About Us -

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We preserve heritage, boost businesses and strengthen communities though shared opportunities

Mission

Build an Allapattah economy that works for everyone while preserving the neighborhood’s unique cultural heritage

Vision

Foster a vibrant Allapattah where every individual, family, and business thrives and where our cultural heritage is embraced and preserved

The Heart of Allapattah

The American Dream is alive in Allapattah. At The Allapattah Collaborative, CDC (ACDC), we believe that a thriving economy is one where no one is left behind. Since 2018, we have been guided by the Equitable Development Action Plan (EDAP), a roadmap created by the community, for the community. We want to ensure that as our neighborhood grows, our people grow…and stay.

After five years of award-winning impact, we continue to prove that community is the ultimate economic driver. From the preservation of the Little Santo Domingo corridor to igniting Miami’s Main Street movement, we exist to protect our legacy while building a future defined by ownership, unity, and lasting vitality.

Our Theory of Change

Allapattah faces rising rents, redevelopment pressures, and historic underinvestment that threaten small businesses and longtime residents with displacement. The Allapattah Collaborative CDC (ACDC) works to ensure that growth benefits the community rather than erases it.

Our approach is grounded in ownership, economic mobility, and cultural preservation. By expanding pathways to ownership—including cooperative and wealth-building models—and protecting Little Santo Domingo’s cultural heritage, we anchor equity and identity in the community, enabling families and businesses to remain rooted and reducing displacement risk.

We meet community members where they are through culturally relevant programs, including bilingual business coaching, financial management training, and access to capital—equipping entrepreneurs to strengthen operations, grow revenue, and build financial stability. Through strengthened civic engagement and strategic partnerships, residents gain a meaningful voice in shaping development and guiding investment in the community.

The result is a resilient, inclusive economy where Allapattah residents, small businesses, and families build wealth, preserve culture, and shape the neighborhood’s future.

Our Pillars

Business Growth & Job Creation

Historic & Cultural Preservation

Affordable Housing Expansion

Community Engagement & Events

Space & Infrastructure Improving Quality of Life

Empowering those who hold the heart of the community

We serve the tens of thousands of residents and small, micro-businesses that form the backbone of our local economy. Our work is dedicated to the people of the Little Santo Domingo commercial corridor and all the visionaries who fuel Allapattah. We seek to empower a diverse community of entrepreneurs and families to achieve all their goals through ownership and unity.

Rooted in Service, Recognized by Impact

In just five years, we have transformed our community. From preserving the vibrant pulse of Allapattah to impacting thousands of lives, we prove that when capital is deployed with a community at the center, every resident can thrive. Our legacy is not just in the history we protect, but in the thousands of futures we are securing through ownership, unity, and lasting vitality.

Timeline

The Allapattah Collaborative CDC (ACDC) was founded to confront a pivotal moment in Allapattah’s history.

As redevelopment pressures intensified across Miami, longtime small businesses and immigrant families—particularly along the Little Santo Domingo corridor—faced rising rents, displacement risks, and limited access to capital. Community leaders recognized that without intentional intervention, growth would erase cultural identity and economic opportunity rather than strengthen it.

ACDC emerged as a community-driven response, committed to building a resilient and inclusive local economy rooted in ownership, preservation, and advocacy. From its early days, the organization focused on stabilizing small businesses through bilingual coaching, technical assistance, and capital access support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization played a critical role in helping entrepreneurs secure emergency relief, including PPP assistance, preventing widespread closures and stabilizing the commercial district.

In 2020, the community became the only Main Street Program in the City of Miami. ACDC’s impact quickly gained national and statewide recognition. In 2023, the National Trust for Historic Preservation highlighted Little Santo Domingo among the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places to Preserve in the USA. Also in 2023 it was selected as a national pilot site for Living Cities & Main Street America’s $6.3 million “Where It Starts: Breaking Barriers to Business” initiative. It was also named Florida Blue’s Miami-Dade County partner for the Growing Resilient Communities initiative.

In 2024, CEO & Founder Mileyka Burgos-Flores was honored by Main Street America with the Mary Means Award- the highest honor presented by the organization for her visionary leadership in community development and cultural preservation. In 2025, ACDC was recognized as Florida’s Main Street Program of the Month for outstanding revitalization and heritage preservation. ACDC continues advancing pathways to ownership, preserving cultural identity, and building community wealth for future generations.