Lease roundup: Greenberg Traurig renews in Miami, Amerant opening Broward regional HQ 

Greenberg Traurig | downtown Miami 

Greenberg Traurig is staying put in downtown Miami. 

The law firm renewed its lease for 128,500 square feet on five floors at the Wells Fargo Center, marking the biggest office deal in Miami in more than five years, according to a news release from the landlord’s broker. 

The deal adds to Greenberg Traurig’s long presence in Miami, as the firm was founded in the city in 1967, according to a statement from Jaret Davis and Yosbel Ibarra, Miami co-managing shareholders. 

Brian Gale and Ryan Holtzman were part of the Cushman & Wakefield team that represented the landlord. Michael Shuler and Jeremy Hakala were part of the Newmark team that represented the tenant. 

MetLife owns the 47-story Wells Fargo Center at 333 Southeast Second Avenue. 

The building is 93 percent leased, according to the release. This year, software company Kaseya took over 101,000 square feet at Wells Fargo Center. 

Amerant Bank | Plantation 

Amerant Bank will open a Broward County regional headquarters. 

The bank leased over 12,000 square feet at Cornerstone One at 1200 South Pine Island Road in Plantation, according to an Amerant news release. The bank will move into 5,500 square feet soon after tenant improvements are completed, and will expand to the other 7,000 square feet next year. 

Jonathan Kingsley of Colliers represented the tenant, and Katherine Ridgway of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord. 

The deal marks Amerant’s eighth office in Broward, meaning roughly half of the bank’s 600 employees will work in the county. Amerant is the main subsidiary of Coral Gables-based Amerant Bancorp.  

Atlanta-based Brookdale Group owns the eight-story, 170,000-square-foot Cornerstone One. Charles Davidson III and Fred Henritze co-founded Brookdale. Robert Turner is CEO. 

Alvarez & Marsal Capital | West Palm Beach 

Private equity firm Alvarez & Marsal Capital will open an office in downtown West Palm Beach. 

AMC leased 10,000 square feet on the 10th floor of the 300 Banyan building that’s under construction at 300 Banyan Boulevard, according to the developers’ news release and a spokesperson. The office, which will open next year, marks AMC’s first in Florida. 

Brian Gale and Anthony Librizzi of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlords. David Dusek and Kevin Landers, also of Cushman, represented the tenant.

Founded by Mike Odrich and Jack McCarthy, AMC has more than $4.4 billion in assets under management across six funds and four investment strategies, its website says. The firm is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and also has offices in Manhattan Beach, California; Senningerberg, Luxembourg; and in London. 

Brand Atlantic and Wheelock Street Capital are developing the 12-story 300 Banyan. It will have six levels of offices with 20,000-square-foot floor plates and six levels of parking, according to the release. The project will include an 8,000-square-foot restaurant, a rooftop cocktail bar and lounge, and a loggia and lounge on the seventh floor. It is expected to be completed next year. 

The building is part of Brand Atlantic and Wheelock’s larger project, called Banyan & Olive, that also includes the renovation of the building at 111 Olive Avenue. 

West Palm Beach-based Brand Atlantic is led by founders Andrew Dance and Adam Demark. Wheelock, with offices in Greenwich and Boston, is led by Rick Kleeman and Jonathan Paul. 

Maman | Miami, Coral Gables, West Palm Beach 

Café and bakery Maman will open outposts in downtown West Palm Beach, Coral Gables and Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood. 

The French-inspired restaurant leased 4,200 square feet at the Sentral apartment building at 51 Northwest 26th Street in Wynwood, according to a news release from the tenant’s broker. Maman took 2,600 square feet at 136 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, and 2,000 square feet at 477 South Rosemary Avenue at The Square mixed-use complex in downtown West Palm. 

All three of the cafés will open next year, marking Maman’s debut in Florida. 

Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte co-founded Maman, which means “mother” in French, in 2014 when they opened the first restaurant in New York. Maman now has 31 outposts across the U.S. and Canada. 

Iconiq Capital owns the 175-unit Sentral building. It paid $74 million for it in 2021, records show. Stephen Ross’ Related Companies developed and owns The Square, and Terranova Corporation owns the Coral Gables building where Maman leased. 

Taryn Brandes and Emily Green of Brand Urban, as well as Michael Sullivan of Vertical,   represented Maman. Brandes also was part of the Brand Urban team that along with Gaston Miculitzki of BMS Realty represented Iconiq in the Sentral deal.  

Marty Arrivo and Liz Higgins of Acre represented Related Companies. 

Anita Gelato | Aventura 

A boutique ice cream shop started by a family more than two decades ago in Israel opened its first Florida outpost in Aventura. 

Anita Gelato leased space at 19015 Biscayne Boulevard, according to the tenant’s news release. Anita’s other outposts are in Australia, Cyprus, England, Israel, Spain, as well as in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Los Angeles and New York, its website says. 

Anita offers 150 varieties of sorbet, frozen yogurt and organic ice cream that are handmade. Matriarch Anita Avital and her son Nir started out making ice cream for friends and family, eventually growing it into a business along with Avital’s other son, Adi, according to the company’s website. 

The Aventura site is owned by an entity tied to The Faith Group, records show. The firm is an investment and development company led by the Faith family. 

Jetset Pilates | Palm Beach County 

Jetset Pilates will open its first studio in Palm Beach County in November. 

Franchise owner Zhana Gali will open the 2,300-square-foot outpost at 8236 Glades Road at the Lakeside Centre retail complex near Boca Raton, according to a Jetset news release. The lease is for 10 years. Gali is a senior strategy executive at business consulting firm Accenture. 

Kimberly Lewis of KG Commercial at Compass represented the tenant. 

Edens, a retail real estate investor led by Jodie McLean, owns the Lakeside Centre. The firm paid $40.5 million for the property in 2016, records show. 

The deal comes on the heels of Jetset Pilates franchise owners Andrea and Carlos Ponce leasing 1,500 square feet at 4000 Ponce De Leon Boulevard at Merrick Park in Coral Gables. The studio is expected to open this year. 

Fat Tuesday | Miami Beach 

Fat Tuesday will open at the Metropole South Beach. 

The venue, known for its frozen cocktails and New Orleans-style setting, leased over 6,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space at 635 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, according to broker Crystal Leigh Hemphill. Leigh Hemphill, of Crystal Leigh Realty, represented both sides. 

Fat Tuesday took over the former restaurant space of The Tavern at Metropole Hotel. 

South Beach Hotel Group, led by the Lieberman family, owns the Metropole hotel. 

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Muse Beauty Salon | Doral 

Muse Beauty Salon opened in Doral this month.

The business leased 1,300 square feet at 8550 Northwest 53rd Street, marking its fourth South Florida outpost, according to a Muse news release. The other beauty salons are at 527 Jefferson Avenue in Miami Beach; 20806 Biscayne Boulevard in Aventura; and 1668 Northeast Miami Gardens Drive in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, near Aventura. 

Records show the Doral site is owned by an affiliate of Codina Partners.