South Florida Business Journal

New SLS Brickell Will House Michael Schwartz Restaurant, Katsuya, and the Bazaar by Jose Andres

Even though the SLS Hotels and Residences in Brickell won't be open for at least another two years, the city is anticipating the arrival of Miami's second SLS and its accompanying restaurants and amenities. The high-rise hotel will be located at 1300 S. Miami Ave. in what a sales brochure ... More >>

Miamians Hate Vehicle Repair Shops So Much, Consumer Agency Reports

Unfortunately in Miami we're all too familiar with bad service, ridiculous pricing and shady business practices, so to become Miami's most hated industry you really, really have to go out of your way to be terrible.So congratulations vehicle repair shops of Miami-Dade County. You truly are the worst ... More >>

Digital Domain: The Fall of a Movie Empire

Miami Is the Least Affordable City in America For the Middle-Class, Study Finds

They can be truly hard to find in Miami, always lost between the film crews chasing Kardashian sisters to their next luxury club, the Russian oligarchs loudly racing Brazilian expats in souped up Lotuses, and the parade of art-collecting billionaires snapping up property in Fisher Island.But Miami d ... More >>

American Airlines To Lay Off 1,209 People at Miami International Airport

1,209 workers will find themselves out of work soon. American Airlines has filed a notice with the state that it plans to layoff 1,414 people between November 16 and December 16, just in time for the holidays. The vast majority of those jobs will be coming from Miami International Airport. Updated.

Target, Costco, and Maybe Trader Joe's Could Be Coming to Brickell

Forget condo building. Like we said yesterday, this decade's Miami building boom appears to be all about retail. Now come reports that developers are looking to build a major retail center in Brickell with big-box stores in the vein of the Midblock area of the Shops at Midtown Miami. According to th ... More >>

W South Beach Condo Developer Sued by Four NFL Players

The W South Beach has to deal with four angry NFL players. The player have filed four separate lawsuits against the developers of the Residences at W South Beach. All four put down deposits on condos back in 2006 and 2007 but want that money back.

Golden Beach Town Manager Alexander Diaz Starts Trial for Epic Midnight Escapade

Alexander Diaz, Golden Beach Town Manager, Arrested Again For DUI

Golden Beach has a problem. Its town manager allegedly drives like a gin-addled Gary Busey, and he's in bed financially with the one person -- the mayor -- who could fire him. Alexander Diaz, manager of the tiny, wealthy, and epically fucked-up town where Eric Clapton and Ricky Martin have had vacat ... More >>

"Zombie" Attack Location Added to History Museum's Sightseeing Tour

Riptide used to get a sick kick out of driving over the Julia Tuttle Causeway and informing our visiting friends we were now directly above America's most infamous sex offender colony. Of course, that's no longer there, so instead we'll just take the MacArthur Causeway to the Beach and casually quip ... More >>

Benihana To Be Sold for $296 Million to Private Investors

Less than two years after Burger King was sold to private investors, another Miami-Dade-based national restaurant chain is going private. It was announced today that Angelo, Gordon & Co.'s Private Equity Group will pay $296 million for Benihana, Inc. and take the chain private.

Tobacco Road Property Sold, Bar to Remain Open at Least Three More Years

It began as a bakery, a presumable front for a Prohibition-era speakeasy complete with hidden rooms and rumrunners. And after 100 years at 626 S. Miami Avenue, Tobacco Road's still in the booze business. Sadly, however, the city's oldest bar may be in jeopardy. Carlos J. Mattos, founder and pres ... More >>

Cipriani, La Cantina No. 20 to Open in Brickell

Tony restaurant chain Cipriani and Mexican chain La Cantina No. 20 have leased space at Icon Brickell.According to the South Florida Business Journal, the restaurants struck a deal with the building's owners after being on the market for nearly four years. The leased space encompasses three stories ... More >>

Miller Time in Miami: Miller Beer Moving Latin American HQ to Miami

​Miami has never been known as a beer town -- but maybe having MillerCoors, the company known for beer brands such as Miller, Coors Light and Corona, move their Latin American headquarters from Bogota, Colombia to Miami, could change that perception. Miller will move 50 to 70 corporate employees f ... More >>

