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CLIENT NEWS: Personnel note: Melissa Tapanes Llahues takes helm as President of Builders Association of South Florida

May 16, 2025

Melissa Tapanes Llahues, a zoning and land use lawyer known for her civic involvement and legal expertise, has been installed as President of the Builders Association of South Florida (BASF). Tapanes Llahues was sworn in at the citizenM Miami Worldcenter hotel before a crowd of notable attendees, including Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who administered the oath of office, and U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez, Levine Cava’s predecessor, who commemorated the achievement in the Congressional Record. Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, who[...]

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Time Out Market gets narrow vote of approval from Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board

March 23, 2018

Board divided over impact of proposed gourmet food hall to the neighborhood After more than two hours of contentious debate, the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board on Monday allowed the developer to apply for permits for the proposed Time Out Market at 1601 Drexel Avenue, on the ground floor of a parking garage, just around the corner from Lincoln Road. Earlier this month the city’s planning board approved a conditional use permit for the site, but their approval was based on limiting[...]

Sherry Frontenac in North Beach scores historic preservation board approval

March 20, 2018

Owner plans to raise and redevelop pool deck, add underground parking and rooftop The Sherry Frontenac, a post-war modern hotel in Miami Beach, is getting a poolside makeover. On Monday, the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board approved a request allowing the hotel owner to build a new deck with a concrete canopy, underground parking and a rooftop dining area for the property at 6565 Collins Avenue in North Beach. S.F. Land LLC can now demolish the existing pool deck and cabanas, as[...]

Historic preservation board approves land use attorney’s luxe home in Miami Beach

March 13, 2018

Stephen and Gerri Helfman propose three-story home with terraces and rooftop pool UPDATED March 13, 2:15 p.m.: Despite objections from a prominent historic preservation group, a Miami land use attorney and his wife will be allowed to tear down a 1920s three-bedroom house and replace it with a three-story modern mansion in Miami Beach’s South-of-Fifth neighborhood. The Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board on Monday voted unanimously to authorize the demolition of the existing property at 819 Second Street, which was condemned by the[...]

Self-storage developer scores $83M loan for SoFla portfolio

March 7, 2018

Self storage facilities are in Brickell, Coconut Grove, Doral and Pembroke Pines Self-storage developer Miami City Self-Storage just scored $83.3 million in financing for a portfolio of self-storage facilities spread throughout South Florida. New York-based real estate investment trust, Jernigan Capital Inc. is the lender, according to a release. The portfolio consists of three self-storage facilities in Brickell, Coconut Grove and the Airport West-Doral submarket. The portfolio also includes two additional facilities under construction in Pembroke Pines and Doral. —[...]

Michael Swerdlow wins bid to negotiate Overtown development deal with Miami

March 5, 2018

The $130.5 million project in Miami’s Overtown area would include 115 workforce housing units and 220,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space City officials in Miami will negotiate the terms of a $130.5 million mixed-use development in Miami’s Overtown area that a group led by developer Michael Swerdlow would build. A company affiliated with Swerdlow Group submitted the winning bid to develop a 3.4-acre site at 249 Northwest 6th Street owned by the board of the Southeast Overtown Park West Community[...]