MIAMI (WSVN) - Residents of Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood are chilling after the city donated dozens of air conditioning units.
A state built on air conditioning, Florida is known for its high and humid temperatures. With highs easily reaching into the 90s, multiple Liberty Square residents suffer through the heat due to inadequate air condition or a lack of air conditioning at all.
Valencia Lane is one of many who had to deal with the sweltering heat before she had an air conditioner installed.
“It’s very hot in these buildings, so the AC is good now,” she said.
A total of 51 units were donated to the neighborhood, helping cool down a host of families.
“I hope that this will make it even better for people, to see that there is hope out there,” said resident Jimmy Harris.
Harris said he’s thankful to see Mayor Francis Suarez, Police Chief Jorge Colina and City Manager Emilio Gonzalez at his door to celebrate this initiative to help him and his neighbors.
The air conditioner comes as a relief to Harris, who has taken off from work to care for his ailing mother, and the heat has been no help.
“My mother just recently got out of the hospital, and one of the conditions that she has is acute kidney failure, which means she wasn’t drinking enough water, or she was sweating so much that her kidneys were going bad,” Harris said.
Suarez said he has walked this community many times and has seen a lot that bothers him.
“People living in, what I would consider, subhuman conditions,” said Suarez. “To think that there are people living in this community without basics, air conditioning, to me was something that I just did not feel was right.”
The mayor said officials have been working consistently to find ways to improve lives in the neighborhood and don’t intend for it to stop with the air conditioning.
“We’re hoping to equip them all because even though we know that there’s going to be a new project coming here, in the meantime, people who are living here deserve to live in peace and tranquility with a decent quality of life.”
The Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community Development selected the first homes to receive the units, prioritizing homes with elderly and ailing residents.
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