Legislators at both the state and local level have been busy introducing and considering new legislation that could impact the government procurement process and public/private partnerships. These new provisions will fundamentally affect the way business is done with any governmental entity, from basic discussions about potential P3 projects to the final negotiation of a contract … Continue Reading
Once again, after a one-year hiatus, the Florida Legislature has produced several condominium bills. Typically, the Legislature passes a single condominium bill into which other approved bills have been merged. This year, perhaps to make up for the failure to enact any condominium legislation, four bills were passed: CS/CS/CS/HB653 (HB653), CS/CS/HB1237 (HB1237), (CS/CS/CS SB398 (SB398), … Continue Reading
The State of Florida has imposed a sales tax on commercial rents since 1969. Currently, the tax is imposed at the rate of 6 percent in every county except Miami-Dade which fixes the rate at 7 percent by reason of an add-on at the county option. Florida is the only state in the United States to impose … Continue Reading
Although public-private partnerships (P3s) are frequently associated with physical infrastructure, P3s are inherently flexible and can be utilized for the time and cost-effective delivery of virtually any public good or service, including software and other information technology. The private sector is constantly expanding and improving upon its government technology offerings (examples include recent advances in … Continue Reading
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
Florida was an early pioneer in the United States of the public-private partnership (“P3”) model as a means of funding infrastructure improvements. In South Florida alone, we have the Florida Atlantic University dormitory, the $1.8 billion expansion of I-595, the $663 million Port of Miami tunnel and more recently, the Miami Beach Light Rail, to … Continue Reading
Last night was a buzz at the opening reception for the 3rd annual eMerge conference located at the iconic 1111 Lincoln Road garage. The attendees enjoyed food, drinks and music, but the real discussion centered on the provocative content scheduled over the next two days. Some examples include emerging markets and entrepreneurship in Cuba and technology … Continue Reading
On April 18th and 19th, eMerge Americas will host its third annual technology conference. Last year, the conference welcomed more than 10,000 attendees and 500 companies from more than 50 countries. As stated on Business Wire, “Entering its third year, eMerge Americas is working to meet and exceed expectations for 2016. The event will once again deliver … Continue Reading
The social and familial ties Miami has to Latin America are well known. What may be less obvious are its network connections. Miami is ranked as one of the top-five most connected cities in the world. Miami’s growing telecommunications industry, including the eMerge Americas movement, has earned it the name “Silicon Beach.” About 90% of … Continue Reading
On September 24-25, Miami-Dade County held a P3 Institute entitled “The P3 Pipeline: A Forum for the Private Sector.” Among the topics discussed at the Institute was a measure currently before the Florida Legislature that, if enacted, will make the P3 procurement process easier for all parties involved. Two bills, House Bill 97 and House Bill … Continue Reading
Bilzin Sumberg Tax Partner Jeffrey Rubinger will speak this week at an MBAF China Business Series Breakfast Seminar in Miami where attendees will learn about current trends and initiatives in the China and U.S. markets. Guests will also hear from Ralph Chow, Regional Director (Americas), Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Hernando Gomez, Business Valuation … 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
Last week Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez introduced the County’s FY 2015-16 Proposed Budget and Multi-Year Capital Plan. A review of the budget’s line items confirms the County’s dedication to the use of public-private partnerships (“P3s”) in executing its ambitious capital improvement plans across the board. The County has allocated $250,000 for P3 consulting support … 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’s second annual eMerge Americas Conference marks another milestone in the city cementing itself as a hub for tech startups and entrepreneurs. In the last 18 months, Miami has established and cemented many of the key components it will need to continue to mature as a global hub for tech, including the growth of collaborative workspaces, … Continue Reading
Bilzin Sumberg invites you to visit our booth at the eMerge Americas Conference on May 1-5 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. More than 10,000 attendees are expected to engage in networking events and interactive sessions which will serve as a platform to connect innovators, investors and thought leaders across North America, Europe and Latin … Continue Reading
On March 29, 2015, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, of which Bilzin Sumberg is a member, hosted an event that discussed infrastructure plans that would increase Miami’s walkability and bikeability. In addition to increasing modes of mobility, the plans that were discussed would also allow Miami to recapitalize … Continue Reading
More so than ever, wealthy Chinese investors are actively seeking returns abroad when it comes to real estate investments. China’s 2014 GDP growth of 7.4% was the slowest since 1990 and China’s growth outlook is gloomy due to its impending real estate bubble. Chinese developers have demonstrated in the past few years that they are not afraid … 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
Bilzin Sumberg, in partnership with P3 Bulletin, is proud to host P3 Hub South, a two-day conference bringing together top national and international players in the public sector, including U.S. government agency officials, mayors and local government staff, and leading global public-private partnership (“P3”) innovators in the private sector, including investors, developers, construction firms and … Continue Reading
Renowned economist Hugh F. Kelly (PhD, CRE), Clinical Professor in New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate and the 2014 national Chairman of The Counselors of Real Estate, led a discussion at a CREW-Miami luncheon regarding issues affecting the commercial real estate market in 2015 and gave his annual economic predictions. Some of the … Continue Reading
A recent New York Times article described the increased presence of New York developers in the South Florida condominium market. The fact is that Miami real estate market has always been a seductive one for out of state developers, and the upside in the development opportunities in the South Florida real estate market simply continues to … Continue Reading
