Former Burt Reynolds ranch for sale

Burt Reynolds and Jupiter Farms

A ranch formerly owned by actor Burt Reynolds is now for sale, the Palm Beach Post reported. The 153-acre Jupiter Farms property is owned by the Palm Beach County School District, which had looked to build a school on the site in 1999 after purchasing it from Reynolds for $3.85 million. Reynolds’ real estate has been in the news of late, particularly his Hobe Sound home, which is currently in foreclosure. He filmed scenes for Smokey and the Bandit at the ranch, where he also married actress Loni Anderson. [Palm Beach Post]

Genting seeks Resorts World support from local property owners

A rendering of Resorts World Miami

Genting Group officials met with owners and managers of buildings near the proposed site of their casino Friday in hopes of gaining their support for the project, the Miami Herald reported.

Genting reassured the Building Owners and Managers Association that its Resorts World Miami complex would not contain any office space, which would add to an existing oversupply.

“The office building people are glad it’s going to be entertainment, and the direction it’s going. I think it’s better for all of us here,” said BOMA Miami President Vicki Baisden.

Instead, the group’s main concern is the increased traffic the casino would bring to the area. Genting said it was looking for feedback on that very issue as it doesn’t want the new visitors it brings to Miami to be “sitting in traffic getting to our property,” according to Jesse Manzano-Plaza, vice president of Resorts World Miami. [CBS Miami]

Bellini Williams Island begins vertical construction

Bellini Williams Island

Bellini Williams Island, which broke ground last month, has begun vertical construction. Developer Martin Margulies’ project, which was the first pre-construction development to break ground in South Florida last year, is the last residential site on Williams Island in Aventura. The 24-story project will have 70 units, each with its own private elevator. Margulies’ previous projects include Grove Isle in Coconut Grove, Grand Bay in Key Biscayne and Bellini Bal Harbour. “Sales have surpassed our expectations in the first few months, and with my experience as a developer, I knew that the time to start building was now,” he said. — Alexander Britell

Trump to endorse Newt Gingrich

Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich

Real estate mogul Donald Trump will endorse Republican candidate and former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich for president, according to a source, the Associated Press reported. Trump will make the announcement today in Las Vegas, although Gingrich himself said he had “no idea what the Donald is going to do.” Gingrich was one of few candidates who had agreed to participate in an ultimately canceled debate that was to be moderated by the Donald in December. Trump has broached the subject of running as a third-party candidate. In a television appearance Sunday, Trump called Gingrich “very smart” and “very tough.” [AP via Washington Post]

Miami among most overpriced cities: Forbes

Downtown Miami

Miami is the third-most overpriced city in America, according to a list compiled by Forbes. Three South Florida cities were among the top 20, with West Palm Beach ranked sixth and Fort Lauderdale at number 17. Los Angeles is first on the list, which looks at housing prices, cost of living, and median salary for residents, among other criteria. Bradenton, on the west coast of Florida, was ranked eighth on the list. [Forbes via SFBJ]

Kournikova sells Miami Beach mansion at $2M discount

Anna Kournikova and 2345 Lake Avenue

Former tennis star Anna Kournikova has sold her Miami Beach mansion for $7.43 million, a $2 million discount to the price she listed it for in May, the Miami Herald reported.

The 6,000-square-foot waterside home, at 2345 Lake Avenue, was built in 2000 and has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The property also has a two-story guest house, a sauna, a coral deck pool and a boat dock — but no tennis court.

 [Miami Herald]

Master plan unveiled for redevelopment of Miami’s Arsht District

By Alexander Britell

The master plan for the Arsht District

The Town Square Neighborhood Development Corporation today unveiled its “aspirational” master plan for a sweeping overhaul of the area surrounding the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami.

The project is headed by architect Cesar Pelli, who himself designed the Arsht Center, which opened in 2006.

“This master plan is being presented, respectfully, as an aspirational plan, and ‘aspiration’ is a very key word,” said developer Armando Codina, chairman of the Town Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, who was speaking at an unveiling at the Ziff Ballet Opera House. “We hope this will inspire elected officials, property owners and stakeholders to seize the opportunity that is ours today — we hope it will become what our neighborhood may look like.”

It represents another large-scale idea for downtown Miami, which has seen more and more developers entering the fray with big projects — from Genting’s plan for a casino resort on Biscayne Bay (and purchase of the nearby Omni Mall) to the Brickell CitiCentre development and the Miami Worldcenter project.

Codina acknowledged the Arsht Center does not itself own any other property in the area, and that for the plan the developer was mindful of both the recently enacted Miami 21 zoning rules and the rights of property owners.

“Only elected officials of the commission have the authority, and property owners have property rights,” Codina said. “Having said that, we nevertheless feel an obligation to dream, to engage and, if necessary, to fight to ensure that this area evolves into a vibrant neighborhood.”

The project plans for mixed-use development, including residential and commercial, along with a chain of public parks that would connect Dorsey Park in Overtown with Museum Park on the bay, the future site of the Jorge M. Perez Art Museum.

Attorney Michael Eidson, the treasurer of the Town Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, said the Arsht Center would play a big role in the neighborhood moving forward.

“We must make it clear that the Arsht Center wants to be part of this effort, but also has the responsibility to do so,” he said. “The centerpiece of the center’s mission is to be a catalyst for economic development in this area.”