A proposed new development on Miami Beach is now facing a lawsuit. It claims the developer is buying approval to build a modern tower in the Art Deco District. Heather Walker has this 7Investigates.
Miami Beach is home to the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture in the world, giving it a distinct look that you recognize immediately.
Yaser Mohamad, National Hotel: “Every postcard, every advertisement, any marketing piece of the City of Miami Beach, it’s all about the Art Deco and the buildings.”
Bright colors and bold shapes define the buildings along Miami Beach. Features preservationists have worked for years to protect.
The National Hotel is one of those landmarks. Built in 1939, it still has many of its original Art Deco features.
Yaser Mohamad: “Not only on the inside but also the outside. The ceilings, the floors, the light fixtures, the décor, the furniture.”
The hotel takes pride in preserving its history, which is why, when the Ritz-Carlton proposed building a modern glass residential tower next door, it tried to stop it.
Yaser Mohamad: “At the end of the day, projects like this ruin the postcard of Miami Beach. Everything that we’re known for, that the tourists come to Miami Beach for, will be destroyed.”
At first, the Miami Beach Historic Preservation board agreed, rejecting the project in 2021 and 2022.
Yaser Mohamad: “That’s where the tower will start, and imagine the tower will start here and go up, right next to the pool, there’s going to be a massive wall.
The tower was submitted again in 2023. This time, the height was reduced from 17 down to 15 stories tall and set back further from Collins Avenue.
The Historic Preservation Board once again rejected the tower. Then, in another vote, it was approved with further setbacks from the beach.
Historic Preservation Board Member at meeting: “This feels right to me.”
The National Hotel is now suing to try to stop the tower from being built.
Their lawsuit claims it wasn’t the setback that allowed it to get approved. It was a $4 million donation to the city for improvements on Lincoln Road, saying “The approval coincided with an illegal quid pro quo deal.”
Something the City of Miami Beach and The Historic Preservation Board, claim is false.
Historic Preservation Board Member at meeting: “The investment on Lincoln Road being a quid pro quo for everything. I don’t view it that way.”
A city spokesperson says, “Contrary to the false narrative, the Lincoln Road improvements proposal was already under consideration by the commission when the HPB initially denied the tower in 2021.”
With or without the money, the National Hotel says the Historic Preservation Board is failing to protect the district by allowing this modern tower, and they worry about what the approval means for the future of the historic neighborhood.
Yaser Mohamad: “Beaches are beaches all over the world. An Art Deco collection like this one is not everywhere. You don’t build something like this next to the Eiffel Tower or the Coliseum in Rome.”
The fate of the tower remains tied up in the courts, while the future skyline of Miami Beach hangs in the balance.
Heather Walker, 7News.
CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.