Miami Herald Might Move to Doral

​Sure, Doral seems like a decent place to run the United States' military operations in South and Central America, but is it a good spot to headquarter a once-proud metro newspaper? The Miami Herald might soon find out. The South Florida Business Journal reports the Herald is now in negotiati ... More >>

Where Will the Miami Herald Move? Somewhere in This Inner-City Box

​The Miami Herald have sold their bayside building to the Genting Group, the casino-happy Malaysian conglomerate, and today publisher David Landsberg sent out a memo to the staff confirming that they'll vacate their current digs by May 2013.Random Pixels has obtained that memo, and in it Landsberg ... More >>

Miami-Dade County Moves to Abolish Lost City of Islandia

via Wikicommons​There may not be an actual lost city of Atlantis, but there certainly is a lost (mostly underwater) city of Islandia.Incorporated as a city on a coral reef Island off the coast of southeast Miami-Dade in 1951, leaders hoped to one day turn the town into a resort destination, but no ... More >>

The Bank Takes Over Dade Commonwealth Building: Photo Tour of New Downtown Club

All photos by Ivanna VidalStep inside The Bank's vault.​Few nightclubs can claim to inhabit a building as old as the historic Miami-Dade County Courthouse. But the Meyer-Kiser Building (AKA the Dade Commonwealth Building) has been standing in Downtown Miami since 1925, first as a 17-story structur ... More >>

21 of the Richest People in America Live in South Florida

​The latest edition of the Forbes 400 is out, and 21 of the most filthy rich scions in America call humble little South Florida their primary home. Micky Arison, Miami Heat owner and Carnival Cruises CEO has the biggest moneybags in Miami with a net worth of $4.2 billion. That makes him the 75th r ... More >>

Raleigh Hotel to Undergo $20-Million Makeover

​The Raleigh Hotel already has an air of unfussy chic that's unique in South Beach, but in this town everyone needs an occasional nip and tuck to stay looking good. Signaling yet another financial move to indicate tourism is back in business after a recession-blamed bump, the hotel has secured a $ ... More >>

Developers Bundling Money for Carlos Gimenez Too

Carlos Gimenez ​A couple of blogs have been barking up a storm about certain real estate developers tied to dubious projects getting cozy with Julio Robaina, but Carlos Gimenez has his fair share as well. The donations reinforce the fact both candidates represent special interests and folks they w ... More >>

NBA's Leading Scorer Kevin Durant is Coming to Miami (as a Resident)

​The Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant is taking his talents to downtown Miami. No, the NBA's leading scorer is not planning on adding himself to the Miami Heat's monopoly on superstar talent. He's just going to presumably bring his home-making talent here during the off-season, and has bought ... More >>

City of Miami Could Lose $1 Billion Over Ten Years Due to Low Census Count

​Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen want to make sure that everyone in Miami is counted. The two are demanding that the U.S. Census Bureau recount the number of City of Miami residents they tallied in 2010. The feds say only 399,457 residents live in the city, which is ab ... More >>

Hank Adorno Is A Bad Man, Part II

​Turns out Papa Dios doesn't take prayers from Hank Adorno. The South Florida Business Journal reports that the Florida Supreme Court has suspended the prominent Miami attorney from practicing law. And he has 30 days to prove to the court why he shouldn't be barred permanently. The decision stems ... More >>

Organic Peanut Butter For All: Plans for Downtown Whole Foods Back On

​Downtown Miami residents who love organic garbanzo beans and various imitations of snack foods made out of soy can breath a sigh of relief. The plan to bring a Whole Foods to the area is finally back on. Pop your bottles of Kombucha in celebration, yuppies.

