Critics called it a bad deal on steroids.
Fort Lauderdale has been targeting private developers with $35 million worth of expensive public land for 50 years with a promise to build a towering food hall along with the park and concert venue.
The deal, which was condemned as a land giveaway by some residents, gave developer Jeff John John the option of an extension of 50 years and 25 years.
That comes three years ago, after a controversial plan gave a thumbs up from City Hall.
Some are wondering if a $100 million project is currently infiltrating. Includes Mayor Dean Trantalis.
“I think (the developers) are still working on fundraising,” Trantalis said. “We have never received site plans or any kind of development proposal. This is a shame that I have to develop this. I’ve always wanted it to be completed.”
John, CEO of Damn Good Hospitality Group, and his lawyer, Stephanie Toothaker, could not be reached for comment.
The 3.3-acre site, known as the One-Stop Shop Site, was once home to an office that allowed the city’s one-stop shop. The building was demolished six years ago after sitting in the sky for over a decade.
Today, the parcel at 301 N. Andrews Ave. remains fenced, waiting for the project to break.
If the project was wrapped in hopes of breaking in, Trantalis said the city would likely consider termination of the agreement.
“I asked the mayor and the city’s attorney to look into the agreement to see if they had violated in any way,” Trantalis said. “If certain milestones have not been achieved, you must terminate the contract.”
Commissioner Ben Sorensen agreed.
“If this isn’t moving forward right away, you need to go in a different direction,” Sorensen said. “We need to look at all the options. But we want to see where we stand on the contract and what (the developer) is moving forward with things.”
Would you give me more time?
Commissioner Steve Glassman, which includes the district’s Flagler Village, said he wanted to give the developers more time before calling for the day.
“I recently met with the development team and I’m sure all the systems will go,” he said. “I’m not in favor of terminating the contract.”
When he voted in favor of the comprehensive agreement in March 2022, Glassman said he hopes the project will open by the end of 2024.
John, whose restaurant and club ventures include revolution, lives in downtown Fort Lauderdale and pitched the idea to the city in June 2020 through unsolicited proposals.
John told the Commissioners he planned to build a tree-lined path larger than the football field. The soundproof concert hall is large enough for 1,800 people, but only 180 seats. A high-end European style food market with special restaurants.
Spend your days with Hayes
Subscribe to our free Stephenly newsletter
Columnist Stephanie Hayes shares thoughts, feelings and interesting business with you every Monday.
You’re all signed up!
Want more free weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.
Check out all options
“We need more nightlife,” John said at the time. “We need more musical events. The city is very bright and very lively. We want to give South Florida people a unique and iconic experience.”
The concert hall will rise 60 feet (equivalent to six stories) and will offer at least 250 shows a year.
The eight-storey market rose 160 feet, equivalent to 16 floors. The food hall extends to the third floor, which opens to the atrium. The fourth floor is an outdoor space used for atrium dining. The upper 4th floor is reserved for private events.
The intense opposition
Neighbors in Flagler Village were worried that the concert venue and marketplace would disrupt sleep with late-night noise.
Others said the city would start to regret handing over the land to developers who could never take off the project.
Under the comprehensive agreement, Fort Lauderdale did not raise money in its first year after the cultural center was built. The city will raise $250,000 in the second year, $500,000 in the third year, $750,000 in the fourth year, $1 million in the fifth year, $1.25 million in the sixth year and $1.5 million in the seventh year. After that, payments increase annually based on the consumer price index, but with a 3% cap.
If the developers weren’t making money, then the city wouldn’t have.
After the committee approved the agreement in March 2022, Toothaker informed them that the client’s next business order was to seek funding. Once that’s in place, John and his team will be back on the site plan, Toosker said. The commissioner asked if it might be when, but Twitker couldn’t say.
One of those who say she’s not at all surprised by her lack of progress is Leann Barber, the project’s leading critic and former president of the Flagler Village Civic Association.
“I still have a t-shirt that says, ‘That’s a very bad thing,'” Barber said. “It’s not surprising that the ground hasn’t been broken, especially now (President) Trump’s tariffs. I think everything will be thrown convulsively. I think development will cease. It will be a roller coaster for the next few years, with lots of resettlement and handkerchiefing.”
The tough times ahead
According to Siri Terjesen, a business professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, entrepreneurs and developers these days find it difficult to get funding nationwide, even in high-growth countries like Florida.
“Commercial properties in most parts of this country are completely devastated,” Terriesen said. “Many banks have failed over the last few years.”
As to whether the city can extract from the land transaction, Terrisen responded: “Whenever local or state resources are underutilized in Florida, we have the Doge Florida task force that can address lost revenue and opportunities thanks to Governor Desantis.
In 2022, Glassman defended the project before gaining committee approval.
“They must provide proof of funding within 90 days of signing off a comprehensive contract,” he told the Sun Sentinel at the time. “In this market, we don’t have a white elephant. We’ve put in an agreement that this must be completed in three years. If it’s not finished, we’ll take over it. We own it.”
Trantalis told Sun Sentinel last week that none of these milestones have been achieved.
“At least on that site, we are questioning the viability of the project,” the mayor said. “There may be another site that works for them. We need to look into whether they still feel the vision for creating a new entertainment venue. Food halls are achievable projects.”
