Draft:Otis Pitts, Jr.
Miami Real Estate Developer, Community Organizer and Inner-City Redevelopment Pioneer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Otis Pitts Jr. (July 8, 1942 – December 25, 2022) was an American real estate developer, community organizer, and MacArthur Fellow who played a central role in the revitalization of Liberty City, Miami, following the 1980 Miami riots.[1] He founded the Tacolcy Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) and developed the first affordable housing project financed with tax credits in the state of Florida.[2] President Bill Clinton appointed him as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Federal Coordinator of Long-Term Recovery for Hurricane Andrew.[3]
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Otis Pitts Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 8, 1942 Camilla, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | December 25, 2022 (aged 80) Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. |
| Education | Pepperdine University (B.S., M.A.) |
| Alma mater | Pepperdine University |
| Occupations | Real Estate Developer, Community Organizer and Entrepreneur, Philanthropist |
| Spouse | Dorothy A. Mays Pitts |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Otis Pitts Sr., Susie Threatts Pitts |
| Awards | MacArthur Fellowship (1990) |
Through his companies TEDC and Peninsula Developers, Inc., Pitts developed more than 1,680 units of affordable and market-rate housing across South Florida, representing over $121 million in total development costs.[4]
Early life and education
Pitts was born on July 8, 1942, in Camilla, Georgia, to Otis Pitts Sr. and Susie Threatts Pitts.[5] He was the eldest son of eight children. His father was one of the first Black police officers hired by the Miami Police Department, serving 22 years before retiring.[6] His father also owned several small businesses in both Overtown and Liberty City, including a fish market, restaurant, and dry cleaners, where young Otis worked as a teenager.[5]
The Pitts family was displaced from Overtown when the construction of Interstate 95 and urban renewal projects destroyed Black-owned businesses and displaced tens of thousands of residents in the 1950s and 1960s. The family relocated to Liberty City using the G.I. Bill.[7]
Pitts attended Miami Northwestern Senior High School. At age 17, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he served as a Military Policeman while stationed in Landstuhl, Germany.[5] He later earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts degree from Pepperdine University.[1] He received honorary degrees from the University of Miami and Florida Memorial University.[5]
Career
Miami Police Department
Following in his father's footsteps, Pitts joined the Miami Police Department after graduating from the police academy. In a moment emblematic of the family's legacy, his father pinned his badge on him when he became an officer.[5] Liberty City was his beat. As a young policeman, he fought for equal rights and benefits for Black officers serving on the force.[8]
In a 1989 interview for the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize II, Pitts described the experience: "Being a policeman in the 1970s was fairly challenging for most Blacks, because it was at a time when the country was still going through a tumult... For a Black officer, it was real tough, because you were considered in some cases to be a traitor."[7]
Belafonte Tacolcy Center
Pitts was selected by Frances Henderson, the founder of the Belafonte Tacolcy Center (BTC), to become her successor and Executive Director.[5] BTC was a community center in Liberty City named after entertainer and activist Harry Belafonte, established in the 1960s to assist Liberty City residents and youth.[8] Under Pitts's leadership, the Center grew from a single building with a negative fund balance into a nationally recognized institution with an annual budget of $1.5 million and a 3.5-acre campus valued in excess of $10 million.[1] The Center's prevention programs were selected as national models by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.[1]
Tacolcy Economic Development Corporation
Following the 1980 Miami riots, Pitts founded the Tacolcy Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) in October 1982 to lead Liberty City's economic revitalization.[1] The MacArthur Foundation cited his "successful efforts at team and coalition building," noting that TEDC brought together leaders from government, banks, foundations, corporations, and neighborhood residents.[1]
His first major project was Edison Plaza, the redevelopment of a 63,000-square-foot shopping center that had been looted and vandalized during the riots. Edison Plaza opened in March 1985, anchored by a Winn-Dixie supermarket that became one of the most profitable per-capita Winn-Dixie locations in Florida, and created 100 jobs.[9] The center attracted 17,000 shoppers per week, nearly three times the projected 6,000.[7]
Through TEDC, Pitts undertook the first new housing construction in Liberty City in over 20 years and developed the first affordable housing project using tax credits in the state of Florida.[2] He built 320 units of affordable rental housing and laid the groundwork for over 2,000 additional units across Miami-Dade County.[1] TEDC recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and continues to develop and manage real estate projects.[5]
HUD appointment and Hurricane Andrew
In April 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Pitts as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Federal Coordinator of Long-Term Recovery for Hurricane Andrew, which caused $25 billion in total damage.[3][5] Pitts had previously served on Clinton's presidential transition team.
