More than 400 people attended a recent Miami-Dade Beacon Council‘s annual meeting at the InterContinental Miami, where business and civic leaders touted the agency’s recent wins and toasted its new chair.

For the first time, the county’s economic development group combined its annual meeting with its key ceremony, providing insights into the companies it helped expand or move to Miami-Dade.

The Beacon Council reported that 46 companies relocated or expanded in Miami-Dade County in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, bringing in more than 2,100 new jobs to the region and generating $209.7 million in new capital investment.

The event marked the first annual meeting attended by the organization’s new CEO and President Michael Finney, who previously served as the president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

“I’ve been impressed with… the warm Miami welcome,” Finney said. “There is really commonality here and a desire to work with one another that’s in full display.”

One of the key accomplishments highlighted at the event was Amazon breaking ground on an 855,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Opa-Locka in June. The project is expected to open by the end of 2018, and Amazon said the warehouse will bring at least 1,000 jobs to the local economy.

While Amazon was not in attendance at the event, other companies present included online boat marketplace Boats Group, which brought in 80 new jobs to the county and a capital commitment of $1.05 million; and Dunham Bush, a Malaysian manufacturer, which added 51 new jobs and $12.5 million in capital.

The economic development agency also touted its new programs and task forces. Specifically, it mentioned its “Connect and Grow” program, which works to connect entrepreneurs and innovators and their new products and technologies to established businesses.

The Beacon Council‘s new Chair Nelson Lazo, CEO of Doctors Hospital, addressed the audience. Lazo takes over for Jaret Davis, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Miami office, as the agency marks the start of its new fiscal year.

“It is time we told the new story of Miami instead of letting old narratives define who we are to the world,” said Lazo, after thanking Davis for his service.

Davis received video tributes from the economic development group and the University of Miami, which will honor him for contributions to his alma mater on Nov. 4 during its homecoming game at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez was one of many to laud Davis‘ contributions to the county’s economic landscape.

“You’re outstanding and a great treasure…. for everything you have done for this community,” said Gimenez, who then handed Davis a a plaque commemorating Thursday, Oct. 26 as Jaret Davis Day.

Since 1985, the Miami-Dade Beacon Council has assisted more than 1,000 businesses that have created nearly 70,000 direct jobs and generated more than $4.6 billion in capital investments, it said.

 

Source: SFBJ

One of the key measures on Miami Beach’s upcoming ballot is item #82, which would allow North Beach to move forward on the key facet of a master plan for revitalizing a 10-block district along 71st Street between Collins Avenue and Indian Creek Drive.

If approved by the majority of Miami Beach voters, the initiative would adopt an ordinance increasing FAR (floor area ratio) in the town center zoning districts to 3.5, which would pave the way for a more walkable and dense neighborhood with new public spaces, housing, dining and retail. Mid-rise buildings would be approved up to 125 feet tall, roughly doubling the total building density.

Over 1,000 NoBe residents played a role in guiding the master planning process, which came to fruition with a design by urban planning and design firm Dover, Kohl, & Partners. Check out their 189-page blueprint here.

Among the community leaders supporting the measure are Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola, former Miami Beach Commissioner Nancy Liebman, and Miami Design Preservation League Executive Director Daniel Ciraldo.

Early voting begins November 2 and Election Day is November 7.

Check out the potential transformation with the before and after images below:

71st Street

72nd Street parking lot

 Normandy Fountain

 

Source: Curbed Miami

Insurance coverage is top of mind for Florida’s commercial property owners following the damage left from Hurricane Irma.

Building owners had rushed to review their policies to determine whether they had adequate insurance coverage in place in preparation for the storm.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Tom Kersting, president of the insurance services division of Franklin Street, and Nancy Sheinberg, vice president of insurance services, to discuss how insurance providers are helping property owners navigate their Irma policy claims.

GlobeSt.com: What pre-hurricane steps did your team take to help expedite the claims process?

Kersting: We spent several days on the front end of Irma communicating with our clients, pushing out proactive risk management tips, encouraging them to review coverages and make sure they had their policies readily available post-storm. This information is provided when our clients bind policies, but it becomes important to “refresh” as a major storm approaches. This year we also developed a variety of digital tools so clients can easily get in touch with us and report claims if they have one.

Sheinberg: What we did before the storm really made a big difference. An emergency claims phone system was set up so clients were getting a call back within minutes of submitting a claim. Franklin Street has also developed a proprietary master policy layered program that can save property owners thousands of dollars both regionally and nationally, while meeting all lender requirements. Hurricane Irma is showing that our insurance coverages are solid, so it gives credence to the program.

