Wedding venue in Blue Ridge, GA for couples in Hialeah, FL

BELLEVUE, Wash., February 26, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Terreno Realty Corporation (NYSE:TRNO), an acquirer, owner and operator of industrial real estate in six major coastal U.S. markets, announced today that it has commenced construction of Countyline Corporate Park Phase IV Buildings 32 and 33 in Hialeah, Florida. Building 32 of Terreno Realty Corporation’s Countyline Corporate Park is a 164,000 square foot 36-foot clear height rear-load industrial distribution building on 8.3 acres with 53 dock-high and two grade-level loading positions and parking for 148 cars. Building 33 of Terreno Realty Corporation’s Countyline Corporate Park is a 158,000 square foot 36-foot clear height rear-load industrial distribution building on 9.0 acres with 53 dock-high and two grade-level loading positions and parking for 136 cars. The buildings are expected to be completed in 2025 and achieve LEED certification, the total expected investment is $79.1 million and the estimated stabilized cap rate is 6.0%.

Countyline Corporate Park Phase IV consists of a 121-acre project entitled for 2.2 million square feet of industrial distribution buildings in Miami’s Countyline Corporate Park ("Countyline"), immediately adjacent to Terreno Realty Corporation’s seven fully-leased buildings within Countyline (Countyline Corporate Park Phase III). Countyline is a landfill redevelopment adjacent to Florida’s Turnpike and the southern terminus of I-75 located at the intersection of NW 170th Street and NW 107th Avenue. At expected completion in 2027, Countyline Corporate Park Phase IV is expected to contain ten LEED-certified industrial distribution buildings totaling approximately 2.2 million square feet providing 660 dock-high and 22 grade-level loading positions and parking for 1,875 cars for a total expected investment of approximately $511.5 million.

Taken together, Terreno Realty Corporation’s Countyline Corporate Park Phase III and IV will contain 17 industrial distribution buildings and 3.5 million square feet.

Estimated stabilized cap rates are calculated as annualized cash basis net operating income stabilized to market occupancy (generally 95%) divided by total acquisition cost. Total acquisition cost includes the initial purchase price, the effects of marking assumed debt to market, buyer’s due diligence and closing costs, estimated near-term capital expenditures and leasing costs necessary to achieve stabilization.

Terreno Realty Corporation acquires, owns and operates industrial real estate in six major coastal U.S. markets: Los Angeles; Northern New Jersey/New York City; San Francisco Bay Area; Seattle; Miami; and Washington, D.C.

The City of Hialeah wants to establish law and order by preventing the illegal rental of mobile homes as alternative housing in the face of the affordable housing crisis.

“There are many people who are taking advantage of Hialeah, people who do not live in the city, thinking that Hialeah is the Wild West,” Mayor Esteban Bovo Jr. said Tuesday as the City Council approved an ordinance to restrict the use of mobile homes and boats in the city.

Council President Jesus Tundidor, sponsor of the ordinance, said it is a “victory for public safety,” highlighting that the law seeks to protect property owners in Hialeah.

“People who have worked their entire lives to own a home are now being forced to live next to illegal rented mobile homes,” Tundidor explained. “Hialeah is not a third-world country, it is a working class community.”

Although Bovo cautioned that he does not know how many RVs are being rented as housing in Hialeah, he estimates that if there are 198 recreational vehicles registered to people living in Hialeah with the Florida Department of Vehicles, “there must be at least twice as many in violation [of the law.]”

The ordinance, which the Council unanimously supported earlier this month, received final approval by a 4 to 2 vote. Jesus Tundidor, Monica Perez, Jacqueline Garcia-Roves and Carl Zogby voted in favor of the new law, and Bryan Calvo and Angelica Pacheco voted in opposition. (Luis Rodriguez was absent.)

The mayor told el Nuevo Herald that “the councilors who voted against this ordinance are turning their backs on the residents who are property owners.”

According to Bovo, renting mobile homes as housing poses a safety risk and threatens to increase property insurance costs.

Here’s what the new ordinance does:

▪ Every recreational vehicle, including boats and vessels, has to be registered with the City, and the owner has to sign an affidavit that it will not be offered for occupancy.

▪ Prohibits RV’s to be placed in backyards but allows to be placed on the side yard (at a length of up to 33 feet ) or front yard of the property (at a length of up to 24 feet). If the RV it is parked in the front yard, the RV must be parked perpendicular.

▪ The owner of the RV has to own the property or be a close relative of the property owner.

▪ Prohibits RV’s, commercial vehicles and boats and vessels to be parked on a property that was developed as a duplex, has a zero lot line or is multi-family.

