Galleon condo repair grew from $1.6 million to $36 million, residents say
Assessments up to $320,000 per unit, a park restaurant opening Oct. 12 and 151 attainable apartments.
Five years into a concrete job on Galt Ocean Mile, Galleon owners still have crews on multiple floors, and a former board member doubts owners will see any of that money again. Elsewhere, a finished 502-unit complex with 151 attainable apartments just landed a $127 million loan, and three places to eat and drink are open or on the way, from the New River to 17th Street to Federal Highway.
Residents say owners at the Galleon on Galt Ocean Mile have been assessed $135,000 to $320,000 per unit, and that the concrete job began at $1.6 million and has become a $36 million overhaul. The work has run five years. Crews are on multiple floors, and the old beachside pool and patio is now a bare concrete deck. Sergio Cella, a pilot who has lived there for 30 years, says three repair attempts have failed to stop the cracks on his balcony, 14 floors up. "It's not questionable. It's despicable."
The contractor, Hartzel, says its original contract "covered the limited scope of structural restoration work," and that the association then chose to widen the job through many change orders and added contracts that owners approved. Former board member Edward Rumin, a lawyer, says the job spiraled: "We were run roughshod over, not told things, and lied to." He isn't hopeful: "I don't think we'll ever get any of the money back."
Recalls, lawsuits and resignations have churned the board. When CBS News Miami called, the board president waved off the complaints: "These are people who can't afford to live on the ocean." Then he hung up. He has since sold his unit and resigned.
Sweetwaters opens Oct. 12 at the reimagined Huizenga Park
Downtown gets a big riverfront dining room on Oct. 12, when Sweetwaters opens in the newly redone Huizenga Park. The 292-seat restaurant sits on the New River where Andrews Avenue meets Las Olas Boulevard, at the center of the park's $15 million makeover. Inside are a 121-seat dining room, a 12-seat bar and a raw bar. Outside, a 90-seat patio runs toward the water and a 44-seat terrace looks onto the park. It is the first Fort Lauderdale restaurant from Specialty Restaurants, the family company behind Miami's Rusty Pelican. Prices in the opening announcement run from $13 for a creamed spinach side to $130 for the Steak Progressive, a four-steak platter made for sharing; a whole crispy local snapper is $46. Its address is 58 E. Las Olas Blvd. Starting Oct. 12, it will serve dinner nightly, 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a weekday bar happy hour planned for 4 to 6:30 p.m. Reservations are on OpenTable. The public is invited to a ribbon-cutting with the city's top elected official, Dean Trantalis, and other city officials on Oct. 13.
A $127 million loan for The Arcadian, a 502-unit complex with 151 attainable apartments
Near Flagler Village, 151 apartments at The Arcadian are set aside for households earning 100% to 120% of area median income. That means households earning from the median up to 20% above it. The city's Community Redevelopment Agency put $10 million into the 502-unit complex at 640 NW 7th Ave. Its two eight-story buildings hold studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, and about 15,000 square feet on the ground floor is meant for neighborhood businesses and entrepreneurs. KREA Developments and The Fuse Group, which recently finished the project, have now closed a $127 million loan on it that replaces the construction financing.
Hula Kai brings flaming Zombies and a pupu platter to 17th Street
Hula Kai, now open at 1075 SE 17th St., spreads a tiki night across three spaces: a garden-style patio, a fully themed dining room and the Ohana Rooftop Lounge, with Fort Lauderdale skyline views. The drinks are the show. Bartenders set a Zombie on fire, and a WhistlePig rye cocktail comes in a pig-shaped tiki mug. Hula Kai's James Flanigan calls the cocktails "very high octane" and says "you need to eat some food." The kitchen answers with a pupu platter of crab Rangoon, lumpia and more, plus pineapple fried rice and pork belly. Flanigan says it opens at 5 p.m. every day except Tuesday and stays open "until you feel like leaving." Lunch is expected sometime in November.
Ella's Coffee House is coming to North Federal Highway
A homegrown coffee brand is heading for one of the city's busiest corridors. Ella's Coffee House plans a cafe at 1520 N. Federal Hwy., the latest step for a company that began as one Plantation shop in 2016. It already runs cafes in Davie, Coral Springs and Boynton Beach, plus a spot inside Hard Rock Stadium. Its pitch is how little it hands off: it roasts and grinds its coffee itself, bakes its own pastries, mixes its own flavored syrups and sells its blends for brewing at home. What Now sees the spot drawing nearby regulars and Federal Highway passersby who want more than a standard drive-thru. No opening date has been given.