Uber partner Esteban Bueno and rapper Flo Rida and the former Miami Herald headquarters
1. Uber begins operating in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach [South Florida Business Journal]
2. Radio tower behind former Herald building removed [exMiami]
3. Miami launches new agency to oversee EB-5 regional center [Miami Herald]
4. Boca hotel assists in beach clean-up efforts [Sun-Sentinel]
5. Ocean Bank gets naming rights for FIU’s football stadium [South Florida Business Journal] — Eric Kalis
Jeff Donovan and Capri South Beach
“Burn Notice” star Jeffrey Donovan has sold his South Beach condo for $2.55 million.
The three-bedroom apartment, located in the three-building Capri South Beach, was listed for $2.95 million with Alexandra Rutten of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The buyer, who paid nearly $1,300 a square foot, a record for the building, was represented by Chris Leavitt of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
Donovan purchased the 2,000-square-foot apartment in 2010. [WSJ] – Christopher Cameron
Tommy and Dee Hilfiger
Several years ago, fashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger sold his fashion label. And today, he is enjoying the South Florida sun and his eye-popping beachfront home just north of Miami.
“We’re here for the weather, the Latin flavor, the art, and the palm trees. Most of all we’re here for the fun,” Hilfiger told Architectural Digest.
When Tommy and his wife, Dee, began house hunting in Miami, they knew space would be crucial – they needed room for their extensive art collection, for starters. They ultimately settled on a modern 14,000-square-foot structure built in 2007.
“Our Connecticut home feels very country, with lots of taxidermy, and our place in Mustique has a more British Colonial vibe. We wanted to be able to showcase the colorful large-scale artworks that didn’t make sense elsewhere, conceptually or size-wise,” Dee explained.
But art wasn’t the only reason they bought in Miami. Hilfiger recently purchased the Raleigh hotel in Miami Beach, and he plans to refurbish the Art Deco gem starting in 2015, according to Architectural Digest. [AD] – Christopher Cameron
Solis Hotel & Residences
After years of decay, the skeleton of a failed 52-story structure in Sunny Isles is being demolished.
The Solis Hotel & Residences was designed by Architectonica and began construction in 2007, according to Curbed. But the next year the real estate market crashed and construction was halted on the project.
Since then, the building has been an eyesore, angering locals. [Curbed] – Christopher Cameron
The Zapata condo tower in Sunny Isles
The Sunny Isles Beach commissioners has approved Jeffery Soffer and Turnberry’s 52-story, 649-foot tall condo tower.
Architect Carlos Zapata designed the tower and Robert Swedroe is the architect of record. A sales center for the project will open next month at 18501 Collins Avenue.
The project will feature 154 residential units, ranging in size from 2,750 to 10,000 square feet, according to Exmiami. Prices start at $3 million and rise to $22 million. [Exmiami] – Christopher Cameron
Top stories over the weekend on The Real Deal:
1. Developers leery about depth of buyers for Broward condos
2. Coral Gables mansions sell for combined $43M
3. More condos proposed in North Miami Beach
David Beckham and Bernard Zyscovich
The American Institute of Architects and the Coral Gables Museum organized a three-part series of discussions on possible Miami soccer stadium sites for David Beckham and his backers.
Architects, urban planners, residents and other attendees kicked around potential locations for the Major League Soccer venue during the “Miami Soccer Stadium: Where or Where Not” series. Zyscovich and Architects founder Bernard Zyscovich found that nobody flatly opposed a stadium in Miami, but many participants had concerns about allocating valuable waterfront land for it.
Zyscovich told the Miami Herald he would like to see the stadium near substantial public transit and serve as a catalyst for other development.
“It could see a location that is near transit that’s possibly underutilized land or warehouse hangars,” he said. “Then we could begin to build a new neighborhood around it, just like we did when we made Midtown.”
Others, like Urban Environment League founding member Gregory Bush, said a stadium designed with retail and other uses near a low-income area could have a positive ripple effect. [Miami Herald] — Eric Kalis
David Stewart
A 10-acre waterfront parcel in Palm Beach County’s Lantana could be redeveloped into a mixed-use project with multiple residential buildings.