▪ Limits quantity: only one RV and boat can be parked on property zoned residential.

▪ Prohibits the RVs to be connected to water and sewer lines unless for the purpose of a flush out, for a length of no more than 30 minutes.

If an inspector determines that the ordinance is being violated, the owner will be informed that their electrical service, as well as water and sewage, will be suspended — as recently happened to a septuagenarian couple who were breaking the law. (Councilwoman Perez requested an amendment to promptly inform residents of what will happen if they fail to comply with the rule.)

▪ Provides for a 60 day grace period from the time the Ordinance becomes effective for residents to comply. The grace period can be extend it for another 60 days.

Those who fail to comply with the regulations and receive notification from the city will have to pay a fine of $500 per day until ordinance compliance.

Before voting against the ordinance, Pacheco asked the council if there was any plan in the city to help families relying on the now-illegal rent for income with some type of social assistance that prevents them from being left without a roof over their heads.

“There are many families that are in need. They are very vulnerable, low income. I am concerned that we do not know exactly how many people are going to be affected,” Pacheco said.

The mayor explained to Pacheco that Hialeah’s budget is limited. “We can not sustain a social program. If we do we would have to cut the program later or take money from another program,” Bovo said.

Councilwoman Perez assured that Hialeah’s Grants Department has a Community Solution Team that could offer affected residents help.

Councilman Calvo, who has consistently been opposed to Bovo’s policies and just lost a lawsuit against the mayor, indicated that he voted against the ordinance because he does not agree with restricting the number of boats and commercial vehicles that can be parked in the city.

Although there are restrictions on the parking of commercial vehicles, such as the prohibition of parking them in duplexes and multi-family homes, the mayor assured that his goal with this ordinance is to concentrate efforts on preventing people from continuing to rent RVs as a housing alternative.

“I don’t want people to believe that the government is behind them, we know there is a crisis, the focus is on what they are renting RVs to live in,” Bovo said.

The ordinance will come into force as soon as the mayor signs it “in a couple of days”.

From that moment on, the inspectors will have the power to enforce the law, but the city only has seven code inspectors.

On the first reading of the ordinance the mayor promised to increase the number of employees to enforce the law.

At that time, Bovo said he would hire additional code inspectors and require them to work nights and weekends to prevent “Hialeah from becoming a ghetto.”

In this regard, he indicated now that they are going to develop a plan to enforce the regulations, without specifying details.

Publix opened a new supermarket this week in Hialeah.

Minutes before the Hialeah Heights Publix Super Market opened its doors Thursday for the first time, in the Shoppes of Highland, customers flocked to the entrance ready to shop.

At 6:50 a.m., Gisela Rodríguez arrived with her two daughters, Pilar and Amelia Pérez, 15 and 12, and waited for the doors to open.

“This Hialeah community is one of busy families. Publix offers an experience and services that do not require wasting time standing in long lines,” Rodríguez, 43, told el Nuevo Herald.

For the single mother, Publix is a “blessing.” She goes to the supermarket three times a week.

Although less than 1.2 miles from another Publix, Rodríguez says she previously went to Publix stores in Miami Lakes and Miramar.

“Now I have it in my own neighborhood,” she said.

It’s all about convenience to have a Publix in the neighborhood.

“We have a lot of traffic in the area. Not only is it closer to us, but it makes access safer and faster for residents,” said resident Eddie Santiesteban.

The new Hialeah Heights Publix, 3685 W 85th Path, has all the usual stuff: produce, seafood and meat in in 48,387 square feet. The supermarket also has a second-floor dining room.

“We are excited to welcome our customers to their new store at the Shoppes of Highland and look forward to providing them with the premier service and quality Publix is known for,” Lindsey Willis, Publix media relations manager, said in a statement.

Here is an update on other new Publix locations:

Under construction: Publix is building a waterfront supermarket in Hollywood. The company hasn’t released an opening date for the store, which is on the Intracoastal. When plans were announced for the store in 2018, to be built on a vacant lot at 3100 S. Ocean Dr. north of the Diplomat hotel, Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy had this to say: “The Publix is proposed to have cafe tables on Ocean Drive and will also have a boat dock for boaters to pull up and buy groceries for their day on the water. Great amenity for the beach and for Hollywood boaters!”

Winter Garden: Opened Aug. 17, Waterleigh Village, 10650 Avalon Rd.

Ocala: Opened Aug. 10, Churchill Square, 303 SE 17th St.

Royal Palm Beach: Opened July 6, Crossroads of Royal Palm Beach, 1180 Royal Beach Beach Blvd.

