“Hypocrite” was a word that got thrown around at last week’s Miami Beach commission meeting.
But it wasn’t residents or other members of the public who used the term. It was the elected officials. Tensions ran high during a meeting that began Wednesday morning and ended at nearly 8 p.m. — dominated by two major upzoning proposals.
Long story short, the commission approved, on first reading, settlement and development agreements that will allow the controversial Meruelo family and developer David Martin to build taller on the site of the former Deauville Beach Resort. The now-demolished Deauville was about 185 feet tall, and the developers are proposing structures as tall as 380 feet. That discussion took about three and a half hours.
Then, they approved land development regulation amendments that will allow Michael Stern’s JDS Development Group and Gianluca Vacchi’s GV Development to build a taller tower on the site at 1250 West Avenue in South Beach, up to 330 feet compared to the 150-foot building that sits on the property now.
The projects, which both offer public benefits packages, will return to the commission for final votes.
For both, commissioner David Suarez requested the city hire an economic real estate consultant to determine the value of the floor area ratio increases and additional bonuses the developers are set to receive. Suarez was explicit.
“We’re now in the business of selling FAR and height to developers, which, by the way, I’m totally against,” he said during the Deauville debate. “And if we’re going to be in the business of selling FAR and height to the highest bidder, wouldn’t it seem prudent to know exactly what the best deal is?”
Commissioner Alex Fernandez is recommending a moratorium on new private applications filed by developers seeking FAR increases, which Suarez advised against without carving out an affordable housing exception. (Both projects that commissioners voted on last week would be exempt.)
The debate soured a few times, and turned into a screaming match toward the end.
Suarez accused commissioner Tanya Bhatt of “railing against” a previous version of the Deauville project three years ago, only to turn around and support the latest version. Bhatt opposed developer Steve Ross’ proposal to upzone the property, but his plans did not include a partial reconstruction of the Deauville as the Meruelos’ and Martin’s does.
“I got elected on accountability and no one is immune to accountability,” Suarez said, adding that it was “hypocritical” to support height increases for these projects and reject the previous proposal for the Deauville. He called his fellow commissioners “weak-kneed” on the issue.
“To talk about precedent here on this project, when literally three years ago you were railing against the [Deauville] project. I have a quote here, I’d like to read it,” he said.
Bhatt interjected.
“You are the biggest hypocrite on the dais,” she said.
Suarez suggested he would hold onto the quote for the May 21 meeting, when the Deauville is up for its final approvals. More to come.
What we’re thinking about: The dramatic condo crisis unfolding across the state. Do you have a story to share? Send me a note at [email protected].
CLOSING TIME
Residential: Tiffany Cloutier sold the home at 240 North Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach to Dune Boggle LLC, a Delaware entity, for $26.7 million. Cloutier listed the 5,400-square-foot, five-bedroom house for $39 million.
Commercial: Blackstone and Link Logistics sold three industrial sites in Dania Beach and Miramar for a combined $120.5 million to Ares Management. In the largest deal, Ares paid $69.4 million for Miramar Distribution Center, a 14.5-acre distribution facility at 11500 Miramar Parkway.
NEW TO THE MARKET
A company tied to Canadian businessman and entrepreneur Maurice Pinsonnault listed the six-bedroom, six-bathroom estate at 12032 East End in North Palm Beach for $60 million, and it’s already under contract. The 1.4-acre Lost Tree Village property includes 100 feet of ocean frontage, a six-car garage with a car rotator, a pool with a gazebo, a gym and wine room. James Kenney of K2 Realty has the listing.
A thing we’ve learned
About 20 percent of all condominiums in the U.S. are in Florida, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Elsewhere in Florida
- A Miami Herald investigation found that the requirements around disclosing whether a property has a history of being flooded are murky at best. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which administers federal flood insurance, keeps a list of homes that have flooded, but that list is kept secret from the public.
- Former Republican Rep. David Jolly switched from a no-party affiliation to a Democrat, which would make him eligible to run for governor, Politico reports. Jolly is a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump.
- Miami Beach broker Andres Asion’s likeness was used and manipulated without his consent in deepfake videos sent to a woman who thought she was communicating with the real Asion. The scammer lured a U.K. woman to fall in love with Asion over the course of a year, Local 10 reports.