Lantana Council members are scheduled to cast a final vote on the proposed development on Monday night. They approved a comprehensive plan and rezoning for the project in June. Catholic community Cenacle Sisters has a contract to sell the 1400 South Dixie Highway property to development group Trinsic.
Town Mayor David Stewart was the only council member to vote against the development last time around. Stewart told the Palm Beach Post he still has concerns about the proposed project.
“That is the last large parcel of waterfront property in our town to be developed and I feel personally that it should be something great that creates a destination,” Stewart said. “And I don’t feel a rental community is something that will be a great addition to our town over the next 40 or 50 years.” [Palm Beach Post] — Eric Kalis
Mike Reininger
To All Aboard Florida, a Broward County bus terminal property is the key to a successful mixed-use development near its downtown Fort Lauderdale station.
The company wants to swap parcels with the county so it can build shops, restaurants, office space, residences and possibly a hotel across from the Northwest Second Avenue station site. All Aboard Florida owns two acres adjacent to the bus depot, which fronts Broward Boulevard. Broward commissioners are expected to discuss the proposal during Tuesday’s meeting.
All Aboard Florida would have to go forward with a scaled-down version of a mixed-use project if commissioners do not approve the land swap, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The proposed transaction “permits more density and energy at that gateway corner,” All Aboard Florida president Mike Reininger said. “We should all be interested in the highest and best use for real estate in the core downtown.” [Sun-Sentinel] — Eric Kalis
Miami Beach Community Church and David Edelstein
Opponents of David Edelstein’s lease at a historic church property are miffed about allegations that the developer donated $500,000 to the church one day before its congregation voted on the $100 million agreement.
Neal Deputy, a former board member of the Miami Beach Community Church, is leading the call for the city to nullify the property lease. Edelstein’s Tristar Capital wants to construct a mixed-use building on the church’s courtyard facing the Lincoln Road Mall. The church approved the 50-year lease in December 2013.
“The whole thing just stinks,” Deputy told the Miami New Times. “The new leadership has taken the church constitution and thrown it in the garbage.”
Representatives of the Miami Design Preservation League are expected to ask the city’s Historic Preservation Board for a rehearing on the church property lease on Tuesday. [Miami New Times] — Eric Kalis
Miles Austin Forman and Charles Gusmano
A company tied to Southern Waste Systems picked up a large industrial site in Davie for $11.7 million.
Oakes Road LLC acquired the nearly 1.5 million square foot property at 4715 Oakes Road in a transaction recorded on Friday, according to Broward County records. It did not obtain financing for the purchase. State corporate records identify Charles Gusmano of Southern Waste as the buying company’s manager.
Only a 4,000 square foot warehouse is presently located on the land, so there is plenty of room for a large development.
Twin Lakes Land Co. sold the property to Oakes Road. Longtime developer Miles Austin Forman is the president of the company. County records do not indicate what Twin Lakes paid for the land. — Eric Kalis
Another Florida law firm was shut down by authorities over an alleged foreclosure rescue scam.
The Tampa-based Berger Law Group and several other entities and individuals were named in a federal lawsuit filed in the Middle District of Florida. Berger and the other defendants are accused of getting millions of dollars from homeowners across the nation through what are known as “mass joinder” lawsuits. Florida’s attorney general office worked with its counterpart in Connecticut on the investigation and suit.
Last month, North Palm Beach-based Hoffman Law Group was hit with a lawsuit and had its accounts frozen for a similar alleged scheme.
“In a twist on the typical loan modification rescue scam designed to avoid regulatory scrutiny by creating the appearance of legitimacy, some veterans of such scams have shifted to selling homeowners’ participation in so-called ‘mass joinder’ lawsuits,” according to the complaint against Berger, as cited by the Palm Beach Post.
Berger and the codefendants allegedly took in nearly $5 million from homeowners through the scheme. [Palm Beach Post] — Eric Kalis
1020 South Ocean Boulevard
1. Historic South Miami cottage could be had for free if moved by Saturday [Curbed]
2. Estate Section home in Palm Beach trades for $5M [Palm Beach Daily News]
3. Condo law expert Gary Poliakoff dies after two-year cancer battle [Daily Business Review]
4. Chicago company plans Davie industrial project [South Florida Business Journal]
5. Miami-based Ladenburg Thalmann acquires Seattle firm [Miami Herald] — Eric Kalis
The former Marcus compound, including 208 Sandpiper Drive, a sculpture garden and 217 Tradewind Drive
The North End properties of art collector Betty Marcus have sold for a total of $7 million to a Chicago-area real estate investment banker.
