Who Should Consider Semaglutide Therapy in South Miami, FL?

Miami-based Eden Multifamily and Los Angeles-based Cypress Equity Investments sold a recently completed, 212-unit apartment complex in Tamarac for $73M, according to a release.

Courtesy of ANF Group

The buyer of the development at 8601 West McNab Road was an entity controlled by CaraCo Group of Cos., a Canadian developer that has its U.S. headquarters in Deerfield Beach.

Miami-Dade lawmakers could change the county's zoning laws to make it easier to build new solar energy systems, including floating solar panels.

On Nov. 7 the board of county commissioners will consider an ordinance that aims to make more space for solar facilities that create clean, renewable energy sources. The measure would authorize solar facilities as a primary use on agriculturally zoned lands and allow the county to install floating solar systems on certain bodies of water, like lakes.

"Enabling the use of solar energy systems and facilities is consistent with the county’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to the county’s goal to be more resilient to climate change and sea level rise," County COO Jimmy Morales wrote in an executive summary of the ordinance.

Related: ADT to close more than half of its solar panel installation branches after revenue nosedives

If passed, the ordinance will amend the county code to define a "solar facility" as something that serves properties beyond where they are installed. Under the current code, a "solar energy system" is defined as only serving properties they are located on.

The proposal includes safeguards to protect drinking water resources, national parks, Everglades restoration areas, estuaries and other environmentally sensitive areas from development.

The ordinance's prime sponsor is Commissioner Kevin Cabrera, who represents parts of Hialeah, Coral Gables and West Miami.

"We've collaborated with the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, the Office of Resiliency and Chief Bay Officer to amend our local code to align with state statutes, enabling solar energy adoption while upholding environmental standards," Cabrera told the Business Journal.

Florida is home to the third largest market for solar energy in the U.S, behind Texas and California. However, just six percent of the state's electricity is generated from solar power.

Miami-Dade is already making moves to boost its solar profile. In 2020, the county partnered with state utility Florida Power & Light to install 402 floating solar panels at the Blue Lagoon next to Miami International Airport. The half-acre site generates 160 kilowatts of power and prevents 165 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, the county reports.

Proponents of floating solar panel systems say they are more efficient because proximity to water helps the panels stay cool and absorb more energy. It can also be less expensive to build on water than buying land. However, floating panels can be more costly to build and maintain long term.

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Lennar Corp. wants to change the land use of an agricultural site in the Goulds neighborhood of southern Miami-Dade County to build 255 homes.

The Miami-based homebuilder (NYSE: LEN) filed a pre-application with county officials concerning the 30-acre site at the northeast corner of Southwest 232nd Street and Southwest 112th Avenue. It’s located on the south side of Debbie Curtin Park, almost due west of the Black Point Marina.

Trending: Stalled Miami condo trades in deed in lieu of foreclosure

Lennar has the property under contract from UL112 LLC, managed by Jorge. I Canals, Pablo Canals, and Matilde Canals in Hialeah. According to the application, Lennar intends to file a comprehensive development master plan (CDMP) amendment to rezone the 20 acres on the east side of the property to “planned area development district” for residential and the 10 acres on the west side to “limited business district” as commercial.

No site plan was filed for the commercial side, but Lennar did submit a preliminary site plan for the residential development. It shows 158 villas with 340 parking spaces and 97 single-family homes with 316 parking spaces. About a quarter of the residential site would have common areas and green open space.

Miami-based attorney Amanda M. Naldjieff, who represents Lennar in the application, couldn’t be reached for comment. Doral-based Pascual, Perez, Kiliddjian and Star Architects and Planners designed the project.

Developers file pre-applications to receive feedback from county staff before submitting official CDMP amendments, which require County Commission approval.

Lennar has been among the most active homebuilders in southern Miami-Dade. It’s one of the few areas of the country with large enough tracts of vacant land to build new single-family homes, villas and townhouses. Homes in southern Miami-Dade also tend to be less expensive.

