Government NEWS

Miami Beach Names Debbie Tackett as New Planning Director

Debbie Tackett, a 20-year veteran of Miami Beach city government and former chief historic preservation officer, has been unanimously confirmed as the city's new planning director.

Journal Staff Jul 24, 2026

Planning

Government ANALYSIS Members Only

Commission Set to Vote on Redrawn Boucher Brothers Deal for One Ocean Drive

Miami Beach commissioners will consider an amended concession agreement with Boucher Brothers Pier Park that raises the required investment to $35 million, extends the potential deal term to 18 years, and closes out years of litigation over the prime South Beach property.

Journal Staff Jul 16, 2026

Planning Budget Beach Parks

Development INVESTIGATION Members Only

Ten Evictions, One Deadline: Inside the Fine Print of the 1250 West Avenue Tenant Deal

As the city moves toward a final vote on the tower planned for 1250 West Avenue, at least ten tenants at the site have been sued for eviction since June 19 — and the relocation-assistance agreement the city negotiated on their behalf appears to cut off anyone who ends up in eviction court, regardless of why.

Journal Staff Jul 16, 2026

Planning

Government ANALYSIS Members Only

5th Street Pedestrian Bridge Hits Another Wall as Committee Defers Decision to September

Miami Beach's troubled 5th Street Pedestrian Bridge remains stalled by an undocumented FPL power line, with a city committee deferring action until September while the developer awaits findings from an independent consultant.

Journal Staff Jul 16, 2026

Planning Infrastructure Transportation

Development ANALYSIS Members-only images

Board Defers Vote on South of Fifth Infill Project Squeezed Between Single-Family Homes

Miami Beach's Design Review Board continued a vote on Sofi 935, a 3-story, 2-unit building proposed for a substandard lot at 935 2nd Street, directing the architect to soften the front facade and reconsider side-yard landscaping before returning September 11.

Journal Staff Jul 10, 2026

Planning Housing

Development NEWS Members Only

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

Development ANALYSIS Members Only

Commission Advances Amended Deal for 1250 West Avenue Redevelopment

Miami Beach commissioners gave first-reading approval June 24 to an amended development agreement for 1250 West Avenue, adjusting baywalk deadlines, expanding basement amenities, and addressing flood-zone concerns for the 125-unit project.

Journal Staff Jun 27, 2026

Planning

Development ANALYSIS

Commission Advances Washington Avenue Upzoning to Give Rental Housing a Foothold in South Beach's Urban Core

Miami Beach commissioners cleared the first of two readings on a plan to raise the height and density limits at 1600 Washington Avenue, aiming to convert the city's commercial heart into a walkable, year-round residential district.

Journal Staff Jun 27, 2026

Planning Housing

Government NEWS

City Eyes Helipad for Terminal Island's Industrial Zone

Commissioner Joseph Magazine is pushing to allow a private helipad on Terminal Island, where the U.S. Coast Guard Base Miami Beach is located, by amending the city's land development regulations.

Journal Staff Jun 19, 2026

Planning

Development ANALYSIS Members Only

Miami Beach Commission Set to Vote on $26M Beach Club Overhaul at City-Owned 1 Ocean Drive

Miami Beach commissioners will consider approving Boucher Brothers Pier Park's plan to demolish and replace the aging Nikki Beach concession site with a two-story, high-end beach club — on public land, with multiple regulatory hurdles still ahead.

Journal Staff Jun 19, 2026

Planning Beach Parks

Government ANALYSIS Members Only

After the $400 Million Deal Died, Miami-Dade Votes to Seize Fisher Island's Fuel Terminal by Eminent Domain

County commissioners on June 16 cleared the final procedural step toward condemning the roughly 10-acre PortMiami fuel depot — the move the Journal warned was looming — after Mayor Daniella Levine Cava walked away from a $400 million purchase. With only Raquel Regalado opposed, the vote sets up a constitutional fight already playing out in two courtrooms.

Journal Staff Jun 19, 2026

Planning Infrastructure Transportation

Government NEWS

The Week Ahead: Budget Season Opens, a Live Local Off-Ramp, and a Transparency Push

Three Miami Beach committees meet this week. The first detailed FY2027 budget-and-millage numbers land Wednesday, the city floats a homegrown alternative to the state's Live Local Act on Monday, and a cluster of ethics and transparency measures advances — all at the committee stage, none a final vote.

Journal Staff Jun 15, 2026

Planning Budget Housing