Public records link Stephen Livaditis to two LLCs that bought Marcus’ three adjacent properties totaling nearly an acre, according to the Palm Beach Daily News.
Marcus’ four-bedroom house at 208 Sandpiper Drive and a vacant lot next door sold in one transaction for $3.85 million. Another four-bedroom house at 217 Tradewind Drive, which Marcus used for entertaining, sold for $3 million.
Betty Marcus had lived in the house on Sandpiper Drive since 1977. [PBDN] – Christopher Cameron
Village of Merrick Park
A new restaurant serving Spanish cuisine is opening in the Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables.
Opening in late October, Piripi will feature 200 seats at 320 San Lorenzo Avenue, according to the Miami Herald. The space was previously occupied by an art gallery.
Owner Gus Abalo is bringing Spanish-Basque celebrity chef Najat Kaanache on to run the Miami restaurant.
Born in San Sebastian, Kaanache has enjoyed a career as a Spanish television actress and activist, before turning to food. [Miami Herald] – Christopher Cameron
A local protesting the previous Minto proposal
The developers of the controversial Minto West at the Acreage are hoping to persuade the Wellington Village Council to take a formal position on their plans with a presentation this Tuesday.
Wellington is the last of the western communities bordering the Acreage to weigh in on the project, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Minto Communities wants to build 4,549 homes and more than 2.1 million square feet of office and retail space on the 3,800 acre-property off Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. Minto originally proposed building as many as 6,500 homes.
However, the site is approved for just 2,996 homes and 235,000 square feet of commercial space. [PBP] – Christopher Cameron
Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road has become one of the most expensive retail corridors in all of South Florida, with high-end brands paying as much as $300 per square foot for space on the street, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield. But is it worth it?
According to Frank Begrowicz, an associate director with Cushman & Wakefield’s Miami office, renting space on Lincoln Road is about more than simply being at the center of South Florida’s shopping scene. There’s also a a marketing component to being on Lincoln Road, he told WLRN.
A retailer’s sales may make up just $200 of the $300-per-square-foot rent, Begrowicz said. Shop owners “chalk the other $100 [per square foot] up to advertising to a customer from a market where it might be cost prohibitive for you to transact today.”
And while $300-per-square-foot rent might be steep for South Florida, it’s nothing compared to New York City’s Madison Avenue where the average asking price for retail space is $2,500 per square foot. [WLRN] – Christopher Cameron
Top stories yesterday on The Real Deal:
1. New 52-story tower coming to Sunny Isles
2. Developers leery about depth of buyers for Broward condos
3. More condos proposed in North Miami Beach
2528 Royal Palm Way (inset: Mike Sherman)
Former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman sold his Weston home seven months after losing his job with the team, The Real Deal has learned.
Sherman and his wife Karen got $1.5 million for the five-bedroom house in a transaction recorded on Monday, according to Broward County records. The couple paid $1.4 million for the property in March 2012, nearly two months after the Dolphins hired Sherman to run its offense. He was fired in January after two seasons in Miami.
Gian and Christine Novaro are the buyers of the 4,800-square-foot home. They received a $1.3 million loan from FirstBank Florida for the purchase.
Built in 1996, the five-bathroom house is located within the Weston Hill Country Club subdivision. The property includes a three-car garage, swimming pool, spa and built-in grill.
Beata Hill of Optimar International Realty was the listing agent. The buyers were represented by Interinvestments Realty.
Sherman’s 35-year coaching career includes head coaching stints with the Green Bay Packers and Texas A&M.
Samantha DeBianchi
The season finale of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing Miami” airs on Wednesday night. In advance of the episode, cast member Samantha DeBianchi — founder of DeBianchi Real Estate — chatted with The Real Deal about how she transitioned from the hospitality industry to luxury real estate and her experience on the show. Fellow cast members Chad Carroll and Chris Leavitt spoke with TRD earlier in the season.