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In a recent video interview filmed in Miami Beach, Joe Hernandez, a partner at law firm Bilzin Sumberg, and Nitin Motwani, managing partner of Merrimac Ventures, discussed Motwani’s long family history in South Florida, why Miami’s city center has become a thriving anomaly amid national challenges, and Motwani’s top priorities to ensure that South Florida has the infrastructure in place to sustain its exponential growth.

Hernandez and Motwani set the scene for Motwani and Merrimac Ventures’ investment in South Florida by sharing Motwani’s family history in the region. Motwani moved to Fort Lauderdale in the late 1980s when much of the area’s economic activity and national reputation centered around spring break. Soon thereafter, spring break was canceled and Fort Lauderdale had to reimagine its potential. The Motwani family made the decision to purchase a motel that they lived and worked in.

SEE ALSO: Taconic Partners is Finding Office Success By Redefining Flight to Quality

“That motel that we first bought is now the Conrad by Hilton. We finished the Four Seasons, the Paramount, and we just launched the Waldorf Astoria with Related Group in Pompano Beach, so we’ve been a part of this growth in Fort Lauderdale since the ’80s,” Motwani shared.

The Motwani family is widely known as the family who has transformed Fort Lauderdale, having built over 1,000 apartments, finishing The Wharf, and setting their sights on reinventing Flagler Village. While they’ve been long-standing champions of growth in Fort Lauderdale, they’ve also brought their passion for community development further south to introduce some of Miami’s most celebrated developments.

“We like taking these longer-term bets and leaning into the communities. Not just building buildings but building communities,” Motwani said. “So we’ve certainly done that with Miami Worldcenter over the past 17 years. And now most recently we acquired Watson Island with our partners at BH3.” The Watson Island partnership with BH3 is set to reimagine the way people access the area, placing the focus on how real estate development can service its surrounding neighborhoods.

Hernandez hit on the large economic impact that Miami Worldcenter is having on Miami’s downtown at a time when city centers across other major cities are struggling.

“When we look at Miami in general, we’re now a global gateway city, in truth,” Motwani stated. “In the past I think we had the brand that we used to tell, but now that’s become true. So what happens when you go to Hong Kong, Singapore or Dubai, London, or Paris, or New York? These great cities and their urban centers have actually never been better.”

Motwani went on to explain that many of the urban challenges we hear when we discuss domestic city centers are tied to cities that started in their downtowns and grew into the suburbs, only to look to return to their city centers after a decline in urban populations within those areas. Motwani explained that Miami is the opposite. It started as a suburban city, allowing time and purposeful intent for planners and developers to do things right downtown. And now, the proof of that success is in the number of Miami neighborhoods flourishing.

“We’re a bit of an anomaly both because our youth has been to our benefit, but also with so many people coming from global cities, they’re used to those types of things in the downtown core — the arts, the culture, the entertainment. Miami Worldcenter is 27 acres sitting in the middle of all of that which gives us a great advantage,” Motwani said.

Motwani continued to share that Miami is “a true, world-class city. Period. Full stop. But there are things that we need to continue to work on.”

Transportation, education and resiliency are all priorities that Motwani detailed as the public and private sectors being laser-focused on as they look to realize Miami’s full potential and what the city can become in the future.

Motwani elaborated on the need for capital improvements and updated infrastructure and expansion, saying that it isn’t efficient because it wasn’t a focus in the past, but it is now. He further stated that it’s imperative the private sector works to put forward solutions rather than complaints, and that the public sector must respond by taking this feedback and working with the private sector to make these solutions a reality.

Hernandez and Motwani discussed the issue of affordability, a national issue but one that has been exacerbated by Miami’s rapid and explosive growth. Motwani explained that it’s important to make sure that Miami is affordable for existing businesses and residents, as well as companies looking to attract talent at different levels in order for those businesses to grow or relocate to Miami.

One persistent challenge has been the slowness of permitting, which is already stretched due to the sheer amount of activity taking place across South Florida. “We are seeing growth like no city and all of them envy the position that we’re in, but that also strains our growth. So we need to figure out a way to execute more. I think all of the cities realize this and they’re working to improve that efficiency, but if we can speed up time that will help speed up solutions to this affordability.”

In discussing next big steps for Merrimac Venture after the completion of Miami Worldcenter, Motwani stated that he’s looking forward to the Watson Island project, and continuing their work in Fort Lauderdale, where his family business got started.

