Judge Rules Against Beach Condo Board That Balked
Daily Business Review
Carla Vianna
02 August 2016
3621 Collins Ave, Miami Beach Credit: Google
A rundown beachfront property waiting for redevelopment may soon turn
from eyesore to tourist destination in one of Miami Beach's most
happening areas.
Nestled between Collins Avenue and the Miami Beach Boardwalk, the All
Seasons Condominium has dangled between a prospective buyer, who put a
$7.3 million offer on the table in 2010, and a condominium association
that blocked the nearly completed deal a year later.
Simon Nemni, whose $7.3 million bid won unanimous approval from the
condo board six years earlier, won a favorable outcome after a 5½-day
trial in April.
All Seasons Condominium Inc. and the association's president, former
White & Case attorney Pedro Dedesma, breached the purchase
agreement by failing to "use best efforts" in gaining unit-owner
approval to sell all 106 condos and by improperly ending the agreement
after a severe case of "seller's remorse," Miami-Dade Circuit Judge
Rosa Rodriguez wrote in a July 25 order.
Patrician Hotel LLC, a company created by Nemni to purchase the
building, sued for specific performance against Dedesma, the condo
association and all unit owners Jan. 12, 2012, a month after the condo
board voted to halt the sale.
The decision launched a four-year dispute between the prospective
buyer, the condo association and a prominent South Beach hotel group
that planned to redevelop the property.
The dated condo property at 3621 Collins Ave. has been in violation of the city's building code for at least eight years
The dated condo property at 3621 Collins Ave. has been in violation of
the city's building code for at least eight years, according to the
order. The pool and elevator were out of service, the sixth and seventh
floors were uninhabitable and condemned, and the property was hit with
over $500,000 in code violations.
None of the owners occupied units, but they collected rent from tenants living there.
The All Seasons association had unsuccessfully marketed the property
for sale since 2008. When Nemni bid in 2010, the association promptly
agreed to a deal.
It took about a year for Nemni, with the help of the association, to
gain sale approval from each owner, which the contract required before
closing.
the association wanted to back out of the agreement
But when the association learned Nemni had agreed to sell to a
developer for a hefty profit, the association wanted to back out of the
agreement.
Nemni cut a deal with Alan and Nathan Lieberman, principals of the
South Beach Group Hotels Inc., which owns at least a dozen boutique
hotels in Miami Beach, in November 2011—a month before he received full
approval to buy all of the units. The hoteliers agreed to pay Nemni
$10.9 million, or $3.6 million more than what Nemni was paying its unit
owners.
The defendants argued Nemni misrepresented his source of funding when
the money was coming from the Liebermans, justifying cancellation of
the contract.
"Immediately upon learning that Nemni would make a profit of $3.625
million from the Liebermans' involvement in the deal, Dedesma and the
board became afflicted with a sudden and severe case of buyer's (in
this case, seller's) remorse and immediately began attempting to
undermine the transaction in order to take some of Nemni's profits for
themselves and other unit owners," the order stated.
At trial, the defendants unsuccessfully argued seven contracts signed by unit owners were defective.
"The president of the association thought he could make more money by
killing the deal," said Gary Phillips, managing partner with Phillips,
Cantor, Shalek, Rubin & Pfister in Hollywood. Phillips and equity
partner Jeffrey Shalek represented the Liebermans.
the association and association president are liable for any damages to the hoteliers
The court found the unit owners must sell their property to Nemni, he
must sell to the Liebermans, and the association and association
president are liable for any damages to the hoteliers due to the
interference with the sale agreement, Shalek said.
Phillips said the Liebermans plan to convert the property to a hotel.
The family owns and operates the Hotel Croyden across street, which
they also renovated.
"You're going to have a beautiful hotel operating on the property that
is now somewhat dilapidated and in need of much repair," Phillips said.
"It's a good win for the party, and it's a good win for the city of
Miami Beach," added Shalek. "It's a section of the beach that needs to
be improved."
Omar Ortega, founding partner at Dorta & Ortega in Coral Gables,
and associate attorney Rosdaisy Rodriguez represented the defendants.
Alice K. Sum, a shareholder with Fowler White Burnett in Miami,
represented the condo association. The attorneys did not respond to
requests for comment by deadline.
top
contents
chapter
previous
next