DeBianchi, 30, received a bachelor’s degree in communications and sociology from Florida Atlantic University when she was 20 years old. Two years later, she got a master of business administration from Nova Southeastern University. After several years working for nightclubs as a VIP host and director, DeBianchi changed careers in 2011. Today, she runs a company with 20 full-time agents covering the high-end markets in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
TRD: What made you want to get into the nightclub business?
When I was very young, around 8-to-10 years old, I knew what I wanted to do. I was that weird nerdy girl who didn’t have a lot of friends, but I loved the idea of making money and running businesses. I started out as an intern at [nightclubs] Pangaea and Gryphon at the Hard Rock [in Hollywood, Fla.]. Most people do internships for money or college credit. I just really wanted to learn that business. There was an opening for a day manager and I got the job. But I really wanted to work the door. When I have my eyes on something, I’m obsessive. There was an opening for a nighttime VIP host. After doing that for a year-and-a-half, I wanted to experience South Beach. So I went to Dek23 and started out as VIP manager before transitioning to general manager. Coincidentally, [scenes from] the last episode will be at Dek 23. So watch how that all comes full circle.
I loved examining the psychology of why people go to these places and spend so much money. I’ve never drank, never tried a drug in my life, never even smoked a cigarette. I saw people spend thousands of dollars on bottles of alcohol when they are so much cheaper in a store. The atmosphere at the club created that sale. It’s the same with real estate; the little features make a big difference.
TRD: How did that experience shape your approach to real estate?
I’ve had my real estate license since 2009. I was still in the nightclub world at that point. In early 2011, I had a conversation with my sister about how everyone knew me as “Sam Nightclub.” Her advice was so simple: ‘No one will invest in you and believe in you until you invest in yourself.’ I then quit everything that had to do with nightclubs and started my company. I committed to it and used all of the public relations and marketing knowledge I had from my nightclub experience. I knew a lot of people, and when I commit to something, I’m extremely focused. I believe in three H’s: heart, hard work and hustle.
I don’t like Realtors, and I don’t like saying that I’m a Realtor, with the whole connotation that you can’t trust them and they are just after the commissions. So I wanted to bring something different to the table. I focused on the educational aspect. I decided to go the route of really becoming an expert in this, rather than just getting clients to do deals. I mix in wacky ideas like taking clients by boat or even paddleboard to visit homes. I try to make it educational and fun.
TRD: You went through a personal tragedy (the death of her dog Chloe Chanel) on the show. What was it like to deal with that in front of so many viewers?
Obviously that wasn’t planned in any way. We filmed for nine months. I was really depressed after that for a few weeks, even longer than that. My dog was my everything. She was with me for eight-and-a-half years. It seemed on the show like she died, we had a funeral and I went back to work. But it was extremely difficult for me. You have your business and filming and everything going on, but you need that mourning period. The production company was really amazing to me during that period. When I saw the episode, reliving that was extremely difficult. I got so much love and support from people after it aired, and I still get messages about it to this day.
TRD: You were friends with Chad Carroll well before the show began filming. But the two of you had a few heated arguments during the season. What’s the status of your friendship with Chad these days?
Watching Chad on the show, we do things very differently, which is fine. He believes he’s the Almighty. I don’t need to have any confirmation like that. In my mind, I feel I’m the best at what I do. I don’t need to shout it from a mountaintop. I always call him Hulk because he walks and talks like the Hulk.
I haven’t spoken to him in a while, so I don’t know [if there are hard feelings]. But that’s probably the last thought on my mind. I had so much stuff going on; I bought a new house and am extremely busy with the business. If there’s an issue, I wouldn’t even know, but I wouldn’t care. I’m not in tears over not speaking to him for a bit.
TRD: What do you hope viewers take away from the season when it comes to the Miami real estate business and how you do your job?
I feel like a lot of people hear how hot the market is and how great it is, but they never get to truly see what it’s all about. The show has done a great job of showing different areas of South Florida, not just Miami. They are taking a bird’s eye view into these condos and homes selling for ridiculous amounts. We have the highest amount of international buyers in the country. There’s a reason behind that.
With me, I definitely hope people see that what can happen if you commit your mind, heart and soul to something. I feel I have so much room to grow, but I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish. I hope I can inspire people to focus on their dreams and go after them. This season wasn’t picture perfect for me. I had ups and downs personally and professionally. You have to get away from the noise and go after it. It’s about so much more than just doing deals.
