Journal · Miami Luxury Condos Blog
A 38-story building with 90 condominiums and 60 workforce rental units.
By Josh Stein · Florida license SL3057661 · Updated 22 October 2026
A 38-story building with 90 condominiums and 60 workforce rental units is proposed at the Savoy Hotel site on Ocean Drive, per WLRN, 15 September 2026. Two state laws are in play. As of 23 September 2026, no approval, pricing or delivery year is published.
Key Takeaways
- A 38-story building with 90 condominiums and 60 workforce rental units is planned at the Savoy Hotel site on Ocean Drive, per WLRN, 15 September 2026.
- Two separate state laws are in play, not one: the Resiliency and Safe Structures Act, passed in 2024, governs the demolition; the Live Local Act, passed in 2023, governs the height and density, per WLRN, 15 September 2026.
- The Savoy, built in 1937, would be partly preserved. The Arlington, built in 1941, would be completely demolished, per WLRN, 15 September 2026.
- The Live Local Act requires at least 40 percent of units to be kept as workforce housing for at least 30 years, per WLRN, 15 September 2026. On WLRN’s figures, 60 of 150 units here is exactly 40 percent.
- The demolition law has an exception for historic properties in a National Register district recognized before 1 January 2000, per WLRN, 15 September 2026, which reports that the Savoy Hotel sits just outside the Miami Beach Architectural District, listed in 1979.
- The relevant Miami Beach city file is PB26-0840, at 425 Ocean Drive, one of ten Live Local applications on the city’s under-review register, per JSR’s record of that register, retrieved 17 September 2026.
WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that the Savoy Hotel on Ocean Drive is set for potential demolition to make way for a 38-story condo building. This post separates the two state laws involved and lists what had not been published as of 23 September 2026. No delivery year is on record for the plan. For the neighborhood around it, see the Miami Beach neighborhood page.
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The Live Local Act is one of the two laws, and JSR’s post on every Live Local Act application in Miami Beach looks at the applications filed under it. JSR has also written about the redevelopment of The Raleigh Miami Beach. For what owners of finished buildings got back when they sold, see The Miami Resale Record.
What is proposed
WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that the Savoy Hotel on Ocean Drive “is now set for potential demolition to make way for a 38-story condo building.”
The program, verbatim from that report: “The proposed building planned by Allied Partners and designed by Arquitectonica, would include a hotel co-existing with 90 condos and 60 so-called workforce rental units on Ocean Drive and 4th Street.”
WLRN credits the original reporting on the plans to another outlet: the plans for the 38-story building were “first reported by the outlet Floridian Developer.”
On the two existing structures, WLRN reported on 15 September 2026: “The hotel is made up of two structures, both impacted by the potential demolition: the Savoy, built in 1937, will be partly preserved under the new plans; and the Arlington, built in 1941, would be completely demolished.”
The two laws, kept separate
Most coverage compresses this into one story. It is two, and a buyer or owner in Miami Beach needs them apart, because they do different things and they apply to different buildings.
Demolition: the Resiliency and Safe Structures Act. WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that this is “a state law passed in 2024,” that “the law is meant to preserve safety in areas prone to floods, and allows recognized historic properties to be demolished if they do not meet certain flood criteria set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).” Per the same report, it “bans local governments in coastal communities from preventing the demolition of many historic structures if they are ‘nonconforming’ to modern flood standards, or if that building has been deemed unsafe,” and it “prevented local governments from requiring the ‘preservation of any elements of a demolished structure.'”
The reach of that is geographic, and WLRN states it plainly: “Almost the entirety of Miami Beach is in a floodzone, according to FEMA flood maps.”
Height and density: the Live Local Act. WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that this is “a law passed in 2023 that allows developers to sidestep many local zoning regulations when trying to build large structures,” and that it “allows large-scale construction in low-scale zones so long as at least 40% of units in the building are maintained as ‘workforce housing’ for at least 30 years.”
Run the arithmetic on the figures WLRN published: 90 condominiums plus 60 workforce rentals is 150 units, and 60 of 150 is 40 percent, exactly the statutory floor.
The carve-out that does not apply here. Per WLRN, 15 September 2026, the demolition law “has an exception for historic properties that sit within a historic district recognized by the National Register of Historic Places before January 1, 2000.” WLRN reports that “the Savoy Hotel sits in the South of Fifth neighborhood in Miami Beach, just outside the Miami Beach Architectural District, which was listed in the registry in 1979.” Just outside is the operative phrase.
