Recent amendments to Florida’s Public Records Act change a government contractor’s responsibilities under the Act in four ways: (1) Public records requests must be made directly to the public agency and not the contractor. (2) After a contract ends, contractors may either transfer all records to the public agency or keep and maintain the public … Continue Reading
Governor Scott, for the second time, has extended the State of Emergency issued for the Zika Virus. As a result, holders of development orders and building permits have another opportunity to claim a longer extension. The Governor also declared a State of Emergency in advance of Hurricane Matthew. Under Florida Law, that State of Emergency … Continue Reading
It’s no secret that Miami has become one of the world’s most attractive markets for international investors. Latin Americans in particular have had a heavy influence in local real estate as one of the main demographic groups purchasing properties throughout South Florida. However, recent data from CBRE indicates that one region of the world is … Continue Reading
Leading up to the Great Recession of 2008, properties throughout South Florida were being bought only to be subsequently resold at a profit. This “flipping” of properties culminated in an unsustainably-inflated real estate market that eventually collapsed. Flipping was facilitated, in part, by low deposit requirements. Buyers with little investment capital could buy expensive properties … Continue Reading
Bilzin Sumberg Real Estate Practice Group Leader, Suzanne M. Amaducci-Adams, will act as moderator of Bisnow’s Power Series event, Women of Influence, where panelists will discuss what is driving South Florida’s top female executives. According to Bisnow, the event “will be bringing together the top female executives from all walks of the real estate community in South … Continue Reading
At the Miami Finance Forum’s recent panel discussion regarding the current status of South Florida commercial real estate, panelist commercial developers stated they are responding to strong tenant demand across all sectors. While all agree that the South Florida commercial real estate market, and especially multifamily rental, has appreciated substantially since the recession, the debate among … Continue Reading
Miami’s ever-changing skyline is set for its biggest upgrade yet. With the Federal Aviation Administration’s recent decision to allow buildings in Miami to reach a height of 1,049 feet above sea level, One Brickell City Centre is expected to surpass the Four Seasons Hotel and Tower to become the tallest building, not only in Miami, … Continue Reading
Bilzin Sumberg Real Estate Partner, Adam Lustig, will be moderating on a panel discussing Miami’s hot retail market. According to Bisnow, “With strong demand drivers in place, developers are anxious to capitalize on the city’s retail market, as evidenced by the 1.4 million square feet of new space scheduled for construction within the next three … Continue Reading
The new sharing economy is changing the way business has traditionally been done across industries. The commercial real estate industry is no exception. Just like Uber and Lyft have disrupted the hired car industry and Airbnb is upsetting the hospitality industry, the trend of coworking, or shared office space, is revolutionizing commercial real estate. Cosharing … Continue Reading
Equitable liens are judicially imposed against property in the absence of any statutory or contractual basis for the creation of a lien. These liens arise in a number of different situations, but the below discussion is limited to situations involving construction financing. In this context, the project has gone awry and the construction lender may … Continue Reading
As we reflect on 2015, we are especially thankful for all of the connections that we have made this year. We are thankful for our clients, our colleagues, our friends, and all of our readers. Thus, for our holiday video we wanted to focus on the power of relationships because our relationships are the foundation … Continue Reading
To say South Florida’s real estate market is “booming” would be an understatement. The massive interest in development throughout Miami and its surrounding cities continues to increase. To quantify just how large this interest is, the Miami Herald has recently reported that, since 2011, developers have announced 400 new condo buildings with nearly 49,000 units … Continue Reading
A Florida 2015 Condominium Law Amendment Condominiums were established in Florida in 1963. The condominium form of ownership in Florida has, therefore, been in effect for more than 50 years. An aging condominium stock sitting on valuable land gave rise to a modification of termination provisions in 2007, the effects of which are still playing … Continue Reading
On Wednesday, September 30, Bilzin Sumberg Real Estate Practice Group Leader and Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association (GMBHA) Board of Director, Suzanne Amaducci-Adams, will moderate the Hospitality Legal Panel presented by GMBHA. Guests will hear from an experienced panel of attorneys including Bilzin Sumberg Litigation Attorney James Ward.… Continue Reading
The 2016 political season has kicked into high gear, sparking lively discussions about major issues affecting the country. Two of the most significant issues being debated among the candidates are the economy and immigration. Typically, these topics are analyzed independently; however, the conversation has recently intersected at the sun-setting EB-5 Visa Program which expires on September 30, … Continue Reading
Bilzin Sumberg has launched Nuevo Miami, a Spanish language publication of the New Miami blog. Nuevo Miami focuses on sharing ground-level insights about the gateway city’s continually growing opportunities for foreign investors and expanding global significance as an international center of commerce. International Group Co-Chairs, José Ferrer and Javier Aviñó, serve as editors on the … Continue Reading
Responding to perceived abuses in condominium terminations, the 2015 Florida Legislature passed Chapter 2015-175, amending the termination provisions of the Condominium Act. This statute clears up certain problems experienced in prior terminations while imposing a number of impediments to future terminations. If a termination plan is rejected, the period in which it may be reconsidered … Continue Reading
The Distressed Condominium Relief Act enacted as Part VII of the Condominium Act in 2010 (“Act”) was a temporary measure to encourage absorption of unsold condominium units arising as a result of the Great Recession. This legislation attempted to allay the fears of potential investors about incurring developer liability in connection with the purchase of bulk … Continue Reading
The City of Miami continues to emerge as a top global destination for the über-wealthy. According to Knight Frank’s annual Wealth Report (2015), Miami is ranked 6th globally, 2nd in the U.S. and will remain among the world’s top 10 most important cities to Ultra High Net Worth Individuals for the next decade. The wealth report … Continue Reading
Miami may soon join the ranks of other major U.S. metropolises boasting innovative urban trail projects that have transformed neighborhoods and ignited a firestorm of private investment. The Underline, a proposed development catalyzed by the nonprofit group Friends of the Underline in partnership with Miami-Dade County, will convert the underutilized land below the County’s Metrorail … Continue Reading
The Florida Senate is following a recent national trend of tightening its laws governing construction defect claims. Currently, under FL. Stat. § 558.004, entitled Notice and Opportunity to Repair, a party claiming a construction defect must serve a notice of claim upon the party whom they have contracted with to perform work. To date, the … Continue Reading
On February 25, 2015, Suzanne Amaducci-Adams moderated the first event in the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s three-part series, Transforming Miami: The Game Changers Series. With intimate knowledge of Bilzin Sumberg’s work on the projects of the featured speakers, Suzanne guided a discussion that covered issues concerning Miami’s growth, infrastructure needs, current real-estate development trends … Continue Reading
The University of Miami held its fourth annual Real Estate Impact Conference on February 18th at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami in Downtown Miami. In front of a standing room only crowd of approximately 600 people, both local and national real estate heavyweights spoke on topics such as Retail Evolution and Revolutions, New Concepts in … Continue Reading
Guest blog post written by Max Comess, Director, HFF Hotel Group. In January, our team attended the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) conference, one of the largest hotel investment conferences in the world, at the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Los Angeles. A reported 2,800 people registered for this year’s conference, just a fraction of the overall … Continue Reading
