Joe, Ralph and Avi Nakash with their Ocean Drive properties: Hotel Edison, Hotel Breakwater, Casa Casuarina alias the former Versace Mansion, Hotel Ocean & The Strand (iStock, Congresshotelsouthbeach.com)
The New York-based Nakash family, who own four Art Deco hotels, the former Versace mansion and the commercial space in an Art Deco condominium, accuse Miami Beach officials of creating a mess at check-in for their customers by banning vehicle traffic on Ocean Drive.
In a lawsuit filed in the Miami-Dade Circuit Court last month, companies controlled by brothers Joe, Ralph, and Avi Nakash are suing the city demanding an injunction to get cars back on Ocean Drive. The iconic neighborhood’s street has been closed to cars and trucks since May 2020, except for a brief two-week period in July of that year.
A hearing is scheduled for November 16. But the Miami Beach City Commission may already have anticipated legal action by voting this week to resume traffic on the southern lane of Ocean Drive in 45 days. Earlier this week, Miami Beach voters voted to a non-binding vote to reset the last alcohol call to 2 a.m. in the Art Deco Entertainment District.
In an email, Paul Figg, an attorney for the Nakash Companies, said his clients were “hopeful” that the city commission’s vote “is a change of direction,” even though it previously looked like Miami Beach officials intended to do so Ocean Drive permanently closed to cars.
“Assuming that the city keeps its promises and takes no further steps to materially affect access to our clients’ properties in the future, we believe we can reach an agreement,” said Figg. “As always, our customers remain committed to working with the city on solutions to the problems the city is trying to address.”
The Nakash brothers, who have built a global conglomerate with their fashion brand Jordache Jeans, own the Hotel Breakwater on 940 Ocean Drive, the Hotel Edison on 960 Ocean Drive, the Hotel Victor on 1144 Ocean Drive, the Hotel Ocean on 1236 Ocean Drive and the commercial space at The Strand on 1052 Ocean Drive. They are also the owners of Villa Casa Casuarina, the former homestead of the late fashion designer Gianni Versace that has been converted into a hotel.
In September, Nakash Holdings vice president Ariel Nakash was part of a group of real estate investors and developers who participated in a private Zoom conference call with Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, Miami Beach city manager Alina Hudak, and former mayor Philip Levine attended. A nine-minute clip of the meeting was leaked to the media overhearing Gelber and Levine wooing the group to put forward redevelopment proposals for Ocean Drive and form a political action committee to raise money for city commissioners.
Miami Beach closed Ocean Drive as part of a car pilot program to allow restaurants on Ocean Drive to expand outdoor seating to meet social distancing and other measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. However, during events like spring break, the configuration has allowed large crowds to gather on the street.
According to the complaint, the closure of Ocean Drive and its intersecting streets “had a devastating effect on hotels and restaurants.” Customers are forced to “drag their luggage several blocks in all weathers, including extreme heat and heavy rain,” the lawsuit said.
Contact Francisco Alvarado
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