SOUTH FLORIDA NEWS - February, 2026

Delray Beach Commits $400M to Citywide Infrastructure Push

This South Florida city is putting tax dollars to work. Water treatment, beach restoration, roads, public safety, parks, and private housing development are all happening at once. Here is where the money is going and what it means for property values.

Key Takeaways

• Delray Beach is investing over $400 million in public and private infrastructure projects through 2030, spanning water, roads, beaches, public safety, parks, and housing.

• A $160 million water treatment plant broke ground on February 4, 2026, designed to meet stricter EPA standards for filtering PFAS chemicals, with completion expected early 2028.

• The city's 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Program covers 63 projects, including a $19.2 million beach restoration, $120…

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Why Batmasian Cut Underground Parking at Royal Palm Hotel in Boca Raton

Rising construction costs forced a redesign of the 12-story Royal Palm Plaza Hotel. The Planning and Zoning Board approved revised plans on February 19, eliminating below-grade parking and reducing on-site spaces from 887 to 205.

Key Takeaways

• James Batmasian's Royal Palm Plaza Hotel in downtown Boca Raton has been redesigned to eliminate underground parking, dropping the room count from 144 to 137 and on-site parking from 887 to 205 spaces.

• The Planning and Zoning Board approved the revised plans on February 19, 2026, with a City Council vote expected next week.

• A pedestrian bridge will connect the hotel to a new seven-story parking garage with 501 spaces, 6,000 square feet of restaurant space, and 2,700 square feet of…

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Alonzo Mourning Secures $47M for Affordable Senior Housing in Hollywood

The NBA Hall of Famer's nonprofit and Coconut Grove-based Housing Trust Group have closed financing on Villa Jordana, a 96-unit project for seniors 62 and older. Monthly rents will range from $713 to $1,555, well below Hollywood's average of $2,179.

Key Takeaways

• Villa Jordana is a 96-unit affordable senior housing project at 826 South Dixie Highway in Hollywood, with completion expected next year.

• The $47 million financing package includes $33.8 million in tax credit equity from Raymond James, construction and permanent loans from Capital One through Freddie Mac, and a $640,000 loan from the city of Hollywood.

• Units are restricted to renters 62 and older earning between 33% and 60% of the area median income, with monthly…

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Fort Lauderdale Ends City Hall Debate: New $260M Building Moves Forward

After months of back-and-forth over whether to buy an existing tower or build new, the city commission has made its decision. A purpose-built 10-story civic facility will rise at 100 N. Andrews Avenue, with completion targeted for 2027 to 2028.

Key Takeaways

• Fort Lauderdale will build a new $260 million City Hall at 100 N. Andrews Avenue after rejecting unsolicited offers to buy Tower 101 ($86 million) and 1 East Broward ($122.5 million).

• FTL City Hall Partners is the lead candidate with a proposed 196,000 square foot, 10-story Class A office building that would consolidate all city departments under one roof.

• The city has been without a permanent City Hall since April 2023, when a historic rainstorm caused irreparable flood…

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Rosewood Hillsboro Beach Tops Out: 92 Oceanfront Condos Coming in 2027

Related Group and Dezer Development have completed vertical construction on the first hospitality-branded residence in Hillsboro Beach. The 10-story building on Millionaire's Mile will deliver 92 units starting at $5.95 million, with full completion expected early 2027.

Key Takeaways

• Rosewood Residences Hillsboro Beach has topped out vertical construction on a rare 12-acre site stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway at 1180 Hillsboro Mile.

• The 92-unit building is the first hospitality-branded condo development in Hillsboro Beach, with residences ranging from 2,800 to 6,400 square feet and pricing starting at $5.95 million.

• Related Group and Dezer Development are co-developing the project, with…

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Why Mark Zuckerberg May Be Moving to Florida: $200M Indian Creek Estate

The Meta founder is reportedly in talks for a 2-acre waterfront mansion on Billionaire Bunker. If he buys, it would be one of the largest residential transactions in Florida history and another signal that California's wealthiest are hedging against tax policy.

Key Takeaways

• Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are reportedly in talks to purchase a $200 million estate at 7 Indian Creek Island Road in Miami, the island's only on-market listing.

• The property is owned by cosmetic surgeon Dr. Aaron Rollins (inventor of AirSculpt) and his wife, Marine Rollins, who listed the 2-acre spec estate in November.

• California is currently voting on a proposal to implement a one-time 5% tax on residents with a net worth exceeding…

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Penn-Florida's Mandarin Oriental Condo in Boca Raton: 9 Years and Counting

The luxury condo was supposed to open in 2017. After nine years of delays, multiple foreclosures across the developer's portfolio, and eight buyer lawsuits demanding deposits back, Penn-Florida now says summer 2026 is the finish line. Will it actually happen?

Key Takeaways

• Penn-Florida's Mandarin Oriental condo at 105 East Camino Real in downtown Boca Raton was announced in 2015 with a 2017 target completion; it is now expected to finish in summer 2026.

• The adjacent 164-key Mandarin Oriental hotel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2025 with a $140 million loan in default since 2023.

• Eight condo buyers have filed lawsuits seeking their deposits back, and Penn-Florida has faced foreclosure actions on nearly every…

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Stephen Ross Moves to Complete Condo Buyout on West Palm Beach Waterfront

A Related Ross affiliate now owns 45 of 63 units at Southbridge Condo. The remaining units are reportedly under contract, with a full buyout and luxury redevelopment expected to follow.

Key Takeaways

• Related Ross affiliate Southbridge Acquisitions purchased 27 units at 3915 S. Flagler Drive in January 2026 for $25.4 million, bringing its total ownership to 45 of the building's 63 condos.

• The remaining 18 units are reportedly under contract, with full buyout and condo termination expected within months.

• Current zoning allows an 18-story tower on the site, and neighboring parcels are also being assembled by Ross and Fort Partners for potential large-scale waterfront redevelopment.

Billionaire Stephen Ross is closing in…

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Project Tango: AI Data Centers Are Coming to South Florida Despite Backlash

AI data centers are the new normal in South Florida. A proposed facility near Loxahatchee is drawing backlash, but the site sits next to an FPL power plant in an already industrial corridor. Here's what buyers and homeowners need to know.

Key Takeaways

• Project Tango is a proposed 3.69 million-square-foot AI data center spanning over 200 acres in unincorporated Palm Beach County, adjacent to an existing FPL power plant and reclaimed water infrastructure.

• Despite local opposition, the site sits in an already industrial corridor, not a residential neighborhood, which could make it more suitable for this type of development.

• AI data centers are becoming the new norm across South Florida and the Southeast. How Palm Beach County…

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One Boca vs Save Boca: Boca Raton's $4 Billion Referendum Explained

A grassroots group forced Boca Raton's biggest redevelopment project to a public vote. Now residents will decide whether downtown gets a $4 billion transformation or stays frozen for years.

Key Takeaways

• Terra Group and Frisbie Group's One Boca project will go to a public referendum on March 10, 2026, after an opposition group, Save Boca, gathered thousands of petition signatures.

• The revised plan includes 765 apartments, a 182-unit condo building, 120,000 square feet of office, a hotel, and a grocery store on a 99-year lease, with projected revenue of $4 billion for the city.

• If One Boca fails, Boca Raton still faces a 30-year-old city campus with flood damage and no clear funding path for upgrades without raising taxes or…

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