June 2025 | Michael Fechter
A “restaurant renaissance” is taking place on Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road, where years of planning and investment are paying off for businesses along an eight-block-long pedestrian mall and retail center. Eight restaurants, from pricey fine dining to cafes and pizza parlors, are newly open or in the works.
Among them: stylish eateries like Oro and iconic names like Colombian restaurant Andrés Carne de Res opened since last fall. Negroni Caffe & Sushi Bar opens this summer, and Mēdüzā Mediterranïa opens next year. New York’s Prince Street Pizza just opened its first Florida restaurant. They join MILA, an upscale Asian/ Mediterranean spot that’s already the state’s second highest grossing restaurant.
The revival wouldn’t be happening without Miami Beach city leaders’ assistance and the annual $1.6-million “self-tax” that Lincoln Road Business Improvement District property owners pay voluntarily. The money helped provide lush landscaping to public spaces, sculptures and live music performances, says District President Lyle Stern.
“We’re all about culture,” Stern says, “and that drives traffic. The other half of the job is filling up the stores, which we’ve done quite a bit of.”
A host of new beachfront condominiums for the millionaire (and higher) class helped spur the fine dining market, “but at the same time we’re also driving a casual, more café-like experience on the road as well.”
ENVIRONMENT
- The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is spending $600,000 over the next three years to help Florida International University ecologists research phosphorus in the Big Cypress National Preserve. The resulting information could be a factor in water quality management decisions in an upcoming western Everglades restoration project.
LAW
- Gunster merged with Miami’s 50-year-old Katz Barron law firm, adding a second Miami office and 14 attorneys to its roster.
- Amy Furness again is Carlton Fields’ Miami office co-managing shareholder. Furness, a civil trial litigator, took a sabbatical from the position in 2023 to chair the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.
- Personal injury firm Leesfield & Partners is building a law center for solo and small law firms next to its office on South Dixie Highway just outside Coconut Grove. It will include conference rooms and a moot court space.
BANKING
- Michael MacIntyre is City National Bank of Florida’s new chief banking officer, and Christian Sundblad is the chief wholesale & international banking executive. The bank says they’ll help the bank grow statewide, with plans to increase its workforce by a fifth by the end of 2026.
REAL ESTATE
- Midtown Equities, 13th Floor Investments and the Cipriani family are combining forces to bring a 17-story Casa Cipriani Miami to Collins Avenue, with a 40-suite boutique hotel, private club and 23 oceanfront condominiums starting at a cool $25 million. Developers say the design “will pay homage to Miami Beach’s Art Deco grandeur.”
- Another massive development is coming to the Wynwood and Design District. Midtown Park Residences by Proper is part of a $2-billion, five-acre mixed use development. A 28-story tower set to be completed in 2028 will offer 288 units, ranging from the $700,000s to $2.7 million. Rosso Development and Midtown Development also promise office and retail space, parks and restaurants.
CHARITY
- Morgan Stanley is extending its financial literacy program aimed at high school students for another year. The program partners with Achieve Miami to teach about 300 students at 10 Miami-Dade schools about finance, investing and entrepreneurship.
New Housing
- Miami-Dade commissioners granted final approval for a $3-billion, 63-acre mixed use development that will bring more than 5,700 workforce housing units to the Little River District. SG Holdings leads the project, calling it the largest affordable housing development in county history. It also promises a Tri-Rail train station, grocery store and big-box retailers.
Serbian Connection
Serbian officials are pushing for a direct flight between Belgrade and Miami and have plans to open a consulate in the region, which is home to tens of thousands of Serbians.
Air Serbia currently flies direct to two U.S. cities — New York and Chicago. Marko Duric, the minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, says the Magic City is the “natural and logical next choice” given that it’s the No. 1 international cargo port in the world and a gateway to South America and the Caribbean for both business and leisure travelers. With Belgrade having emerged as a European hotspot for foreign tourists in recent years, Duric believes a direct route to Miami would help position the city as a “new gateway to Europe” for travelers coming from North America, South America and the Caribbean.
While Serbia has been seeking to expand its diplomatic and consular network in the U.S. for “some years,” Duric credits Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with recognizing Miami’s potential a few years back.
“From our perspective, Miami positioned itself as a bridge between North America and Latin America, investing heavily in extensive transportation infrastructure and skilled workforce, having the abundance of affordable office space and policies which do not inhibit but incentivize innovative and evolving business models, including the tech ecosystem which has experienced remarkable growth,” Duric says.