During a nationally televised press conference on March 13, 1993, President Clinton stated: "I have asked Otis Pitts, Jr., a highly respected nonprofit developer of affordable housing in the Miami area to coordinate our efforts in south Dade. I met Otis last year on one of my many trips to the Miami area. I was very impressed with what he had done."[3]
Peninsula Developers
After his service at HUD, Pitts served as Vice President at Codina Development (1995–1996), where he led the development of Gables Grand Plaza in Coral Gables — a mixed-use project featuring 195 luxury apartments, 35,000 square feet of retail space, and a 450-car parking garage.[10]
In 1996, Pitts founded Peninsula Developers, Inc., a South Florida real estate development and economic consulting firm. For more than 25 years, the company developed retail, office, and multifamily projects throughout Florida.[5]
Development portfolio
Over the course of his career, Pitts developed the following major projects:[4]
| Project | Type | Units | Investment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edison Plaza | Shopping Center | — | $2.1M |
| Edison Gardens I & II | Affordable Rental (LIHTC) | 100 | $9.2M |
| Edison Terraces I & II | Affordable Rental (LIHTC) | 120 | $8.2M |
| Edison Towers | Affordable Senior Housing | 121 | $5.5M |
| Walden Pond | Affordable Rental (LIHTC) | 290 | $15.0M |
| Golden Lakes | Affordable Rental (Bonds/LIHTC) | 280 | $22.2M |
| Gables Grand Plaza | Mixed-Use (Market Rate) | 195 | $23.0M |
| Hidden Cove | Affordable Rental (LIHTC) | 144 | $9.9M |
| Doral Terraces | Affordable Rental (LIHTC) | 250 | $22.6M |
| New World | Condominium Conversion | 180 | $6.0M |
| Edison Marketplace | Commercial/Retail | — | $15.2M |
| MLK Office Transit Metrorail Station | Office/Transit | — | $27.5M |
| Total | 1,680+ | $164.3M |
Affiliations
Pitts served on the boards of numerous organizations, including:[5][8]
- Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (Board of Directors)
- Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Board of Directors)
- Barnett Bank (Board of Directors; now Bank of America)
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) (National Board of Directors)
- Federal Reserve Consumer Advisory Board
- Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (Housing Advisory Council)
- Urban Land Institute (Advisory Panels in Florida, Connecticut, and Ohio)
- Florida Partnership of the Americas (Board of Directors)
- Enterprise Florida (Urban Revitalization Advisor and At-Large Member of the Florida Economic Summit)
- Chairman, Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas' Task Force on Urban Economic Revitalization
Awards and honors
- MacArthur Fellowship ("Genius Grant") — Class of 1990[1]
- NBC News "Citizen of the Week"[5]
- Black Lawyers Association "Citizen of the Year"[5]
- Miami Herald Charles Whited "Spirit of Excellence Award"[5]
- Honorary degree, University of Miami[5]
- Honorary degree, Florida Memorial University[5]
- Virginia Key Beach Park Trust "Sunset Salute" (posthumous, 2023)[11]
Media appearances
Pitts's community development work was covered in Fortune, Time, and The New York Times.[5] He appeared on Nightline, the Today Show, and The McNeil Lehrer NewsHour.[5] He was interviewed for the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads, 1965–mid 1980s, produced by Blackside, Inc.[7] He was a guest lecturer at the Rockefeller Institute and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.[5]
Personal life
Pitts married Dorothy A. Mays in 1968. They had four children: Virginia Mays Pitts, Othius Susan Pitts, Otis Kareem Pitts, and Otoria Virchelle Pitts.[5] His daughter Virginia preceded him in death.
Affectionately known as "Junior," Pitts was a blues and jazz guitarist and a visual artist whose hobbies included drawing, sculpting, reading, and playing chess. He was also known for his beloved German Shepherd, Bossman.[5]
Death
Otis Pitts Jr. died peacefully on December 25, 2022, at the age of 80.[12] The funeral service was held on January 14, 2023, at New Birth Baptist Church Cathedral of Faith International in Miami.[5]
He was survived by his former wife Dorothy; son Otis K. Pitts; daughters Othius Susan Pitts and Otoria Virchelle Pitts; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and seven siblings. He was preceded in death by his parents, his daughter Virginia Mays Pitts, and his sister Elouise Sheffield.[5]
In 2023, the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park Trust honored Pitts with a "Sunset Salute," declaring: "You will never be forgotten. Rest in Paradise!"[11]
The Otis Pitts Jr. Foundation Corporation was established by his family to continue his legacy of community empowerment and economic development.