World’s Largest Cryptocurrency Conference is Coming to Miami – Bitcoin 2021

In the last few weeks, Miami has been swarmed with vacation goers and visitors from all over the world. But this week, Miami will be taken over by big tech with the world’s largest cryptocurrency conference, Bitcoin 2021. There is no doubt that Miami is the place to be!

Bitcoin 2021 will take place on June 4th and 5th at Wynwood’s Mana Convention Center. This will be considered one of the largest events to occur since the pandemic. This conference was originally set to take place in Los Angeles.

Notable speakers for this conference include Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez as well as other leaders in cryptocurrency. The conference will explore technology advancement and give opportunities to actually utilize Bitcoin in a real setting.

According to the Chairman and Co-founder of the Wyndwood Business Improvement District Albert Garcia stated, “Wynwood’s residents and businesses have shown their resiliency in the face of this pandemic, and we are ready to safely welcome back visitors for the first major in-person event in the last 16 months. Conference attendees will enjoy the unique, open-air offerings of the Wynwood Arts District- from our colorful streets to our internationally recognized culinary and brewery scene.”

Bitcoin 2021’s local partners include BitBasel, that are creating a mural showing the evolution of currency. The mural will be displayed outside of the convention center. Other sponsors include Microsoft, Crypto.com, coinbase, and Bitfarms. According to their event announcement, they did not accept any sponsors that advocated for any other cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin.

Bitcoin has gained a lot of headway in Miami with buyers using Bitcoin with their real estate offers as well as a lot of nightclubs, retail, and airlines accepting the digital currency.

Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy Buys Miami Mansion for $14 Million

If you’re not familiar with Barstool Sports, then you have definitely seen their videos circulating the internet. What started off as a sport’s blog in 2003, Barstool Sports quickly turned into a multi-million dollar digital media company with focuses on videos, podcasts, and blogs.

Founder of Barstool, Dave Portnoy, has recently been using his massive social media platform to travel the United States and taste test pizza on his vlog called ‘One Bite’. These posts are featured on Barstool Sports as well as his blogs. Within the past month, Portnoy has been exclusively in South Florida documenting pizza joints.

It was rumored that during his visits he started renting Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s Miami beach front property for $200,000 a month. Now, it has officially been confirmed that he purchased a bay-front Miami mansion for $14 million.

The property located at 5811 North Bayshore Drive in the Morningside neighborhood was purchased in April under the name StellaBean Holdings, LLC., named after Portnoy’s dog Stella, who passed in 2019.

Featuring 6,100 square feet of living space with nine bedrooms, eight and a half bathrooms sited on 1 acre, including a pool.

Broker-Owner of Luxe Living Realty, Dora Puig, listed the property in November 2020. Property records show that the home previously sold in 2010 for $2.2 million.

Top 5 Spots to Celebrate Cinco De May in Miami 2021

Cinco De Mayo is finally here and we have found the best spots in Miami to celebrate! So bring your friends and/or family and lets try them all!

La Tiendita Taqueria

La Tiendita of Wynwood features authentic Mexican foods inspired by recipes passed down from the La Tiendita ancestors. For Cinco De Mayo, they will have beer specials, margaritas specials, food specials, as well as a live DJ from 12pm-3am. Click here for their full menu.

• $5 Monopolio Clara
• $30 Bottle Margaritas with Don Julio
• $10 Pierde Almas Mezcal Gin
• $199 Bottle of Don Julio Blanco

Toro Toro

Toro Toro is one of Chef Richard Sandoval’s ‘Pan-Latin’ steakhouses. This Cinco De Mayo, get ready for a tequila tasting with Casamigos hosted food parings. The fun starts at 5pm with a four-course tasting! Click here for more information.

Four-Course Meal Features

• Pan-Latin inspired Cocktail
• Casamigos mezcal served with fundido de queso a la tequila and Casamigos blanco paired with cobia tiradito
• Casamigos reposado paired with smoked al pastor ribs with pineapple and chayote salsa
• Coffee-rubbed lamb barbacoa, patacones and avocado crema paired with Casamigos anejo
• Chocolate petits fours

Pisco Y Nazca

Pisco Y Nazca is celebrating this year’s Cinco de mayo with $7 margarita specials all day long paired with their classic menu! Click here for the full menu and Cinco De Mayo celebrations!

Chica

Chica is Miami will feature a live DJ starting and 5 p.m. going until midnight. Specialty cocktails and classic food menus will make Chica a one stop for all of your Cinco De Mayo needs. Click here for the full menu.

