FC Barcelona | Miami
Professional soccer club FC Barcelona will move its U.S. headquarters to downtown Miami from New York.
FC Barcelona, commonly known as Barça, is looking for both an office and at least 5,000 square feet of retail space, according to a news release from the Miami Downtown Development Authority.
The Barcelona-based club received an incentive grant from the Miami DDA, an economic development agency funded by a special tax on properties within its boundaries.
The planned move comes amid South Florida’s growing reputation as a soccer hub. Miami is among the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA, the Zurich-based international soccer governing organization, has a 75,000-square-foot office on four floors at 396 Alhambra Circle in Coral Gables. It expanded its space last year by 15,000 square feet.
The Inter Miami Major League Soccer team –– co-owned by retired soccer star David Beckham, brothers Jorge and Jose Mas, and Ares Management –– will have its home base in a 25,000-seat stadium in the city. The soccer club also has a store at Miami International Airport.
Lionel Messi, now with Inter Miami, previously played for FC Barcelona.
Handcrafted Hospitality | Fort Lauderdale
Marc Falsetto’s Handcrafted Hospitality will open an American restaurant with a cocktail lounge in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Handcrafted Hospitality leased 4,200 square feet at 831-833 East Las Olas Boulevard, according to the tenant’s broker. The restaurant is expected to open early next year, the tenant’s spokesperson said.
Jaime Sturgis of Native Realty represented Falsetto.
Handcrafted Hospitality’s restaurants include Tacocraft, Henry’s Sandwich Station, Pizzacraft, Rok Brgr, Mercado Negro and The Apothecary 330.
Records show the Las Olas Boulevard property is owned by an entity led by Shelby G. Smith III of Fort Lauderdale and Patrick S. Scott of Greenville, South Carolina.
Fountain Life | Miami
Longevity-focused health care center Fountain Life will open in Miami.
Fountain Life, which uses AI for its diagnostics, will open a nearly 6,000-square-foot center this year at the Zaha Hadid-designed One Thousand Museum condo tower at 1000 Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami, according to the tenant’s news release. Fountain Life leased the space from the One Thousand Museum Condominium Association.
Led by Dr. William Kapp, Fountain Life provides full body and brain MRI scans, genetic and metabolic profiling, cardiac imaging and personalized health optimization programs, the release says.
Duck World | Miami Beach
Duck World, a rubber duck store based in London, opened its first U.S. outpost in South Beach.
Duck World leased 1,000 square feet at 1622 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, according to the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District’s news release. The tenant has installed a temporary 400-pound rubber duck sculpture on Lincoln Road.
Duck World opened under the city’s pop-up permit program, which Miami Beach recently expanded to allow tenants to remain in place for a year, according to the Lincoln Road BID. The program allows businesses to test out their success in the city and also permits restaurants and bars to open as pop-ups in vacant spaces that had similar uses on Lincoln Road.
Records show the building where Duck World opened is owned by Paul Cejas, a former U.S. ambassador to Belgium.
Las’ Lap | Miami Beach
West Indian restaurant and rum bar Las’ Lap will open in Miami Beach.
Las’ Lap leased 3,000 square feet on the ground floor and 2,000 square feet on the rooftop at The Daydrift hotel at 2216 Park Avenue, according to a news release from the landlord’s broker. It’s expected to open in June.
James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi was tapped to create the menu.
Nicole Roederer and Jared Robins of InHouse Commercial represented the landlord, New York-based Blue Suede Hospitality Group. Johnny Moreno of Metro1 represented the tenant.
Kurt Geiger London | Aventura
British accessories brand Kurt Geiger opened in Aventura.
The boutique leased 2,100 square feet at Aventura Mall, according to the tenant’s news release. This is Kurt Geiger’s first South Florida outpost and its second store in the state after Orlando.
Turnberry Associates, led by Jackie Soffer, and Simon Property Group, led by David Simon, own Aventura Mall.
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