Gramps Getaway photo
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The question former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell posted to social media a couple of days ago — do you want Gramps Getaway replaced by a “Mega Mall Yacht Marina?” — went viral on TikTok and Instagram, to the dismay of hundreds of followers and fans of the restaurant.
The Miami City Commission voted unanimously on June 11 to send a referendum to voters on whether Virginia Key, LLC should get a 45-year lease to redevelop 27.6 acres at 3301 Rickenbacker Causeway. The waterfront property on Virginia Key houses the Rickenbacker Marina and, sitting in the middle of it, Adam Gersten’s Gramps Getaway.
Gramps Getaway photo
Why Miami would be crushed
Gramps Getaway opened in late 2023 in the former Whiskey Joe’s space near the Rusty Pelican.
Gersten, who also owned the original Gramps in Wynwood and Pizza Tropical, built the waterfront outpost around a chikee hut and open-air tables with skyline views.
Chef James McNeal runs the kitchen, with smash burgers and charred broccoli with buttermilk ranch among the favorites. Frozen cocktails and Palomas at the bar, and guests can dock directly at the marina. It’s been an instant hit since its debut.
Inside the Deal
Virginia Key, LLC is a joint venture between Miami Beach-based RCI Marine Group, led by Robert Christoph Jr., and Dallas-based Suntex Marinas. The proposal would redevelop the Rickenbacker Marina and the adjacent Marine Stadium Marina into a facility with 750 dry slips, 162 wet slips, 13,000 square feet of commercial space, and 630 parking spaces.
The Marine Stadium, designed in 1963 by Cuban immigrant architect Hilario Candela, has been abandoned since Hurricane Andrew. The company estimates an $80 million private investment; the city would collect minimum annual rent of $2.2 million, roughly $204 million over the initial term, plus 6% of gross revenues. The lease could run up to 75 years with renewal options.
Gramps Getaway photo
How It Got Here
None of the five commissioners wanted to make this vote. “I think this is a bad deal for the city,” Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela told the Miami Herald. “If I could vote without a liability … I would vote this thing down today and say new contracts for everybody.” Commissioner Christine King questioned whether the commission was even legally required to act immediately.
They voted yes anyway because the courts said they had to. Virginia Key, LLC ranked first in a city RFP in 2015 and again in 2017, but prior commissions blocked it both times, prompting a lawsuit in 2021. In 2023, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Alan Fine ruled the city had acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” and ordered a referendum. Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal upheld that ruling. City Attorney George Wysong warned commissioners that further delay risked contempt proceedings. “There is nothing else that can be done,” Wysong said.
Aabad Melwani, whose family has operated the Rickenbacker Marina for more than 40 years, said the terms are outdated. “Values have skyrocketed. The costs of this project have at least doubled, and [Virginia Key, LLC’s] proposed rents are outdated and far below market. No one here is proud of this deal,” Melwani said. He expects “vigorous community opposition” before November.
On social media, Russell closed by saying, “Campaign is on.”
Gramps Getaway. 3301 Rickenbacker Cswy. Virginia Key; grampsgetaway.co.