• Feature Cocktail “Tomas Estes” made with reposado tequila, rasberry liqueur, cranberry juice, agave syrup, and lime $16
• Baha fish dinner special for two
• Whole duck carnitas special
• Tres Leches $15

Boia De & Jaguar Sun

This exclusive collaboration are teaming up for Cinco de Mayo and serving you specialty foods, drinks, and an awesome DJ. This even will take place at 7357 NW Miami Court (Lot 6) and reservations are needed. Click here for more information.

• Cocktails by Jaguar Sun
• Food by La Pollita By Boia De
• Choco Tacos by Frice Cream

Did Derek Jeter Purchase a $16.6 Million Lot in Coral Gables?

Baseball Hall of Famer and Miami Marlins CEO, Derek Jeter may have purchased a waterfront lot in Coral Gables, Florida.

According to a recent article published by the Florida Business Journal, a Detroit P.O. Box that Jeter has used in the past, was listed on the deed that purchased a 1.91 acre vacant lot at 625 Leucadendra Drive for $16.6 million.

The lot features 325 feet of waterfront with a dock and was last purchased at $13.95 million. According to the MLS, the property has the ability to build a 20,000 square foot residential home.

The P.O. Box that was used in the purchase was the same as the one that was listed when Jeter sold his mansion in Tampa in 2020. Jeter sold the 1.2 acre property at 59 Bahama Circle for a cool $29 million; which featured 22,000 square feet of living space, 7 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, 6 car garage, and pool with spa.

Jeter moved to South Florida after purchasing the Marlins in 2017 for $1.2 billion. Jeter currently resides at the Ritz Carlton Residences in Miami Beach.

Miami Commissioners Vote to Regulate Shared Bikes (and Whatever Happened to the Scooters?)

It was just over one year ago in June of 2017 that Lime (the California startup formerly known as LimeBike) rolled out its dockless bike-sharing services in Key Biscayne as the company’s first U.S. city launch.  It wasn’t long before the program expanded to cities all over the country and further across Miami, including suburban neighborhoods as far as Kendall and Miami Lakes.  Competitors like Ofo and Spin surfaced soon after as the concept gained popularity.  The idea was simple – download an app, find a nearby bike using location services, input your payment info, and pay as you go.  Whereas Citibikes requires riders to return their bicycle to a docking station upon finishing their ride, Lime and Oto allow riders to leave them anywhere.

The convenience offered by the dockless programs is a huge hit with riders, but with that convenience also comes the dangers of abandoned bikes all over the city.  Stray bicycles have been seen blocking access to public ways, along busy sidewalks, in the front yards of private homes, and in some rare cases, dumped in the ocean or hanging from trees.  With Miami traffic being amongst the worse in the country, the demand for the program is clear, but lawmakers in many cities have struggled to regulate it.  The difficulty lies in protecting public safety without stripping away the programs’ key feature.

Last Tuesday, July 10th, Miami city commissioners voted in favor of 3 different resolutions aimed at regulating the bike-sharing programs.  The resolutions include $100 fines for unattended bikes left in county rights of way, with removal by the Department of Transportation and Public Works.  The county was also asked to prepare studies that will help determine the needs of future regulation, and whether or not to create designated parking areas for the dockless bikes.

As for the dockless electric scooters, which appeared to have taken over Brickell almost overnight and then were suddenly gone only weeks later – the two providers (Bird and Lime) temporarily pulled out after receiving cease and desist letters from the city, citing violations of Florida statute.  A spokesperson for Lime shared that over 10,000 residents and visitors of Miami made nearly 30,000 scooter trips between April and June.  Lime general manager for Miami, Jed Fluxman, said in a statement, “With such strong ridership, we are committed to serving the community for the long-term and will temporarily pause operations in order to work with the City of Miami on fair, sensible regulations that cement Lime’s place in the Miami community for years to come.”  While the timing is uncertain, it appears this won’t be the last of seeing Brickell bankers and professionals donning suit and ties aboard electric scooters, nor is there any end to dockless bike programs in sight.

Brickell Flatiron Construction Update (Video)

Brickell Flatiron is really getting up there these days! As of today, construction of the 64-story, ultra-luxury tower has reached the 42nd floor. To put that height into perspective, the height of Brickell Flatiron has now eclipsed that of nearby 1100 Millecento. The video below was taken last month and construction of Brickell Flatiron has been moving at a pace of one floor per week.