The condition of the building, on the record
The demolition argument rests on the building’s state, and there is a document for that.
WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that “The Floridian Developer cited a letter of intent for the demolition of the Savoy Hotel sent to Miami Beach officials in April of 2026.” Per WLRN’s account, that letter states the hotel is “currently cordoned off by construction fencing and stabilized through shoring, has been closed to the public since it was badly damaged in Hurricane Irma,” and that “due to its current state, in accordance with the Resiliency and Safe Structures Act, and as allowed by the Live Local Act itself, the Arlington structure will not be preserved in the project.”
What the city says it can do
Two on-record statements, both quoted by WLRN on 15 September 2026.
Meg Lousteau, executive director of the Miami Design Preservation League: “Really anything in the South of Fifth neighborhood of Miami Beach is a potential target, and we may lose any number of historic buildings for this reason alone.”
Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez: “Everything that they said wouldn’t happen is exactly what is happening with this extremely irresponsible preemption, yet again, of local government.”
For events in Miami Beach this season, see Art Basel Miami Beach 2026 dates.
What has not been published
As of 23 September 2026:
- No unit sizes, no pricing and no price per square foot for the 90 condominiums.
- No hotel key count. WLRN’s report says “a hotel co-existing with” the residences; it gives no room count.
- No height in feet. Thirty-eight stories is the only vertical figure.
- No approval. JSR’s record of the City of Miami Beach “Live Local Act Applications Under Review” register, retrieved 17 September 2026, lists file PB26-0840 at 425 Ocean Drive among ten applications under review. Under review is the status; no hearing date or decision is on that register.
- No demolition permit, no construction start, no delivery year and no general contractor.
Record checked 23 September 2026. Allied Partners has made no public statement on this plan in the sources cited above as of that date. JSR did not seek comment.
Before you put down a deposit, get the public record
A sales gallery shows the renderings. The record shows the rest: permits, how the promised delivery date has moved, and what the developer has delivered before. For a building that already exists, it also shows what owners got back when they sold. Tell Josh the building and he’ll send it.
Savoy Hotel Ocean Drive plan: common questions
What is planned at the Savoy Hotel on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach?
WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that the proposed 38-story building, planned by Allied Partners and designed by Arquitectonica, would include a hotel co-existing with 90 condos and 60 so-called workforce rental units on Ocean Drive and 4th Street.
Is the Savoy Hotel being demolished?
WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that the hotel is set for potential demolition and that both of its structures are affected: the Savoy, built in 1937, would be partly preserved, and the Arlington, built in 1941, would be completely demolished. JSR’s record check of 23 September 2026 found no demolition permit published.
What is the Resiliency and Safe Structures Act?
WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that it is a state law passed in 2024 that bans local governments in coastal communities from preventing the demolition of many historic structures that are nonconforming to modern flood standards, or that have been deemed unsafe.
What does the Live Local Act require for this plan?
WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that the Live Local Act, passed in 2023, allows large-scale construction in low-scale zones so long as at least 40% of units are maintained as workforce housing for at least 30 years. JSR’s arithmetic on WLRN’s figures: 90 condominiums plus 60 workforce rentals is 150 units, and 60 of 150 is 40 percent.
Is the Savoy Hotel in a historic district?
WLRN reported on 15 September 2026 that the Savoy Hotel sits in the South of Fifth neighborhood in Miami Beach, just outside the Miami Beach Architectural District, which was listed in the registry in 1979. The demolition law has an exception for historic properties within a historic district recognized by the National Register of Historic Places before 1 January 2000, per the same report.
Has the Savoy Hotel plan been approved?
As of 23 September 2026, no approval has been published. JSR’s record of the City of Miami Beach register of Live Local Act applications under review, retrieved 17 September 2026, lists file PB26-0840 at 425 Ocean Drive among ten applications under review, with no hearing date or decision.
What would the Savoy Hotel site condos cost, and when would they be finished?
As of 23 September 2026, JSR’s record check found no unit sizes, pricing, price per square foot, hotel key count, height in feet, construction start or delivery year in the WLRN report of 15 September 2026.
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