Keywords: Fort Lauderdale, South Florida, Sponsored, sponsored-link

South Florida breaks its year up into unique seasons. There’s the rainy season, hurricane season, heat season, and in the fall — king tide season.

On these highest high tides of the year, puddles of salty bay water push up through drains and manholes, flooding streets, yards and parks along the coast. Last week was one of the highest king tides in recent years, and it left some spots in South Florida impassable for low-lying cars or pedestrians hoping to keep their shoes dry.

While these tides are on a moon-based schedule and happen without fail every year, not every tide is the same. And when they’re extra high, like this week’s tide, they’re hard to ignore.

READ MORE: King tide floods offer glimpse of Miami’s soggy, salty future. Can anything be done?

Tiffany Troxler, the associate director for science at Florida International University’s Sea Level Solutions Center, said she remembers thinking “holy crap” the first time she saw the extent of king tide flooding in Miami’s Shorecrest neighborhood.

For the last eight years, Troxler has led a team of volunteer researchers to measure the depth and saltiness of king tide flooding all over South Florida during an annual event called Sea Level Solutions Day. This Saturday, 21 of the 22 teams found flooding.

“During some years, we’ll send people out to places we’ll anticipate seeing flooding and there may be a number of sites that aren’t flooded. This is probably the highest percentage of flood events we’ve seen so far,” she said.

“It speaks to both our better understanding of where we think we’re going to observe flooding based on previous monitoring events, but also that this was more of a significant event.”

Here’s a primer on what causes these extra high high tides, how sea level rise affects them and what local governments are doing about them:

Yes, a king tide is one of the highest predicted tides of the year and is a normal occurrence during new or full moons. People out at sea, like fishermen, have paid attention to these tides for many years. But in recent years, they’ve gained attention for being a window into the future of what’s to come from climate change.

Tides rise and fall based on the gravitational pull from the moon. But about once a year, the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon on the Earth line up in such a way that these normal tides are higher than usual. In South Florida, that happens in the fall, and to a lesser extent in the spring.

During that window, the tides are all a little higher. But during a full or new moon, the tides are even higher.

Because all of those factors are easy to predict in advance, NOAA can usually chart out which days might pose a flooding risk years in advance. In fact, the agency developed a calendar where it marks days with a higher-than-usual flood risk.

Tides are predicted by NOAA at the closest monitoring site in Virginia Key. King tide flooding in Miami-Dade was predicted for Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, the season peak Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, Oct. 15-16 and during the full moon Oct. 25-31. Each round of flooding from king tides can last two to four days.

Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, also created his own prediction model that includes the additional risk of sea rise, among other factors that could worsen flooding.

Climate change is warming the world, which causes glaciers to melt, rising sea levels, and causes water itself to warm and expand. That combination had caused sea levels to rise around the globe, supercharging the king tides and regular tides.

Not all king tides cause flooding, like this week’s did. Last year, Miami only officially crossed the flooding threshold we saw this week twice. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that by 2050 it could happen as often as 50 days a year.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s king tides fact sheet “Sea level rise will make today’s king tides become the future everyday tides.”

Put another way, Monday’s high tide was about 2.75 feet above sea level. Miami is expected to see about that much sea level rise by 2060, according to NOAA’s projections.

While NOAA can try and predict which tides will be higher than others in advance, there are plenty of factors that go into how much flooding an area could see.

Wind blowing onshore causes bigger wave heights and more water to pile up on the shore. It can also be blown away from the shore, which can reduce predicted wave heights, according to the Washington Sea Grant Research Institute.

If there’s a hurricane or tropical storm passing by (a not uncommon scenario, considering that the start of king tide season overlaps with the active tail end of hurricane season) that could push more winds and waves toward South Florida, raising tides even further.

While king tides are the culprit behind a phenomenon known as “sunny day flooding,” sometimes they happen during a particularly rainy few days, which can worsen flooding. And if it’s rained for multiple days before the tides rise, the soil gets soggy, pushing groundwater levels even higher and leaving less room for any additional rain to drain.

