Business ANALYSIS

Italian Mogul Gianluca Vacchi Sues Miami Developer Michael Stern for $95 Million, Alleging Massive Ponzi Scheme Across Luxury Projects

Italian entrepreneur and social-media celebrity Gianluca Vacchi is suing Miami developer Michael Stern for $95.75 million, alleging a Ponzi-like scheme spanning several luxury condo projects — with a hook that lands squarely in Miami Beach.

Journal Staff Jul 02, 2026

Litigation

Business ANALYSIS

Contractor Sues Demolition Crew for $205K After Botched Dig Killed Miami Beach Traffic Signal, Stalled Convention Center Permits

A demolition subcontractor working at the Fontainebleau Convention Center on Collins Avenue allegedly destroyed a county traffic signal during crane foundation removal, triggering a city permit freeze and a $205,000 cleanup bill now at the center of a Miami-Dade lawsuit.

Journal Staff Jul 02, 2026

Litigation

Public Safety ANALYSIS

Thieves Walked Into Unguarded Valet Office, Stole Resident's $337K Bentley

An insurer is suing a condominium and its security and valet contractors after thieves strolled into an unattended valet office, grabbed resident car keys, and later stole a 2023 Bentley Continental GT worth more than $337,000.

Journal Staff Jul 02, 2026

Litigation

Business ANALYSIS

Owners of Greystone Hotel Sue Powerhouse Law Firm for $70M, Alleging Years of Secret Conflicts of Interest

The investors behind the Greystone Hotel on Collins Avenue claim their own attorneys secretly represented both sides of the deal for eight years, costing them tens of millions of dollars.

Journal Staff Jul 02, 2026

Litigation

Arts & Culture NEWS

Roy Lichtenstein's "Mermaid" Restored After 12-Week Conservation Project

The 47-year-old sculpture near The Fillmore Miami Beach has been fully restored by RLA Conservation of Art and Architecture, with work completed June 17, 2026.

Journal Staff Jul 02, 2026

Budget NEWS

Miami Beach Spending Watchdog Panel Calls for AI Adoption, Event Subsidy Cuts, and Fewer Commissioner Aides in First Annual Report

A newly empowered city advisory committee has issued its first annual report urging Miami Beach to adopt artificial intelligence citywide, phase out subsidies for mature special events, and reduce staffing in the Mayor and Commission's own office.

Journal Staff Jul 02, 2026

Development NEWS

Miami Beach Must Skip Historic Preservation Hearing for Fontainebleau Pool Deck Project Due to State Preemption

In a June 29 Letter to Commission, the city manager and city attorney confirmed the Fontainebleau's Certificate of Appropriateness application will be reviewed administratively — with no public hearing before the Historic Preservation Board — following a state Attorney General opinion interpreting a 2026 preemption law now being challenged in court.

Journal Staff Jul 02, 2026

Planning Beach

Government ANALYSIS

DeSantis vetoes $1.3 million in Miami Beach projects in his final budget

In his final state budget, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed about $1.3 million for two Miami Beach projects — flood-resilience work on West Avenue and security barriers along the Beachwalk. He also struck roughly $1.16 million in Mount Sinai elder-care slots and member-sponsored projects in Surfside, Bay Harbor Islands and North Bay Village.

Journal Staff Jul 02, 2026

Budget

Government NEWS

Commission Votes to Put City Employee Salaries Online, With Five-Year History

Miami Beach commissioners voted 6-1 to build a public salary portal covering every city employee, accelerating a transparency push already mandated by new state law.

Journal Staff Jul 02, 2026

Development NEWS

Commission Advances The Lincoln's 106-Year Lease and Public Benefits Discussion

Miami Beach commissioners voted 7-0 Wednesday to approve, on first reading, a ground-lease amendment extending RK Rivani's hold on the city-owned Lincoln property through roughly 2132 in exchange for a $50 million office expansion. The deal still needs a second reading on July 22 and approval in a citywide referendum — and a decision on whether to redirect its public-benefit dollars to infrastructure is headed into that next round.

Journal Staff Jul 01, 2026

Government NEWS

Miami Beach City Meetings Scheduled for Week of July 6–10

A reference of the week's public city meetings

Journal Staff Jul 01, 2026

Culture & Events NEWS

Weekend Plans: June 26–28, 2026

7 things to do in Miami Beach this weekend — from Miami New Drama's Spanish-language world premiere at the Colony Theatre to the last days of REEFLINE's World Cup beach art, a free Sunday symphony under the palms, and Family Day at The Bass.

Journal Staff Jun 27, 2026