welcome back imagine living next door to
the loudest wildest frat house on campus
but it's right in your own peaceful
neighborhood well that's what some
neighbors in one South Florida community
say they're dealing with because of what
they call illegal student housing but
the owner of at least one of those homes
says that they're not breaking any rules
local - an investigative reporter Amy
Viteri looked into the problems and the
challenges neighbors have faced the
students are constantly having these
late-night parties you know walking
drunk aimlessly like a scene straight
out of the movie neighbors suburban
families peaceful Street is invaded by a
fraternity house but people living in
Miami Dade's Glen bar Heights
neighborhood say this is their reality
we're at the moment there's a I believe
15 um students living there they all
belong to a fraternity
Jessica Cruz says a handful of
developers are buying up properties and
building large multi bedroom homes that
are essentially off-campus dorms
pictures show huge parties and neighbors
complain of late night speeding and
drunken behavior the biggest offender
this home at 5,500 Southwest 67th Avenue
where during one um football game last
season
partiers arrived by school bus think
three of them and they bussed in God
knows how many individuals for a party
this isn't the only home neighbors say
there are several student rental
properties nearby with cars parked
haphazardly trash piles attracting
rodents and sorta potties in the yard
police have been called to the home on
67th Avenue and we found several noise
violation citations issued neighbors
have sent petitions and hired an
attorney to take their case to the
county but say renters have pushed back
at one party they hung this banner with
a tweet from rapper Kanye West one of
the neighbors that was actually
approached by the students and they kind
of threatened him and they said stop
taking pictures
our landlord is well-connected with the
county so nothing's gonna happen to him
neighbors say this homes owner Julio Del
Ray and his brother Jorge owned several
properties in the area
the brothers are also politically
connected their sister Marcia del Rey is
a Miami Dade judge but the commissioner
for this district Xavier Suarez says
there's
no special treatment here we're not
influenced by any powerful person we
learned Julio and Jorge delray each
contributed $10,000 to the campaign of
the commissioners son Francis Suarez now
the mayor of Miami now were you aware
that the owners of a couple of these
properties had contributed significantly
to your son's mayoral campaign no no I
was not Wiress says the county has taken
action like this cease and desist letter
sent in February to julio del rey
threatening a lawsuit an attorney for
the del race fired back saying the
county has never defined the term one
family residence people should have the
expectation that they move into a
residential neighborhood that they're
not gonna have frat houses next to them
we reached out to Julio Del Ray by phone
he declined an interview but his
attorney sent us this statement which
read in part the house was legally built
and legally leased to the current
tenants please note the Honorable Marcia
Del Rey has no ownership or stake in
this property and this update the
statement went on to say del Rey has now
decided he will not renew the lease of
the current tenants in an effort to be a
good neighbor but what about the other
rental properties the family still has
in the works this empty lot across from
Jessica Cruz's home owned by Jorge Del
Rey
she says with plans to build an 11
bedroom rental and in South Miami this
large home being built by Julio Del Rey
is nearly finished is the seven room
seven bathrooms all set there
now Teresa Gallivan says the family next
door is now selling their home wanting
no part of the problems happening just
up the road
it's definitely wrong this is a
residential community of quiet
neighborhood ami Viteri local 10 News
okay Amy thanks a lot of spokesperson
for the Delray family says at the lease
for the home on 67th Avenue ends in June
and we're told there are now plans to
sell the home in South Miami when it's
complete and plans for the future home
across from Jessica crews have been
downsized significantly will of course
keep you posted