McNoldy, with the University of Miami, also said that atmospheric pressure plays a role in how bad a flood can be. If surface pressure is high, it presses down on sea levels, keeping them a bit lower. But if surface pressures are lower, he said, water has more room to expand and flooding can get worse.

South Florida is made up of a lot of low-lying areas near the water, and as the sea rises, king tides will reach farther and farther inland. It overwhelms storm drains, stops traffic routes and floods coastal properties.

Garbage trucks can’t reach the cans at the end of flooded streets. Healthcare or delivery vans can’t reach the doors of clients in need, and in places in the Keys that flood regularly, police officers limit their patrol routes on flooded streets to protect their cars.

Saltwater is not good for metal, including a car’s undercarriage. Experts recommend rinsing off a car if it passes through saltwater.

And that floodwater isn’t just salty, it’s also likely full of bacteria. Miami-Dade has tens of thousands of septic tanks along low-lying coastal areas. When water levels rise, especially in rainstorms or king tides, human waste from leaky and low-lying septic tanks seeps into those flood waters. It can sicken humans and pollute Biscayne Bay, killing fish and other sea life.

Read More: Why should you stop frolicking in Miami-Dade floodwater? It’s probably full of poop

Groundwater is also rising with the sea, so even some inland cities like Doral or Sweetwater sometimes see sunny day flooding during some king tides. Miami’s most recent citywide plan found that even with pouring $4 billion into neighborhoods by 2060, it won’t be enough to save them all. Some particularly flood-prone areas will have to replace residential neighborhoods with parks or other floodable options.

When Troxler first started measuring king tide flood depths eight years ago, she said coastal cities rarely responded to the floods. Now, she said, most of the spots they regularly used to spot flooding in are either drier, or the city has placed a temporary stormwater pump in the area to help with drainage.

This year, Miami and Miami Beach each deployed temporary pumps in flooding hot spots and had vactor trucks, which vacuum up excess floodwater, patrol the city to keep it dry.

For more permanent fixes, Troxler pointed to the Miami Beach neighborhoods of Sunset Harbour, West Avenue and Alton Road, where flooding used to be far worse than it is today. In the last eight years, Miami Beach has spent tens of millions of dollars addressing tidal flooding by raising roads, installing permanent stormwater drainage pumps and increasing the size of drainage pipes.

In just four years since the Sunset Harbour road raising and drainage project was built, the city said it avoided nearly 150 floods that would have happened if the roads were lower. But road raising has also proved controversial, with some neighbors claiming the displaced floodwater now pours into their low-lying homes.

In Miami, the city has pledged nearly $200 million of its Miami Forever Bond toward drainage projects throughout the city. Several of the projects are funded and underway, including the installation of dozens of drainage valves that slow flooding and new, permanent stormwater drainage pumps in places like Brickell.

Ashley Miznazi is a climate change reporter for the Miami Herald funded by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.

This story was originally published November 3, 2023, 3:32 PM.

The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved changes to its development deal with Royal Caribbean Group.

The amended agreement automatically passed with a unanimous vote on Nov. 7. Legislative items that receive automatic approvals are not pulled into discussion at county commissioner meetings.

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Updates to the agreement between Miami-Dade and Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) solidify the passenger increase promise the Miami-based cruise operator made in 2019 as the company builds a new campus and terminal at PortMiami.

Royal Caribbean agreed to up passenger counts from 600,000 to 2.1 million after completing construction of a new Cruise Terminal G and Berth 10.

The commission removed a financing contingency that allowed Royal Caribbean to reject county-offered financing if it didn’t meet the agreement’s financing threshold.

A county memorandum issued on the vote cited rising interest rates and construction cost as factors that limit how much the county can finance. The memorandum notes that removal of the financing contingency ensures the county will still receive a passenger increase from Royal Caribbean’s completed terminal.

The county is maintaining its previously approved maximum financing amount – $450 million – for the campus project.

The new agreement also calls for the county to provide $15.5 million in project costs, which Royal Caribbean can repay without interest before its new substantial completion date – Jan. 1, 2027 – meaning the structure is nearly complete and only needs minor work. Alternatively, Royal Caribbean repays the project costs at 6.5% interest after the substantial completion date over a maximum period of five years.

