Moraitis wins back District 1 as voters guard park land
A tower loan near the New River, a downtown office sale and new hands-on exhibits at MODS.
Heather Moraitis is due back at City Hall on Nov. 17, four years after leaving the same seat. Voters also made park land harder to sell or lease.
Heather Moraitis edged out John Rodstrom III in the Nov. 3 race for the District 1 seat, the Sun Sentinel reported. She will be sworn in on Nov. 17 and finish John Herbst's term, which ends in November 2028. Herbst is stepping down two years into his four-year term.
Moraitis, 55, held the seat for close to five years. She left in November 2022 to care for her late mother. She vowed to focus on costly and irregular water bills, park space, beach renourishment, homelessness and vacation rentals.
Voters also overwhelmingly approved Charter Amendment 8. Under it, park land can't be sold or leased for more than one year without a unanimous commission vote. The change followed city deals leasing or licensing public land for 50 to 99 years.
A $140.2 million loan backs a 35-story tower near the New River
Alta New River, a 35-story tower with 400 apartments, is being built at 100 SW Sixth Street. Alta Developers has secured a $140.2 million senior construction loan for it. Completion is slated for the fourth quarter of 2028. It is the company's third project in the city.
JVP Management sourced and structured the loan directly with Alta. Kaufmann Construction is the general contractor, and Greystar will manage the property upon completion. Planned amenities include a pool deck with cabanas, a fitness center with Pilates space, a coworking lounge and a spa. The project also has a nine-story parking garage.
The site is two blocks from the New River Riverwalk. The Brightline station is less than a mile away.
200 East Broward office tower sells for $69.7 million
Grover Corlew, an investment management group, bought the 21-story office tower at 200 East Broward Blvd. from Banyan Street Capital. JLL arranged both the $69.7 million sale and the financing.
The loan totals $63.4 million, with BridgeInvest funding $46.2 million at closing. The initial loan term is three years. BridgeInvest will fund another $17.2 million later for future tenant improvements, leasing commissions, spec suites and a capital program.
Built in 1992 and renovated in 2017, the building has 235,211 square feet of office space. It is 75% leased, with tenants including Greenspoon Marder and PNC Bank. The property also has 532 parking spaces across two garages.
North Beach Village fits a bakery, wine and motel art into a few blocks
North Beach Village sits just off A1A, centered on Breakers Avenue. Greger Nilzen describes it as about five blocks by five blocks. None of the hotels are on the beach, he said.
Wine Garden, an open-air spot, pours wines mostly from small wineries. At Archibald's Village Bakery, Nilzen said, the morning line sometimes stretches 100 yards. La Villa at the Royal Palm Hotel serves cold beer poolside. Gallery 600 shows an artist's pencil drawings based on postcards of neighborhood motels. Village Cafe serves brunch all day, and Vitolo serves high-end Italian at night.
Good Night John Boy sets a disco opening on SE 6th Avenue
- When
- Friday, Nov. 6 · 8 p.m.
- Where
- Good Night John Boy
- Address
- 270 SE 6th Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Doors are scheduled to open to the public at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. The '70s-inspired bar, restaurant and nightclub is at 270 SE 6th Ave. The look mixes wood paneling, shag carpeting, neon and plenty of disco balls, with nightly DJs playing throwback hits.
The concept comes from Forward Hospitality Group. Its lineup already includes Delray Beach, Chicago and San Diego. Planned programming includes Industry and Latin Nights, Divas of Disco and John's House on the last Sunday of each month.
The Johnny Meal pairs a burger or chicken tenders with fries and a take-home toy. Drinks include Hot Stuff, a spicy mango margarita.
MODS adds a character journey and a reimagined Storm Center
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Each guest gets a wooden, barcoded Resilience Leaf. They scan it at stations in the newest phase of Build a Better World at the Museum of Discovery and Science. The phase is now open to the public and aimed at kids 8 and up. Stations focus on caring, cooperation, critical thinking and confidence. Kids can design a climate-resilient city, then pledge to join dune restoration, tree planting or beach cleanups.
The museum also reimagined its FPL Storm Center with a Command Center, Get Prepared and a Hurricane Simulation Lab. The lab had not yet opened during a preview visit.
MODS is at 401 SW Second Street and opens every day. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Adult tickets cost $29.50, and tickets for children 1 to 12 cost $24. Tickets are sold at mods.org/tickets.