Publix Is Coming to Downtown, But It's Not the Area's First Supermarket

Artist's rendering via SFBJ​Downtown Miami will see the construction of one of the first new major retail projects in years. Stiles Corp. announced plans to build a 57,200-square-foot, three-story shopping complex to be anchored by a Publix right on Biscayne Boulevard. That might be an encouraging ... More >>

Dwyane Wade and Jason Taylor's Charities to Return Rothstein Donations

​Clownish convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein made a habit of making large donations to several local charities to pump up his credibility and be able to rub shoulders with big wigs. Now he's serving a 50 year& sentence for his scheme that ripped investors off to the tune of $1.2 billion dolla ... More >>

Royal Palm Closes Chapter on Miami's Black Past

Black-Owned Miami Beach Hotel Goes Belly Up

The Royal Palm Hotel will be sold in a public auction in May.​The Royal Palm Hotel on 16th Street and Collins Avenue was supposed to be a beacon of atonement for Miami-Dade County's racist past.In 1989, county officials snubbed South African leader Nelson Mandela when he visited Miami. African Ame ... More >>

Condo Buyers at the W South Beach Allege Deception

via W HotelsThe W's *gasp* sole pool​W Hotels, a chain so chic it needs but a single letter to identify it, finally came to South Beach last fall, but now owners who bought condos in the complex allege they were deceived and want their deposits back.Potential owners were told there would be larger ... More >>

New Name for Land Shark Stadium: Sun Life Stadium

The former Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, and Land Shark Stadium will have a new name for the next five years: Sun Life Stadium. Somehow it's even worse than the last one. Seriously, there are strip malls in Kendall with better names ... More >>

CocoWalk Served With $98 Million Foreclosure Suit

via PMAT​CocoWalk, the crown jewel of downtown Coconut Grove, has been hit with a $98 million foreclosure lawsuit filed by Bank of America, putting the future of the shopping, dining, and entertainment center into question. CocoWalk was bought by PMAT Real Estate Investments, a New Orleans-based f ... More >>

78 Percent of Cultural Programming Budget Saved

Phew.According to Michael Spring, Director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the budget adopted by the Board of County Commissioners at 5:01 a.m. this morning restored a little over $8.6 million to the department's arts grants for cultural programming, or about 78 percent of t ... More >>

Creditors to Take Over Troubled Biscayne Landings Project

An email alert from North Miami Councilman Scott Galvin bears more bad news for a troubled residential and commercial development in his city.Galvin informs North Miami residents not to bother showing up for a town hall meeting scheduled for tonight to discuss what the heck is gonna happen with Bisc ... More >>

Fins Owner Gave Away Naming Rights Because He Couldn't Get Buffett Song Out Of His Head

Good thing Stephen Ross wasn't stuck on "I Kissed A Girl." Or humming "My Humps" all day long. The South Florida Business Journal confirmed this morning what we've suspected all along here at Riptide: The Dolphins owner gave away the naming rights to Dolphin Stadium for absolutel ... More >>

The global takeover of French handball begins in Miami

The Marlins settled for 600 fans to a home game last year. The Panthers are literally giving away tickets. Our minor-league soccer team is hemmoraging cash, And those are sports that Americans have at least heard of. So you might think it'd be foolhardy to bet millions on Miamians attending the cha ... More >>

City Hall Stinks

There's a war on Dinner Key, and Marc Sarnoff is a bomb-thrower.

Spence-Jones Faces Indictment

State attorney investigates ethically challenged Miami commissioner.

Jesus Redux

They're waging a war on organized religion, they bring in millions of dollars, and defectors say they're a cult

Two in the Bush

Purloined pigeons and a rooster identity crisis

Bolita in Havana

"I always say this is a mafia, but a peaceful mafia."

A Fissure Runs Through It

Miami's chapter of the Audubon Society loses a leader and gains critics

Dish

Shirt, Shoes, but No Service

Riptide

Publisher busted over the Boss

The Dealmaker

Possibly the most influential person in Miami's ongoing facelift is a Paris-born, Toronto-raised workaholic named Edie Laquer

Mall-to-Mall Art

Black in the Red

Everyone expected Charles Howze's Z Mart to be a model for minority-run businesses in Dade. In a sad way it was: It went bankrupt.

Hot Properties

The condo kings at Crescent Heights say they're changing the face of Miami Beach. They certainly are.