From Dubai to Surfside: Inside Damac’s plans to redevelop the tragic site
Billionaire Hussain Sajwani’s firm hopes for spectacular US debut Hussain Sajwani has made a career out of going against the tide. While his compatriots scaled back after the 2008 market downturn, Sajwani, the founder of Dubai-based Damac Properties, announced his biggest project yet, the 42 million-square-foot Damac Hills. And years later, as many high-profile businesses […]
Town blames rival for blocking big-money detention center. Now it wants $150 million.
PEMBROKE PINES — A long-running feud has finally made its way to a courtroom, where six jurors will decide whether Pembroke Pines is to blame for blocking a lucrative detention center from being built in Southwest Ranches. In a lawsuit filed nearly a decade ago, Southwest Ranches claims Pembroke Pines cost the town millions by […]
Selling out post-Surfside collapse
Buyers seeking warm weather and the amenities of oceanfront living have often sought out more affordable units in older buildings along South Florida’s waterfront. But now the supply of those condos may be dwindling. Developers, facing little to no inventory of undeveloped waterfront land, are increasingly targeting bulk buyouts of these buildings. And unit owners […]
New Plan To Preserve Doc’s Heads to Delray City Commission
With one iconic Delray Beach institution—Old School Square—in play, the fate of another goes before the city commission today. That would be Doc’s, the retro burgers-fries-soft ice cream restaurant just north of the intersection at Swinton and Atlantic avenues. Last year, the city rejected a proposal that would have preserved Doc’s in exchange for allowing a three-story […]
Ministerial privilege: Would Tony Blair’s transfer tax loophole work in the US?
Pandora Papers reveal the former PM’s slick trick for avoiding £300K in taxes on his London townhouse Last year, Americans bought $1 billion worth of whisky and $6.5 billion of vehicles from the UK. But this week’s Pandora Papers leak revealed another British export that might hook wealthy Americans: creative tax avoidance. On Sunday, the Guardian […]
City Commissioner Joins Government Law Group As Partner
Fort Lauderdale-based boutique firm Government Law Group announced on Friday the addition of a City of Parkland commissioner to its ranks. Jordan B. Isrow moves to the government-affairs outfit as a partner. He recently worked as general counsel for international cosmetics contract manufacturer Oxygen Development LLC and sat on its executive committee. “We welcome Jordan […]
Are you ready for a 3D-printed house? They’re cheaper, stronger and long-lasting, developers say
The three-bedroom, two-bath home has a corduroy-patterned exterior, rounded corners — and a cement pour that oozed from an industrial-sized toothpaste tube. And most intriguing of all, it comes from a 3D printer. When the house is finished around November, Kyndra and James Light, a husband-wife development team, will be asking between $175,000 and $225,000 […]
Before Surfside tragedy, neighboring tower faced opposition, delays over construction impact
Eighty Seven Park’s footprint moved closer to collapse site following sweetheart deal with Miami Beach When developer David Martin acquired the Dezerland Hotel, a former Howard Johnson’s that was built in 1951, his plan was to restore the North Beach building to its original glory. The stakes were high for Martin, as the project would […]
Real Estate Journal: Developers circle downtown Hollywood
Overlooked by developers for decades, downtown Hollywood is finally attracting more projects, leading to more residents and businesses in the city. While Fort Lauderdale to the north and Aventura to the south boomed with new towers, downtown Hollywood and its historic Young Circle didn’t see much major development. While that kept rents more affordable than […]
Eviction-minded landlords may head for the courthouse with moratorium ending
Some South Florida landlords are likely to move quickly to oust tenants behind on their rents after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal moratorium against evictions, lawyers said Friday. By a 6-3 vote, justices late Thursday struck down a Biden administration eviction ban designed to shield tenants whose financial health had been severely impaired […]
South Florida Attorneys Weigh In on Supreme Court’s Decision on Biden’s Eviction Ban
The U.S. Supreme Court ended the Biden administration’s eviction moratorium on Thursday, allowing evictions to resume amid rising COVID-19 cases. This decision is a big deal for landlords across the country, including South Florida, who have tenants behind on their rental payments. Alan Kipnis, an attorney with the Government Law Group in Fort Lauderdale, represents […]
HTG could rezone Deerfield Beach site for affordable housing
Housing Trust Group could team with the Broward County Housing Authority to develop affordable housing in Deerfield Beach. The City Commission will consider the rezoning application for 11.95 acres at 3851 N. Dixie Highway, 500-730 N.E. 38th Court, 501-731 N.E. 38th Court and 500-750 N.E. 39th St. on Aug. 17. The vacant property is owned […]
CDC’s New Eviction Freeze Poised For Major Legal Hurdles
Law360 — The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium on residential evictions is likely to face swift legal challenges, and the U.S. Supreme Court, with one justice having recently said legislation was required for the ban to continue into August, could soon weigh in on the matter. The CDC’s prior ban on residential evictions, a cornerstone […]
In CDC we trust: Mask guidance prompts changes
Property owners, brokers and businesses react to new guidelines Aliza Bixon had insisted clients wear masks while exercising at her Miami Beach Pilates studio. Before vaccination, they had preferred to stay masked but it became a bit of an annoyance during strenuous workouts. So within hours of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying […]
BTI Partners buys Hollywood Bread Building for $11M, plans multifamily tower
BTI Partners plans a 25-story multifamily project on the site of the Hollywood Bread Building, after buying the property for $11 million. Fort Lauderdale-based BTI Partners and its equity partner Bridge Investment Group bought the Bread Building at 1747 Van Buren Street, according to a news release. Steve Kohn and Chris Moyer were part of […]
Two Legal Eagles Partner Up
Two seasoned litigators—and deft dealmakers—launch the Government Law Group By the time attorneys Keith Poliakoff and Neil Schiller departed Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, they’d shared a 15-year friendship—and a goal to found a new firm, the Government Law Group. With Poliakoff based in Broward County, and Schiller in Palm Beach County, the partnership reflects […]
City of Boca Raton and Beach & Park District At Odds Again Over Ocean Breeze
Two weeks ago, it appeared that an era of good feeling finally had begun between the Boca Raton City Council and the board of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District. It didn’t last. Last week, council members and City Manager Leif Ahnell said they came away from the April 26 joint meeting believing […]
Highland Beach Backs Out of Fire Contract, Wildflower Over Budget & More
Highland Beach wants out of the town’s fire-rescue contract with Delray Beach–perhaps as soon as next year. At last week’s meeting, the town commission voted unanimously to send Delray Beach a notice of withdrawal from the 10-year contract that runs until 2026. Each side must provide three years’ notice. Town Attorney Glen Torcivia, however, claimed […]
Wake Up Call: Foley Hoag Offers Unlimited D&I Hours Credit
In today’s column, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton got a slap-down from the Texas House over his spending on outside counsel; the SEC named a Paul, Weiss partner to be the agency’s enforcement head; a Minnesota law school dean wants to start a prison-to-law school pipeline. Leading off, Foley Hoag is offering unlimited billable hours […]