The developer still has a number of great options still remaining, so if you’re interested in purchasing a condo at Brickell Flatiron, you shouldn’t feel like you’ve missed the boat. Brickell Flatiron is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019, which I believe will be a brilliant time to deliver a development of this magnitude. I’m predicting that the next upswing for the Miami luxury condo market will begin in October of next year. Brickell Flatiron’s construction crane is the last crane remaining from Brickell’s recent construction cycle.

I took the photo below of Brickell Flatiron on May 22nd from the rooftop of 1100 Millecento.

Top 5 Things to Do in Miami When it Rains

The long-awaited Memorial Day Weekend is FINALLY here…but so is the rain 😥 . The weather forecast for Miami over the holiday weekend calls for rain, rain, and more rain. Of course, that begs the question, “What to do in Miami on a rainy day?”. Below are our suggestions for keeping yourself dry and in better spirits.

5. Bowl with Friends at Splitsville
Even if you’re a lousy bowler, challenging a group of friends to games of bowling can be a great time. Splitsville, located in South Miami at The Shops at Sunset Place, has 13 bowling lanes along with a great selection of food and alcoholic beverages. For those with kids, it even has a kids menu and non-alcoholic beverages. Escape the rain, bowl to your hearts content, and be merry!

4. Get Sauced at M.I.A. Beer Company
Rainy days tend to get even the best of us down but there’s nothing quite like a cold beer with friends to turn that frown upside down. M.I.A. Beer Company has some outstanding beer options, but their bar food selection is equally as impressive. For those watching their caloric intake or don’t enjoy the bloat they get from beer, be sure to try HRD WTR. It’s delicious, refreshing, and has just 147 calories with 5 grams of carbs for 16 ounces.

3. Watch a movie at CMX Brickell City Centre
CMX Brickell City Centre is the Rolls-Royce of movie theaters. It has just 10 viewing rooms, each with super comfortable, reclining chairs that are well spaced-out so that you won’t ever have to squeeze by other movie patrons as you make your way to and from your seat. In fact, the viewing rooms are intimate, with some having as little as 25 seats. Additionally, the theater has an excellent selection of food, beer and signature cocktails, all of which can be ordered while in your seat using their smart phone app or on-chair button. Last but not least, CMX Brickell City Centre has a super impressive sports bar called Stone Sports Bar located just outside the viewing rooms. It boasts the largest indoor LED screen in Florida…one of the best places in Miami to watch sports.

2. Shop ’til you drop at the Aventura Mall
You can easily spend an entire day at the Aventura Mall and still not have a chance to see everything. With 2,700,000 square feet of retail, the Aventura Mall is THE largest shopping mall in Florida and second largest in the United States. Last November, it opened a three-level expansion wing adding 241,000 square feet of stores and restaurants. Trust me, there’s something for everyone! If shopping ain’t your thang, enjoy the amazing restaurants that the Aventura Mall has to offer. My favs are Luke’s Lobster, CVI.CHE 105, Shake Shack, and Grand Lux Cafe.

1. Take a cooking class at La Centrale’s cooking studio called “La Cucina”
As you may have heard, La Centrale is a 40,000 square foot Italian food hall at Brickell City Centre. However, what you may not have heard is that La Centrale includes a cooking studio called La Cucina where you can learn hands-on the secrets of great Italian cooking from their master chefs. Some of their upcoming classes include: a Hands-On Neapolitan Pizza Workshop, Hands-On Pastry Class, Italian Sauces 101, and Fresh Pasta Workshop. They’ll have you saying al dente in no time.

Enrique Iglesias & Pitbull Drop “Move to Miami”

Yesterday morning, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull released their hot new dance single “Move to Miami” along with the above lyric video on YouTube. According to reports, Enrique and Mr. 305 were spotted this past March in Wynwood shooting a video for their new song, a video which will be released later this year.

We have to agree with Pitbull and Enrique…you should move to Miami…but you better do it before the surplus condo inventory gets swallowed!

SLS Lux Brickell Hotel To Open June 4th

In a newsletter sent yesterday to owners of the newly opened SLS Lux Residences, it was announced that the SLS Lux Brickell Hotel will open on June 4th. The poolside bar located on the 9th floor of the building will begin operation that day as well, with food and beverages available for purchase to residents and hotel guests.

SLS Lux Brickell Hotel guests will have access to a myriad of amenities including: a 75-foot lap pool, separate 112-foot beach-entry pool, poolside cabanas, poolside bar, state-of-the-art fitness center, full-service spa, full-service concierge, and much more.