Journal · Miami Pre-Construction Guides
By Josh Stein · Florida license SL3057661 · Updated 5 October 2026
Construction status, on the record
A stall is a fact about construction. It is not, on its own, a verdict about the project.
Five of the 38 Miami towers we follow show no confirmed construction progress on the public record. That is a fact you can verify. What it means is a different question, and the honest answer is that it varies.
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Last updated 55 minutes ago
Pauses that resolve
Projects stop for reasons that have nothing to do with viability. A construction loan gets restructured. A general contractor is replaced. A design is revised after a cost review. Some of the best buildings in this city went quiet for a year and then finished.
Pauses that do not
The pattern to worry about is a stall combined with two other things: a delivery date that has lapsed with no replacement, and sales material that still shows the original schedule. That combination tells you the project has stopped and the marketing has not.
The five questions to ask about a stalled tower
Is there a construction loan in place? A recorded mortgage is public. Its absence on a tower that claims to be building is the single most useful thing for a buyer to check.
What do the permits show? Permit activity is dated. A permit pulled and never inspected is a different story from one progressing through inspections.
Where is my deposit held? Florida escrow rules differ by deposit tranche and by what the developer is permitted to draw. Ask which portion of your money can be spent on construction before delivery, and get the answer from the purchase agreement, not the sales gallery.
What happens if the outside date passes? Most contracts contain an outside completion date and a remedy. Read it before you need it.
Has the developer delivered in Miami before? A first-time developer is not disqualifying. A first-time developer with a lapsed date and no construction loan is a different proposition.
What continues while construction is paused
A stalled tower is often still selling. The sales gallery stays open, the renderings stay up, and the schedule on the wall stays exactly as it was. None of that is illegal, and none of it is evidence that construction is happening.
Look at the site. Look at the permits. Then look at the brochure, and notice which one has been updated.
No reported activity is a question, not a verdict. Get the record
A quiet site can mean a permit in process or a project in trouble, and the filings are what tell them apart. Tell Josh the tower and he’ll send what the public record shows, including how its delivery date has moved.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a stalled project?
No confirmed construction progress on the public record, verified against permit and contractor activity rather than against sales material.
Can a stalled Miami tower still take deposits?
Yes. A pause in construction does not close a sales gallery, which is why the construction record and the marketing schedule have to be checked separately.
What should I ask before buying into a paused project?
Whether a construction loan is recorded, what the permits show, how your deposit is held, what the contract’s outside completion date and remedy are, and what the developer has delivered before.
How has your building held its value? The Miami Condo Index ranks Miami condo buildings by their county sale records: real price per square foot, turnover and four-year change.