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INDUSTRY NEWS: Builders Association of South Florida Celebrates Industry Leadership at 2025 Holiday & Awards Celebration

December 11, 2025

December 11, 2025 — The Builders Association of South Florida (BASF) hosted its annual Holiday and Awards Celebration this evening, bringing together industry leaders, elected officials, public-sector partners, and BASF members to honor another exceptional year of collaboration, advocacy, and community impact. The event was led by Master of Ceremonies Jose Felix Diaz, who opened the celebration by recognizing BASF’s commitment to its core mission: ensuring a streamlined permit process, advancing legislative advocacy, and strengthening partnerships across municipal, county, state,[...]

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Paul Cejas scores approval for partial demo at Washington Avenue project

May 13, 2018

10-story building will have apartments and ground-floor retail space A company controlled by former U.S. ambassador Paul Cejas and his wife Gertie reached a compromise with a Miami Beach board to move forward with a mixed-use project on a prime slice of Washington Avenue near Lincoln Road. By a 5 to 1 vote, the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board approved an application submitted by 420 Lincoln Road Development LLC to save a portion of a two-story apartment building designed by[...]

After decades of neglect, South Beach’s Washington Avenue is getting a major renovation

May 7, 2018

Bercow Radell Fernandez & Larkin is pleased to represent a number of clients that are transforming Washington Avenue: Imperial Property, Moxy, Clay Hotel—Infinity Group, Washington Squared, Kimpton Angler’s Hotel, 1600 Washington Avenue—Paul Cejas, and 1685 Washington Avenue—Finvarb Group. After decades of neglect, South Beach’s Washington Avenue is getting a major renovation Consider the curious case of Washington Avenue. In the early 1990s, as South Beach transformed from sleepy retirement village to Art Deco playground, the street was the epicenter of[...]

Shuttered assisted living facility in South Beach could be converted into hotel

April 13, 2018

The former home of an assisted living facility in South Beach could be converted into a hotel if the city approves a pending rezoning application. On March 28, a rezoning application was filed by 550 Ninth LLC, managed by Simon Nemni, for the property at 550 9th Street. He’s also the owner of the Red South Beach Hotel. The company acquired the property for $17.63 million in February from the group that ran the assisted living facility. The seller was co-owned by Philip Esformes, who’s currently[...]

2018 Florida Legislative Session Update

April 12, 2018

HB 1151 – DEVELOPMENTS OF REGIONAL IMPACT The 2018 Florida Legislature has enacted sweeping changes to the state’s Developments of Regional Impact (“DRI”) law. Gov. Rick Scott signed the legislation on Friday, April 6, 2018. Generally, the bill eliminates many DRI statutory requirements governing the application and approval of DRIs. Proposed changes to an existing DRI development order (“DO”) will be the responsibility of the local government in which the development is located. Specifically, the bill: — Eliminates state and regional review[...]

Miami owners of historic properties might sell extra density

April 5, 2018

City of Miami officials are working to clarify proposed legislation designed to incentivize the preservation of historic properties by allowing those properties to sell unused residential density to sites near public transit. The aim is to benefit several parties: the owners of historic designated properties gaining money for preservation work and upkeep; the developers who could purchase added density for a project within a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) area; and the city getting more money into its affordable housing fund.[...]