Miami-Dade Mayor Pulls About-Face On Recommending Stephen Ross, Jeffrey Soffer Group For Airport Hotel Bid

The delivery time for a new hotel slated to open at Miami International Airport is once again pushed back, as Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is looking for developers to propose new bids.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Levine Cava said she intends to redesign the developer bid requirements for the anticipated airport hotel development launched in 2020 by her predecessor, former Mayor Carlos Giménez, the Miami Herald reports.

In August, a county selection panel chose a team to spearhead the development affiliated with Related Cos.’ Stephen Ross and Fontainebleau Miami Beach Resort owner Jeffrey Soffer.

Levine Cava had originally recommended Ross and Soffer’s entity, FDR Hotel LLC, as the developer to build a 451-key hotel. The award included a 50-year lease at $240M in total rent due to Miami-Dade County.

The hotel would be the first built at MIA in 60 years. 

In a new memo on Wednesday, Levine Cava did an about-face, recommending a reset and relaunch of a new bidding process more focused on “workers, local hiring, the environment and community benefits.”

The memo outlined criticism that has surfaced from the Southeast Laborers’ District Council and The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Additionally, Parmco Airport Hospitality’s attorney sent a letter to Levine Cava asking for a new bidding process. Parmco Airport Hospitality came in second in the bidding process. 

The FDR group said it adhered to the needed amount of union agreements in time for the bid.