The Opening
For the first time, Florida law puts community-serving schools first in line for surplus public-school property. Securing a permanent home for the McCartney Academy in Liberty City is no longer a hope — it is a navigable legal path. This playbook turns the 2025 statutes and the State of Florida's own facilities inventory into a concrete acquisition plan.
And the inventory delivered the headline before we asked: the State's own report lists Charles R. Drew Middle School as vacant — the exact site of our District-2 proposal.
LAWS TOOK EFFECT
The Legal Engine — Five Levers
The 2025 legislative session passed four aligned bills. Each is a specific statutory lever we can pull to bypass traditional municipal hurdles.
Right of First Refusal
Before a district may sell, lease, or transfer any school property, it must first offer it to public charter schools for educational use.
Ad Valorem Exemption & Reuse
Any facility housing an approved charter school is exempt from property taxes; libraries, churches, museums, and community buildings may host a school under existing zoning.
Land-Use Preemption
Local building, site, capacity, and operational rules that single out charter schools are void unless applied uniformly to all public schools.
Conversion Pathways
Parent-initiated conversion and municipal "job-engine charter" routes open existing schools to community-led, workforce-focused reuse; districts must share infrastructure surtax revenue.
The Funding Floor
The state statutory framework guarantees the Schools of Hope capital program is held at a constant, non-discretionary funding minimum.
"The door the highway closed, the law has reopened."
The Inventory — Real Targets
Grounded in the Florida Inventory of School Houses (FISH) Level-of-Service Report for Miami-Dade, dated March 6, 2025. "Vacant" is the State's own flag; "% used" and "surplus seats" are its verified utilization figures.
| Facility | Status / % Used | Surplus Seats | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles R. Drew Middle | VACANT | — (1,440 dining cap.) | Primary target — the exact site of the District-2 pitch |
| Westview Middle | VACANT | — | Second vacant building in the belt |
| Booker T. Washington Sr High | 49% used | ~1,065 | The school McCartney helped rebuild — symbolic anchor, co-location capacity |
| Poinciana Park Elementary | 20% used | ~607 | Most underused in the belt |
| Liberty City Elementary | 28% used | ~597 | In-name-and-place |
| Brownsville Middle | 34% used | ~899 | Large surplus, adjacent community |
| Orchard Villa Elementary | 37% used | ~454 | Conversion candidate |
| Miami Edison Senior High | 38% used | ~1,013 | Major surplus capacity |
| Paul Laurence Dunbar K-8 | 38% used | ~485 | Conversion candidate |
| Lillie C. Evans K-8 | 39% used | ~393 | Conversion candidate |
| Georgia Jones-Ayers Middle | 42% used | ~669 | Conversion candidate |
Honest read: FISH utilization and vacancy are verified facts, but "underused" in FISH is not the same as a district's formal declaration of surplus. The right of first refusal triggers when the district moves to sell, lease, or transfer. So the two vacant buildings (Drew Middle, Westview) are the cleanest reuse; the underused ones are conversion and co-location candidates.
The Playbook — Six Moves
A non-linear, multi-front campaign to secure the site. Speed and statutory alignment are our tactical advantages.
Stand up standing
Claim Charles R. Drew Middle
Run the conversion route in parallel (HB 1105)
Invoke the protections
Stack capital funding
Build the integrated ecosystem
"We are not asking for a favor. We are exercising a right."
Risks & the Honest Read
Strategic success requires intellectual honesty. We have identified four primary operational risks that must be managed continuously.
- Timing & Control FISH status is not a formal surplus declaration; the final property disposition timeline remains within the District's bureaucratic discretion.
- Gating Prerequisite Approved-school status is the hard gate through which all statutory claims must pass, and we are currently early in that process.
- Competitive Pressure Every public charter operator in Florida holds the same right of first refusal — our structural edge is speed, deep community legitimacy, and the McCartney-Drew historical lineage.
- Rigorous Diligence We must verify current statute text daily and evaluate the building's physical/environmental condition comprehensively prior to any formal filing.
The Ask
To execute this playbook flawlessly, we require the immediate alignment of four critical partners:
- Legal & Charter Counsel To fast-track and secure the vital approved-school status prerequisite.
- Facilities & Real-Estate Partner For the engineering feasibility, architectural planning, and structural conversion of the Drew Middle facility.
- Philanthropic Capital Partners To bridge early capital requirements between acquisition and state funding reimbursement.
- District Engagement Direct lines of coordination with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the District 2 office under Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall.
The Record
Sources and compliance documentation kept honestly:
The legislative summary draws on Florida 2025 legislative session bills — HB 443 (Ch. 2025-144), HB 1105 (Ch. 2025-109), SB 2510, and HB 1255 — as strategic analysis; current statute text must be verified with certified legal counsel before filings. Facility-level data is pulled directly from the FLDoE Office of Educational Facilities FISH Level-of-Service Report, Miami-Dade, dated March 6, 2025 (retrieved via Internet Archive mirror).
"Nil satis nisi optimum — nothing but the best is good enough."