National restaurant chain Kona Grill is expanding its presence in Central and South Florida and has tapped Dallas-based SRS Real Estate Partners to lead the charge. The company operates 23 restaurants in 16 U.S. states. SRS’ Michael Weiss and Dafna Nadulek will oversee site selection for the company in South Florida. Garret Williams and John Artrope will cover the greater Tampa Bay and Central Florida markets, respectively. Artrope said the SRS Florida team had already begun selecting sites for Kona’s expansion. — Alexander Britell

After nearly 50 years of talks, the Bal Harbour Shops will be expanding on the site of the Church By the Sea. The planned 200,000-square-foot expansion comes after a deal that gives the shops the right to acquire the tract at 501 96th Street on which the church has stood for almost seven decades. [more]

BrickellHouse’s sales gallery on Brickell Avenue

Miami’s Newgard Development, which is building the BrickellHouse condominium project in Brickell, has expanded with four new members, Chairman Harvey Hernandez announced today. The new hires include Humberto Vanegas as chief financial officer, Edmundo Angulo as controller, Luis Riquezes as vice president of construction and Rudy Añez as senior project manager. BrickellHouse broke ground last month and is set for completion in 2014. — Alexander Britell

Plaza Construction, which recently changed its name from KM/Plaza, has begun construction on the Dadeland Mall Kendall Wing expansion project. The job involves a new 102,000-square-foot retail and restaurant expansion at the property. [more]

Broward County Courthouse

Broward County has approved a $178.8 million construction contract for the planned expansion of its downtown Fort Lauderdale courthouse, the Sun Sentinel reported. Cummings Construction has been awarded the contract for the project in a unanimous vote. “It’s about time,” said Broward Clerk Howard Foreman. “The people of Broward County deserve it, and right now, the building’s unhealthy to work in, and everybody knows it.” The cost could ultimately prove to be higher, as an error in the architectural drawings of the project led to estimate $8.5 million less than it should have been. [Sun Sentinel]

Miami Beach-based Comras Company has been named the exclusive leasing agent for Lime Fresh Mexican Grill’s planned expansion in South Florida. The announcement follows the purchase of Lime by Ruby Tuesday, which plans to grow the brand by 200 locations on the east coast. The first Lime opened on South Beach in 2004; the company has 14 nations nationwide, with the majority concentrated in Florida. [more]