Read more: Royal Caribbean's new campus and terminal in Miami faces delay

The cruise company will now have to pay $425 million with the amended agreement’s adjusted maximum project cost estimates for Cruise Terminal G and Berth 10.

Royal Caribbean will also have to repay any advances it receives from the county for construction. The deal allows for an advance of up to $5 million during construction on or before completion. An additional $30 million advanced by Miami-Dade will be repaid by Royal Caribbean in order to reimburse the construction contractor for costs incurred between the suspension of the project and the next delivery date.

Miami-Dade County anticipates Royal Caribbean’s campus will be mostly complete by Jan. 1, 2027 and the terminal will be mostly complete by Dec. 31, 2027. The original substantial completion deadline for terminal was Dec. 1, 2026.

The county says the campus lease agreement is projected to have a positive fiscal impact of $163 million on the local economy while the cruise terminal agreement would have a positive fiscal impact of $2.42 billion. PortMiami supports more than 340,000 jobs.

Royal Caribbean Group shares dipped 2.79%, closing at $92.96 per share on Tuesday.

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TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a request by the Archdiocese of Miami to take up a dispute involving allegations that a priest sexually abused a child.

Justices, as is common, did not explain their reasons for declining to hear the case.

The archdiocese wanted justices to review a decision by the 3rd District Court of Appeal that allowed the alleged victim to pursue a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress against the archdiocese.

The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff, identified as John Doe 1, was sexually abused dozens of times between 1999 and 2001, when he was 7 to 9 years old, according to a March 22 decision by a three-judge panel of the South Florida appeals court.

The case names as a defendant the archdiocese and not the priest.

The appeals court rejected part of the lawsuit alleging negligence by the archdiocese, citing a four-year statute of limitations on negligence claims.

The lawsuit was filed in 2021 when the alleged victim was 29. But the appeals court overturned a circuit judge's ruling that dismissed the intentional infliction of emotional distress claim.

It pointed to the interplay of two laws, including a 2010 law that lifted certain time restrictions on cases involving sexual battery on victims under age 16. While the appeals court said the negligence claim was barred by a statute of limitations, the claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress was not.

It also said the case could be brought against an "institution" - not just an individual. In a brief filed in June at the Supreme Court, attorneys for the archdiocese argued that the March decision conflicted with a 2016 ruling by the 4th District Court of Appeal and that such cases could only be filed against individual abusers and not employers.

Mid-Drive Dive, described as a midcentury-inspired restaurant and bar serving up elevated American classics, will open in the old Graffiti Junktion space on Edgewater Drive in College Park. The concept is by Matt Hinckley, of Hinckley's Fancy Meats at East End Market, and Jacob Zepf (The Neighbors, Freehand Goods). Look for the restaurant to open in early 2024 ...

Natsu Omakase, the exclusive 10-seater next door to the Gravity Taproom in the North Quarter, is aiming to open sometime next month. Omakases are expected to run between $150-$200 ...

More sushi news: Hokusai Ramen & Izakaya has opened in the Disney corridor at 7591 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, offering everything from ramen to curry to udon ...

The indigenous Mexican restaurant that Agave Azul owner Juan Rios plans for the Armstrong Locks & Safe building in Mills 50 will be called Naya Comida + Barrita. The menu will be centered around three elements dating to pre-Hispanic times — wood fire, nixtamal and mezcal ...

Jeni's Ice Cream will open a brick-and-mortar Thursday, Nov. 9, next to the Regal Winter Park Cinemas in Winter Park Village. Owner Jeni Britton, who won a James Beard Award in 2012, makes ice creams that are "free of anything fake" ...

More ice cream news: After an arsonist forced Goff's Drive In to close last year, the Parramore institution has reopened as Sweetie's Ice Cream with Eric McIntosh and Jelani Gray operating the stand ...

Miami-based Italian pastry shop Rosetta Bakery will open its first Central Florida location next to Johnny Rockets inside the Millenia Mall. Rosetta serves everything from pizza and stuffed focaccia to croissants and millefoglie. No opening date has been announced ...