Pembroke Pines: On Jan. 23, Publix opened a new store at 16024 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines. The store’s neighbor is an older Publix across the street at Paraiso Parc at 15729 Pines Blvd. The older store isn’t going anywhere. “As a whole, we look for opportunities to best serve our customers and, in some cases, alleviate congestion in stores, in addition to allowing for the best traffic patterns in a particular area,” said Lindsey Willis, media relations manager for Publix.

Kendall: Opened June 15, The Crossings Shopping Village, 13001 SW 112th St. The 46,800-square-foot store is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and features a pharmacy, floral department and adjacent liquor store. It was rebuilt on the site of an older store.

Palm Beach County: The 48,300-square-foot store opened June 8, Westlake Plaza in The Acreage area of Westlake, 16841 Persimmon Blvd.

This story was originally published September 1, 2023, 11:15 AM.

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a South Florida woman against the Kraft Heinz Food Company over the time it takes to make its Velveeta microwavable mac and cheese.

The class-action complaint was filed in November in the Southern District of Florida Miami Division on behalf of Amanda Ramirez, of Hialeah, and said the box's claims of "ready in 3-and-a-half minutes" doesn't accurately portray how long it takes to prepare the meal.

The suit alleged that the Pittsburgh-based company sells more of the product, and at a higher price, by misleading consumer's about the Velveeta Shells & Cheese prep time.

In a July 27 ruling, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom granted Kraft's motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying Ramirez didn't suffer an injury and continued to purchase the product after learning the label was allegedly "deceptive."

"She does not allege that she was unable to consume the product or that it was otherwise so flawed as to be rendered useless," Bloom wrote in the 13-page ruling. "In fact, the Complaint does not even include an allegation that Plaintiff ever attempted to cook the product."

The lawsuit had been seeking more than $5 million in damages and class-action status covering consumers in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, New Mexico, Alaska, Iowa, Tennessee and Virginia.

"There is no real and immediate threat of future injury. Plaintiff’s counsel conceded that point during oral argument and acknowledged that Plaintiff lacks standing to seek injunctive relief," Bloom wrote. "The Court agrees that Plaintiff lacks standing to pursue a claim for injunctive relief."

Ramirez found the statement on the box that it would be ready in 3½ minutes "false and misleading" because in the directions, only one of several steps takes that amount of time, according to the suit.

"Consumers seeing 'ready in 3½ minutes' will believe it represents the total amount of time it takes to prepare the Product, meaning from the moment it is unopened to the moment it is ready for consumption," the suit said. "However, the directions outlined above show that 3-and-a-half minutes is just the length of time to complete one of several steps."

In a statement after the suit was filed, Ramirez's attorney, Will Wright, said corporations shouldn't get a pass for "deceptive advertising."

"I’ve gotten a lot of flak about this case, but deceptive advertising is deceptive advertising. Here, Kraft charges extra for a desirable feature (saving time) but the marketing is false, it takes far longer for the product to be ready than as advertised. Deceptive adverting plain and simple," his statement read. "There are a lot of people that may feel this is just a little fibbing and not really a case and I get that. But we are striving for something better. We want corporate America to be straightforward and truthful in advertising their products."

Kraft had previously called the lawsuit "frivolous."

MIAMI - Miami on Friday tied the high temperature record for this day that had stood for over 60 years but the moisture rich air also brought rain and the formation of at least one funnel cloud.

As of 2 p.m., the high temperature at Miami International Airport topped out at 93 degrees, matching a record that was set in 1958.

But some areas in South Florida saw showers because of a lingering air mass linked to persistent showers in the region.

"It got very hot," CBS News Miami meteorologist Cindy Preszler said. "Then we had a little shower along the sea breeze and an updraft formed in Hialeah that was very visible."

The wet and unsettled weather pattern is expected to continue through the weekend due to deep tropical moisture remaining in place.

Friday scattered storms will be possible. There was a Level 1 threat of excessive rainfall for parts of South Florida, including most of Broward, due to the potential for some heavy downpours and localized flooding.

A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect through Sunday due to the higher than normal king tides and the potential for minor saltwater coastal flooding around high tide times.

After starting the day with temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s, highs in the afternoon will climb to the upper 80s.

The rain chance stays high through Saturday and Sunday with the chance for scattered to numerous storms.

Passing storms are possible on Monday but next week drier air moves in to lower rain chances Tuesday through midweek.

Lissette Gonzalez

Lissette Gonzalez has served as the morning and noon meteorologist for CBS4 News since 2007. Viewers can watch Lissette's weathercasts weekday mornings from 5 to 9 a.m. and again at noon.

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