GlobeSt.com: What type of insurance claims are you getting most frequently?

Sheinberg: What we’re seeing most are trees down and roof damage from fallen trees or water leakage. But we still have many clients in South Florida who haven’t been able to get to their properties to inspect the damage.

Kersting: Much of the damage that has been reported to us has been to our multifamily properties.  Often multifamily assets are wood-framed buildings that are generally not as protected as office buildings.

The majority of our claims are coming from the east side of the state. We still expect more claims to come in, at this point some owners haven’t been able to visit their properties yet.

This is especially the case with out-of-town owners who may have difficulty getting access for a few more days. In other cases, it’s common for owners to be aware of damage but they haven’t decided yet if they want to report a claim or go about funding repairs themselves.

GlobeSt.com: What are some important lessons learned from Hurricane Irma?

Kersting: From an insurance stand point, there haven’t been major insurance claims incidents in Florida for over 10 years. An event like Hurricane Irma makes policy holders reevaluate their insurance coverage and take a hard look at their deductible levels.

These are conversations that need to be had, we don’t want our clients to be surprised in a time that they turn to their insurance carrier for help.  We continuously push to educate our clients about their coverage options and show them how their insurance policy will be a valuable tool to protect their balance sheet, not simply an expense burden that appeases a lender.

(There are legal issues involved in filing insurance claims of which you may not be aware. Find out what you must know now to avoid felonies.)

 

Source: GlobeSt.

Developers of two major projects submitted proposals to a city of Miami board, including plans for a hotel in the Arts & Entertainment District and for a mixed-use tower in downtown Miami.

Rendering of the Sterling and the hotel at 511 Northeast 15th Street (Credit: Shulman + Associates, Behar Font & Partners)

Behar Font & Partners submitted plans for the Sterling, a proposed 73-story tower at 555 North Miami Avenue called the Sterling. Property records show Dania Beach-based Miami 6th Street LLC, an affiliate of the Turkish Okan Group, owns the 36,000-square-foot development site.

Plans call for 362 residential units, a 300-unit key hotel, 55,400 square feet of office space, and retail space.

The Istanbul developer paid $18.1 million for the parking lot near the historic Central Baptist Church in March. At the time, a broker involved in the sale said the site was zoned for a 1,000-foot building with as much as 1.3 million square feet of space for retail stores, offices, hotel rooms and condos.

One Miami Biscayne Bay and Arts District Hotel, a company controlled by Vinay Rama, submitted plans for 42-story, 270-key hotel on the corner lot at 511 Northeast 15th Street in Miami’s A&E District.

Rama heads Miami-based Mandala Holdings, a hospitality investment platform. His firm paid $8 million for the development site north of downtown Miami. The plans, designed by Shulman + Associates, include meeting space, a lobby with retail space, office space for the hotel management, a pool deck and fitness center. The proposal also calls the project Marriott Miami.

Both developments will go before the Miami Urban Development Review Board.

 

Source: The Real Deal

Developers Stambul, Miami Real Exposure and P & K Developments are bringing a 42,000-square-foot, mixed-use development called Eden to Miami’s Little River neighborhood.

Records show Miami-based companies 8045 NE 1 Avenue Properties and 79th Street Development bought the two parcel site at 235 and 237 Northeast 79th Street in May for $2.6 million. The entities share a 50 percent interest.

Eden will consist of four buildings offering restaurant, retail and office space. No leases have been signed yet, but rates are $18 per square foot to $35 per square foot, according to a spokesperson for Bloommiami. The development is slated to open in the the first quarter of 2018.

Rendering of Eden (Credit: Bloommiami)

Bloommiami is the architect. The architect and design firm also worked with Stambul in the redevelopment of the Langford Hotel in Downtown Miami. Other projects Stambul is working on include redeveloping the 145-room Clarion Inn near the Galleria at Fort Lauderdale.

Rendering of Eden (Credit: Bloommiami)

Compared to nearby communities like the Design District and the MiMo District, Little River has typically seen less development, but investors are starting to take notice. Last year, Miami’s planning and zoning board approved Little River’s first restaurant with a full-service bar. The site at 7220 North Miami Avenue was a former car repair shop. The property, owned by Avra Jain and Matthew Vander Werff, will be a craft cocktail lounge and bar called Apollo Motors.

 

Source: Real Deal