SOUTH FLORIDA NEWS - August, 2026

Florida Wants AI, but Not the Data Center Next Door

Developers are proposing billion-dollar server farms across the state, but county after county is voting them down over water, power, and property values. Palm Beach just rejected its biggest one and is moving to ban new ones for a year.

Key Takeaways

• Developers have proposed at least a dozen hyperscale data centers across Florida, but counties are increasingly rejecting them and passing moratoriums.
• Palm Beach County commissioners rejected Project Tango, a $2.6 billion data center near Wellington, and on August 27 advanced a one-year ban on large projects.
• Residents cite higher power bills, heavy water use, noise, and falling property values, along with very few permanent jobs.

Everyone wants AI, but almost nobody wants the giant,…

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What a $50M Mezzanine Loan Tells You About Oasis Hallandale

The East Tower just secured additional capital to push through completion, bringing total financing past $162 million. Here is what the deal structure reveals about the project and the market.

• Cottonwood Group provided a $50 million mezzanine loan for the 250-unit East Tower at Oasis Hallandale.
• The mezzanine loan sits atop S3 Capital's $112 million senior construction loan, for a total of $162 million in financing.
• The East Tower topped out in March 2026 and is expected to deliver in 2027, with prices from $580,000 to $3.5 million.

Oasis Hallandale Beach securing a $50 million mezzanine loan shows that lenders and developers are still confident in the project, even as it pushes pricing and product quality into a market that has…

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Inside Kolter's $117M Bet on Avenir: Community Expansion

The Delray Beach builder just added another $25.6 million to its Avenir position, pushing total investment past $117 million across roughly 1,000 lots in Palm Beach Gardens' largest master plan.

• Kolter paid $25.6 million for 222 homesites across two August 2026 transactions.
• Total Kolter investment at Avenir now exceeds $117 million for approximately 1,000 lots.
• Avenir is planned for 3,900 homes, 400,000 SF of retail, 1.8 million SF of office, and a 300-key hotel.

Kolter's purchase of 222 more homesites at Avenir is a strong signal that Palm Beach Gardens' largest master-planned community is working. Builders are coming back for more lots because homes are selling, infrastructure is arriving, and the resale market is already active. With…

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Is Brightline Too Big to Fail? South Florida Bets Yes

The train carries $4.9 billion in debt and may be headed for a restructuring, yet ridership keeps hitting records. Real estate leaders argue it has catalyzed too much development to let it slip off the rails.

Key Takeaways

• Brightline carries about $4.9 billion in debt, and its auditors have raised doubts about the company's ability to continue, with a restructuring or bankruptcy widely expected.
• Ridership is actually growing and setting records; the real problem is that revenue still cannot cover operating costs and interest on debt.
• South Florida real estate leaders argue the train has catalyzed billions in development and is too important to the region to let it fail.

Brightline's finances look shaky, but South Florida has quietly…

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Why Al Capone's Former Lot Just Sold for $21 Million

The mansion where the gangster spent his final years was demolished in 2023, so the buyer paid for bare dirt and an address on a guard-gated island.

Key Takeaways

• The 0.7-acre vacant lot at 93 Palm Avenue, where Al Capone once lived, sold for $21 million even though the mansion was demolished in 2023.
• The same week, a newly built mansion at 270 South Hibiscus Drive sold for $51.5 million, a record for both Palm and Hibiscus islands.
• On Miami Beach's guard-gated islands, the land, the water frontage, and the address drive value far more than the house itself.

 According to The Real Deal, the 0.7-acre waterfront parcel at 93 Palm Avenue in Miami Beach, once home to Al Capone, changed hands for $21 million with nothing standing on it.…

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Heron Bay HOA Backtracks on Landlord Rules After Resident Uproar

The board proposed rules that would let the HOA evict tenants and ban landlords from re-leasing. Owners revolted. The vote got postponed. Here is what happened.

• Heron Bay's HOA proposed rules restricting landlords to one lease per year and giving the board power to evict tenants.
• Approximately 250 owners opposed, and the board rolled back most changes the day before the vote.
• The August 13 meeting was postponed to September 3 after the room hit capacity and dozens were turned away.

Heron Bay is a master-planned community of more than 3,100 homes spanning Coral Springs and Parkland. On August 13, 2026, the HOA board attempted to vote on a set of proposed landlord restrictions that sparked immediate backlash. According to The Real Deal,…

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A 765-Unit Tower Trio Tests Fort Lauderdale's Live Local

The three-tower plan, called Terrasse, would replace a shuttered Winn-Dixie near the 17th Street Causeway and skip the usual rezoning and public hearings. For now, it is only a filed application with no approval and no construction date set.

Key Takeaways

• A developer has filed plans for Terrasse, a three-tower project with 765 apartments on a former Winn-Dixie site on Cordova Road in Fort Lauderdale.
• By setting aside 306 units (40%) as workforce housing, it qualifies for the Live Local Act, letting it skip rezoning, exceed height limits, and avoid public hearings.
• The application is new, with no city approval yet and no construction timeline announced.

Fort Lauderdale's Live Local pipeline just got a giant new entry, at least on…

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Deerfield Beach Puts Its Beachfront Rules to a November Vote

The measure would scrap floor-area caps that have kept the beach low-rise since 2002, though the height limits stay in place. What voters are really deciding is whether stalled, aging beachfront parcels can finally be redeveloped.

Key Takeaways

• On November 3, Deerfield Beach voters will decide whether to remove the floor-area-ratio caps that have limited beachfront development since 2002.
• Building height caps, 45 feet for commercial and 55 feet for multifamily, and lot-coverage limits would stay, so the change would not allow beachfront towers.
• Supporters say it would unlock stalled, blighted parcels, while most residents who spoke at meetings opposed it.

The Deerfield Beach development fight we covered a few weeks ago just reached…

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85% Sold Before Completion: Mr. C West Palm Beach Update

The Cipriani-branded tower is 16 floors up and pulling buyers faster than most projects in the downtown pipeline. Here is what is driving demand.

• Mr. C Hotel & Residences has climbed to the 16th floor in downtown West Palm Beach.
• The project is now over 85% sold, up from 70% at groundbreaking, with residences priced from $1.6 million to over $6 million.
• Completion is expected in 2027, making it the first Mr. C property in Palm Beach County.

Mr. C Hotel & Residences is another proof point that downtown West Palm Beach is no longer an emerging market story. It is already a luxury capital magnet. A $285 million project, 85% sold before completion, with residences ranging from $1.6 million to over $6 million, shows how much wealth is chasing…

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The Club at Emerald Hills Rezoning Approved in Hollywood

A 166-acre golf course will get a Nicklaus redesign, 284 homes, 40 hotel rooms, and new infrastructure. Residents are split on whether it helps or hurts flooding.

• Hollywood's planning board approved rezoning The Club at Emerald Hills from Country Club to Planned Development.
• The project includes 284 residential units, a rebuilt clubhouse, 40 lodging villas, and a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
• Residents debated whether the new drainage infrastructure would reduce or worsen flooding in the neighborhood.

The Emerald Hills rezoning debate is really the South Florida housing debate in one project. Residents want less traffic and less flood risk, but the region also needs more housing, better infrastructure, and updated land uses. On a…

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