Virgin Continues Push Into South Florida, Reveals New PortMiami Terminal For Virgin Voyages

Just days after Virgin Trains USA announced it had taken a minority stake in Brightline and presented plans to the Securities and Exchange Commission for permission to conduct an initial public offering of stock, Richard Branson has continued his push into South Florida as Virgin Voyages prepares to launch. Virgin has now revealed a new $150 million terminal in PortMiami for Virgin Voyages whose first ship, Scarlet Lady, will launch in 2020. The new 2-story terminal is being designed by Arquitectonica and will be made of storm resistant glass which will resemble a palm tree. Virgin is currently awaiting approval from Miami-Dade commissioners before breaking ground.

Voters Approve Privately Funded Miami Beach Convention Center Hotel

In the highly anticipated election on Tuesday night, Miami Beach residents approved the construction of an 800-room convention center hotel. The referendum needed a 60 percent vote in order to lease public land from the city and passed at 64 percent in its third attempt to bring a headquarter hotel to Miami. The hotel will be built on a city-owned parking lot adjacent to the newly renovated convention center.

The previous attempt in 2016 failed due to concerns over the size, originally twice as large as the current proposal, and traffic congestion. The tourism bureau estimates Miami Beach lost at least $250 million in economic revenue over the last several years because it was unable to accommodate larger scale conventions.

South Beach resident Andres Montejo, 43, said that the convention center hotel was one of the issues that drove him to the polls. Montejo, a businessman who travels frequently for work, said that the other cities he visits already have hotels connected to their convention centers.

“A convention center is great, but without a hotel it’s just another convention center,” he said after casting his ballot at Miami Beach Senior High School. “Anybody that travels ... you know that’s how the game works. It’s like that all over the world.”

Other residents, annoyed with the constant flow of construction and resulting noise and traffic in the area, decided to vote against the hotel.

The hotel will connect to the convention center via a pedestrian bridge and include a 53-foot podium containing parking, meeting spaces and ballrooms as well as two 185-foot-tall wings of hotel rooms. Voters authorized the lease and the construction of an 800-room hotel with a maximum height of 185 feet, but specifics of the hotel design will be evaluated by the city’s Design Review Board at a later date.

The group behind the proposal — Turnberry’s Jackie Soffer, Terra Group’s David Martin, Miami Design District developer Craig Robins and architecture firm Arquitectonica — emphasized that the hotel would be roughly 100 feet shorter than the previous proposal and include six times more space for cars to queue on the property so that they don’t spill onto the street.

“This is the right project for our city at the right time, and Jackie, Craig and I look forward to working with the community to deliver a hotel that will make Miami Beach proud,” said developer David Martin.

On a related ballot item, residents voted to earmark the guaranteed hotel rent payments for traffic reduction measures, stormwater projects and education initiatives, rather than sending the money to the city’s general fund where it could be used for a broader range of expenses.

According to the terms of the lease agreement, the hotel will have to pay Miami Beach either fixed rent totaling $16.6 million over the first 10 years or a percentage of hotel revenue, whichever is greater. Miami Beach estimates that the city will also collect $96 million in taxes from the hotel over the next 30 years.

Article by: Katya Demina

Brightline to Kick Off Service To Miami Via MiamiCentral Station May 19

Brightline will officially begin passenger service from Fort Lauderdale to Miami on May 19. Tickets are now on sale for the rail service connecting West Palm Beach to Downtown Miami, priced from $10 for Smart Service which offers 19' seats; and $15 for select service, which features 21' seats, more leg room, complimentary snacks and beverages as well as access to premium select lounge. West Palm Beach to Miami is available from $15 for smart service and $25 for select service. A grand opening weekend is already nearly sold out with tickets priced from $3 to $5. Brightline MiamiCentral Station is located at 600 NW 1st Avenue and features CentralFare, a 50,000 SF food hall slated to open fall 2018 complete with Einstein's Bros. Bagels, Joe & The Juice and Starbucks. 

Brightline is setting the new benchmark for travel by train in America with express inter-city passenger rail service connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, with future service to Orlando. Providing a travel option that lives at the intersection of transportation and hospitality, the service is expected to reduce traffic and provide South Floridians with a simple and intuitive experience from door to destination, and foster new opportunities to explore more of Southeast Florida. Brightline will be the only privately owned, operated and maintained passenger rail system in the United States. 

Soffers Aim To Expand Fontainbleau Aviation & Turnberrry Airport Holdings at Opa-Locka Executive Airport

The Soffer family is seeking a $5 million bond from Miami-Dade County’s Economic Development and Tourism Committee for expansion of Turnberry Airport Holdings at Opa-Locka Executive Airport. The bond would be used for a $28 million project that would renovate public infrastructure, including a 30,000-square-foot hanger and 57,000-square-foot executive and maintenance office for Fontainebleau Aviation. According to the South Florida Business Journal, the billionaire family currently leases 41.4 acres on site. In order to benefit from the taxpayer incentives, Turnberry would need to meet certain job creation requirements. The project is currently estimated to create 120 jobs and would increase the company’s revenue to $26 million in 2020 if the expansion is completed. 

Article by Katya Demina | Images by Turnberry Media & Fontainbleau Aviation

Norwegian Cruise Line Announces Pearl, The Futuristic LEED-Silver Certified Terminal Coming To PortMiami

Not long after Royal Caribbean's Broadway Malyan-designed Terminal A for Symphony of the Seas topped out in PortMiami, Norwegian Cruise Line has announced Pearl, their futuristic new terminal coming to PortMiami. The LEED-Silver Certified terminal is being designed by Miami-based firm Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc., inspired by a nautilus' spiral design. Construction is expected to start in May (2018) and completion is expected by fall 2019. Miami-Dade County has pledged to invest $100 million towards building the new terminal, the balance of the funds will be provided by Norwegian Cruise Holdings, LTD.

“Norwegian has been sailing from Miami for over fifty years, longer than any other cruise line, and we are honored to be partnering with PortMiami and Miami-Dade County to construct an iconic terminal that will contribute to Miami’s world famous skyline and strengthen its position as the Cruise Capital of the World,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Renderings via Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc.