pocket of Sweetwater where the new buildings are going up.
A Florida Bulldog investigation found that CREI Holdings managing member Raul F. Rodriguez donated $250,000 to the Mario Diaz-Balart Victory Fund on March 22, 2024, along with six-figure sums to committees linked to Rep. Carlos Gimenez, and another $80,000 to the NRCC through entities he controls. The report details how joint-fundraising formulas and committee transfers sent much of that cash into party and legal accounts, and how Miami-Dade housing later paid millions into the project’s financing. Neither congressman’s office nor CREI responded to multiple requests for comment, according to the investigation from Florida Bulldog.
Gimenez clinched $6 million for Sweetwater
Rep. Carlos Gimenez announced that a $6 million federal appropriation was awarded for the Sweetwater housing project, listing Miami-Dade's Housing and Community Development as the recipient for a 326-unit mixed-income development that will include workforce units and 55-plus housing. His office framed the award as part of a broader slate of FY2026 projects meant to bolster public safety, infrastructure, and housing across the district, and pitched the Sweetwater funding in particular as a response to urgent affordable-housing needs in the area. According to Gimenez's office.
Diaz-Balart secured earlier community project funding
House appropriations disclosure tables show that Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart secured Community Project Funding in 2022 that included $4 million tied to the Sweetwater affordable-housing effort, along with additional millions earmarked for road and sewer work intended to support the redevelopment. Those entries appear in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development CPF disclosure published for the Appropriations Committee and were later reflected in the congressional record, listing the Sweetwater items among Community Project Funding awards that members requested and that were added to appropriations bills. The Sweetwater entries are included in the disclosure from the House Appropriations Committee.
What Abner III will be
County and industry records describe the redevelopment site as an eight-story, mixed-income apartment building replacing the old Li'l Abner mobile home park, with unit counts in the mid-300s depending on the source and a sizeable set-aside for senior housing. CREI and industry reporting say the company lined up construction financing for the new building after completing Li'l Abner II, an affordable senior building that opened recently. Local real-estate trade coverage tracks the financing and timeline for the buildout and shows the project moving into its final construction phase. See reporting by Commercial Observer and The Real Deal.
Legal and ethics questions
Ethics rules warn that campaign contributions linked to official actions can raise red flags under federal gift and bribery statutes, and the House Ethics Manual cautions members and staff to steer clear of even the appearance that solicitations are tied to an official act. The guidance does not itself allege criminal wrongdoing, but it helps explain why watchdogs and ethics observers pay close attention when large donations and earmark requests seem to move on parallel tracks. The manual explicitly states that “a solicitation for campaign or political contributions may not be linked with an official action” taken in a member's official capacity. For background, see the House Ethics Manual.
Community fallout
Longtime residents and local advocates say the park’s demolition and mass displacement have sharpened questions about who really benefits from the redevelopment and who is left paying the price. Reporting and community accounts have documented protests, legal battles, and health concerns tied to demolition work as families fought for relocation help and fair compensation. The human toll, along with residents’ organizing around the evictions, has become a central thread in local coverage of the project. For local reporting on the clear-out, see coverage of the demolition amid protests and safety concerns.
Advocates, residents, and local officials say they plan to keep pushing for transparency as the project moves toward occupancy in the coming weeks, with federal and county payment records and campaign filings now part of the public paper trail. This story will be updated with any responses from the offices and entities named as they become available.
