More Delays for the Big Ol’ Miami Beach Convention Center Hotel

June 7, 2016

Former Portman proposal for Miami Beach Convention Center Hotel

The timeline for the proposed Miami Beach Convention Center Hotel has more than likely been delayed by a substantial amount of time due to the indecisiveness of a Blue Ribbon panel set up to address the issue by Mayor Philip Levine. The convention hotel was meant to accompany the new convention center, which is currently under construction.

According to the Real Deal, the commission “did not reach any agreement late Monday on where any new hotel should be built, how many rooms it should contain, how tall it should be and whether or not it should incorporate the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater into its design.” which means they made pretty much zero progress, and because a voter ballot measure is required, and that ballot measure has to be written by August to make it into the November ballot, it’s “highly unlikely” that’s going to happen. As you may remember, the last time the hotel was on the ballot, with a gigantic and rather blah design, it was defeated (I once wrote on Curbed Miami the design looked “like a bad copy of the Fountainebleau, on steroids”). In response, Jack Portman, the only developer who was willing to take on the City of Miami Beach’s frustrating inaction on this issue is still sticking around. Portman, his company, has been the only bidder for the hotel in a while. “I think he just sit tight” Mr. Portman said, showing that by now he should probably be considered a minor saint.