Caribbean Moonshine, a 3,000-square-foot craft distillery, tasting room, bar and tropics-inspired retail store, has opened in the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets at 8200 Vineland Ave.

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A Winn-Dixie building that has stood in a South Miami neighborhood since President John F. Kennedy was in the White House is being torn down.

The grocery store building at 5850 SW 73rd St., near some residential complexes, and across the street from the Deli Lane Cafe and Sunset Tavern and the recently closed Bonaparte Hair Designers, was built in 1962.

“While we understand that this closure impacts the local community, we want to assure you this decision was not made lightly,” Jacksonville-based parent company Southeastern Grocers said in a statement sent to the Miami Herald on Friday. “All store associates who wished to continue employment with Winn-Dixie were offered positions at nearby locations.”

According to Miami-Dade property records, the Winn-Dixie property and 81,200-square-foot lot in downtown South Miami was acquired by apartment developer Avalon SoMi LLC/AvalonBay Communities for $18.59 million in November 2020.

PROFILEmiami, a real estate website, and property records, reported that the seller was a joint venture between entities tied to the Bacardi family and Alta Development, led by Henry Pino, who had acquired the property in July 2007 for $14.5 million.

The owners secured approval from the South Miami City Commission in the summer of 2020 to build an apartment project on the site, not far from the Shops at Sunset Place and the South Miami Metrorail Station.

According to The Real Deal, the nine-story mixed-use project on the 1.9 acre site “would include 36,395 square feet of commercial space for a grocery store, 283 apartments and a roughly 400-space parking garage. Corwil Architects designed the plans. The building would include a pool deck and about 8,000 square feet of indoor amenities.”

Southeastern Grocers would not provide further details on whether that proposed grocery store in the coming mixed-use venture would be a new Winn-Dixie.

Customers and former employees of the shuttered South Miami Winn-Dixie posted on a Facebook group their memories of the locale.

? “End of an era,” read Branford Lloyd’s lead post on the Facebook group, Flashback South Florida — Memories and Memorabilia.

? “Back when we lived there, that was THE PLACE to get meat. Prices were much cheaper than Publix,” wrote Don Moser.

? “I worked there in 1977 — powder blue uniforms with white shoes. We had to punch in the information on each item. Fun times!” wrote Carole Atkins-Larkin.

? “Worked there from ‘94 to 2010. Made it to manager of seafood. Dumped my heart and soul into that place,” wrote Jason Robertson.

? “I worked there late ‘60s,” wrote Bob Buzzelli.

? “Lots of beautiful memories, I remember I used go here with my mother as a young boy,” posted Capone n Noreaga.

Meantime, another older Winn-Dixie store that had been closed for a year for repairs at Sunset West Shopping Center at 8710 SW 72nd Ave. in Kendall-area Miami, reopened on July 12 with a refurbished design and several days of celebrations.

As for the Bonaparte Hair Designers at 5893 SW 73rd St. across the street from the coming South Miami apartment complex, the salon, a neighborhood fixture for decades, closed earlier this year when its owner retired. A sign in the window Friday announced that a Sunset Liquors was coming soon to the place.

Music and food festivals, iconic sightseeing, festive holiday events and more of the best things to do in Miami right now

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November 2023: There's a fresh breeze in the air hinting at the arrival of autumn in Miami—at last! With the cooler weather comes a barrage of fun things to do around town this November, from music and food festivals to pumpkin patches, haunted houses and all manner of festive Halloween events. Below, check out all of our picks for the best things to do in Miami right now.

Locals and tourists can agree that the best things to do in Miami extend beyond lounging on the sand—though it goes without saying that spending some time on the best Miami beaches is fundamental to life in the 305. Aside from dabbling in our famous nightlife and exploring Miami's best bars, no trip to the Magic City would be complete without scoping out the booming culinary scene and our award-winning Miami restaurants. In between sunbathing, swimming and sipping cocktails, check off these essential Miami experiences, a mix of year-round attractions, seasonal events, cultural staples and exciting one-offs vetted by our expert editors. By the way, this list is curated, as always, but isn’t ranked—we just couldn’t choose favorites.