SOUTH FLORIDA NEWS - Larry Mastropieri

How to Apply for Palm Beach County's $50K Matching Grant

If you've been watching South Florida home prices and wondering how you'll ever save enough for a down payment, this program is worth your attention. Pre-applications open March 30th, and only 60 applicants will be selected.

Key Takeaways

• Palm Beach County's new matching grant offers $10,000 to $50,000 for down payments, closing costs, or repairs.
• Pre-applications are open from March 30th through April 20th, with only 60 randomly selected to proceed.
• This grant can potentially be stacked with other programs for up to $150,000+ in combined assistance.

A 5% down payment on a $450,000 home is $22,500. Add closing costs of $8,000 to $15,000, and the total upfront cash requirement can reach $35,000 to $40,000 before you ever make a…

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How to Dissolve a Condo HOA in Florida And Why It Almost Never Works

A 2026 Florida House bill would have created a new pathway for HOAs to dissolve themselves, and it passed with a 108–2 vote before dying in the Senate. But for condo owners across South Florida, the bill's failure may have been the more favorable outcome.

Key Takeaways

• House Bill 657 passed the Florida House in March 2026 with a 108–2 vote but died in the Senate, leaving no new legal pathway for HOA dissolution under current Florida law.
• The bill applied only to HOAs governed by Chapter 720 of Florida Statutes, not condominiums, which fall under the entirely separate Chapter 718 framework.
• Even if a similar bill targeted condos directly, dissolving a condo association would require resolving questions of shared structural ownership,…

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Delray Beach's Oldest Home Gets New Life in Sundy Village

The Sundy House, built in 1902 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is getting a full restoration as the centerpiece of Sundy Village's Phase Two. While for decades everything east of Swinton was considered the desirable side of downtown Delray, this project is redefining those boundaries.

Key Takeaways

• The Sundy House, the oldest structure in Delray Beach, is currently closed for renovation and expected to reopen in late 2026.

• Phase Two of Sundy Village adds 79,141 square feet of office space, a 165-space parking garage, and 3,400 square feet of ground-floor retail.

• Phase One was delivered in September 2025, comprising 100,000 square feet of Class A office space, and reached 88% occupancy shortly after…

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Bear's Club Estate Sells for $34M to Apollo Program Veteran

Jim Meadlock spent 12 years as an IBM engineer on the Apollo space program before founding a company that sold for $2.1 billion. Now he's buying his second estate in Jupiter's Bear's Club in three months.

Key Takeaways

• A trust linked to Cynthia Meadlock purchased 118 Bear's Club Drive for $34.3 million from a Panamanian entity connected to Colombian billionaire Jimmy Mayer.

• The 23,000-square-foot estate sits on 2.9 acres and includes seven bedrooms, a guest house, a pool, a gym, and a safe room.

• The Meadlocks bought another Bear's Club property at 146 Bear's Club Drive for $19 million in November, then listed it for $26.5 million in December.

The property had been on and off the market since 2021, starting at $30…

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$70M Loan Confirms Glass House Is Coming to Downtown Boca Raton

Glass House Boca just locked in $70 million in construction financing. The 10-story, 28-unit luxury condo on Palmetto Park Road broke ground in April 2025, and more than a third of units are already pre-sold.

Key Takeaways

• New York-based Maxim Capital Group provided the $70 million construction loan to the developers behind Glass House Boca Raton.

• The 10-story building will feature 28 residences priced from $2.7 million to $8 million, with units ranging from 2,504 to 3,865 square feet.

• Foundation work is nearing completion, with the project slated for delivery in Q2 2027.

The developers are Noam Ziv of Red-C Group in Boca Raton and father-and-son duo Ilan and Ido Zaken of Mira Properties in Philadelphia. They…

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Why The Breakers Paid $11M for Workforce Housing Site in WPB

When a billion-dollar resort starts assembling land in West Palm Beach, it's a signal about where the market is heading. The Breakers just paid $11.4 million for a waterfront site on North Australian Avenue, and the corridor is transitioning fast.

Key Takeaways

• The Breakers paid $11.4 million for a 2.4-acre waterfront assemblage on North Australian Avenue in West Palm Beach.
• The site sits in one of the most active infill redevelopment zones in Palm Beach County, near Northwood and the Nora District.
• Employer-backed housing projects like this signal where institutional money sees long-term value in the WPB market.

If you're buying, selling, or investing in West Palm Beach, this deal is worth understanding. Not because of what The…

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Boca Raton Voters Reject One Boca: What's Next for Downtown?

On March 10th, Boca Raton voters rejected One Boca by a margin of 75% to 25%. The $4 billion redevelopment would have leased 7.8 acres of city-owned land near the Brightline station to developers for 99 years. Now the city has no plan for that land, and a new anti-development council majority is taking over.

Key Takeaways

• Referendum Question 2 (One Boca) failed with 74.52% voting against and 25.48% in favor.

• Referendum Question 1, a separate $175 million bond for a new police headquarters, also failed with 54.66% voting against.

• Save Boca founder Jonathan Pearlman won a City Council seat, and two other Save Boca-endorsed candidates won as well, forming a new council majority.

The One Boca project would have…

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$75M Senior Living Community Breaks Ground in Delray Beach

All Seasons Delray, a 153-unit senior living community featuring independent and assisted living, just broke ground on Lyons Road in west Delray Beach. Amenities include an on-site medical center and a resort-style pool, with an expected opening in early 2028.

Key Takeaways

• Beztak, a Michigan-based developer, secured a $75 million construction loan for All Seasons Delray at 15650 Lyons Road.

• The 7.65-acre site will deliver 153 units: 92 independent living and 61 assisted living, with one and two-bedroom residences.

• Construction started in early 2026 with completion expected in Q1 2028.

Palm Beach County has one of the highest concentrations of retirees in the country. But purpose-built luxury senior housing hasn't…

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Conair Heir's Husband Assembles $58M Hillsboro Beach Estate

Morris Flancbaum bought an oceanfront mansion on Hillsboro Mile for $36.5 million, right next to property he already owns. With his 2021 purchase, he now controls 3.7 acres on one of South Florida's most exclusive coastal strips for $58.3 million in total.

Key Takeaways

• Morris Flancbaum, married to Conair billionaire heir Susan Rizzuto, paid $36.5 million for the mansion at 1083 Hillsboro Mile.

• Combined with his $21.8 million purchase next door in 2021, he now controls a 3.7-acre assemblage worth $58.3 million.

• The seller, Deborah Tarrant, originally paid $3 million for the property in 1998 and downsized to Boca Raton's Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club.

This isn't just a mansion purchase. It's an assemblage play on…

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Why Nearly Half of West Palm Beach Homes Are Sold for Cash

A new Redfin report shows West Palm Beach ranked first in the entire nation for all-cash home purchases in December 2025. Nearly 47% of homes were sold without a mortgage. Miami and Jacksonville tied at 39%. The national average? Just 29%. Here's what's driving Florida's cash dominance.

Key Takeaways

• West Palm Beach led the nation with 47.2% of all home purchases made in cash in December 2025, according to Redfin.

• Miami and Jacksonville tied at 39.3%, Fort Lauderdale came in near 36%, and the national average was just 29%.

• Financing restrictions, insurance costs, and international capital are all driving cash purchases in Florida.

While the rest of the country is pulling back on cash deals, Florida is moving in the…

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