Flagstone Island Gardens project progresses after 13 years

Remember the elusive Flagstone Island Gardens which Turkish developer Mehmet Bayraktar announced 13 years ago?

The project located on western Watson Island which promised luxury shops, hotels and a yacht marina is supposedly underway  — again.

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Bayraktar is known to miss deadlines, and there are still no clues construction has started. Just this Friday, more revisions were submitted for approval, including an increase of 100 parking spaces and 140,000 square feet of restaurant and hotel space previously not stated, according to the Miami Herald. Flagstone said it is just trying to improve plans approved seven years ago to better suit a changing Miami.

“As long as they’re within the boundaries of what the city commission has said and they’re fulfilling the obligations of the anniversary date, then I’m a supporter of them,” Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff told the Herald. “I think it’s very telling they’re using their own money. I don’t think it’s telling a bad story. It’s someone believing in their own project.” [Miami Herald] — Kristina Puga