Law Firm Inks 11-Year Lease Deal In Downtown Fort Lauderdale

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NAI/Merin Hunter Codman, Inc. announced that Chairman Neil E. Merin, SIOR, CCIM and Managing Director Adam Starr have finalized an 11-year, 9,285-square-foot lease transaction with Stok Kon + Braverman at 1 East Broward on behalf of the landlord, 1 East Broward Owner, LLC. Stok Kon + Braverman is a full-service law firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Boynton Beach.

“We are excited to welcome Stok Kon + Braverman to 1 East Broward. Stok who explored many of downtown’s most exclusive office properties, ultimately chose 1 East Broward due to the landlord’s continuing commitment to an extensive property improvement program as well as the suite’s existing high-end features and efficiency. Creating a welcoming, safe, and convenient office space experience for their employees was of utmost importance, as most of the firm’s employees returned to in-person work post initial lockdowns,” stated Starr.

1 East Broward is a 19-story, 350,000-square-foot, Class-A, office building located at the northeast corner of Broward Boulevard and Andrews Avenue in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

1 East Broward Owner, LLC, who purchased the property in 2018, immediately implemented a multi-million-dollar property improvement program which has included lobby, common area, lighting, and bathroom upgrades. A new security access card and visitor management system as well as a complete state-of-the-art elevator modernization have recently been completed. The property is known for its grand lobby, impressive views, state-of-the-art fitness center including Peloton bikes, manned 24/7 security, and a variety of on-site dining and concierge services. Tenants also enjoy plentiful parking in the garage, connected by an air-conditioned skywalk.

1 East Broward is downtown Fort Lauderdale’s closest office building to the Brightline, and the property offers superb walkability to dining and retail destinations including Flagler Village’s Arts and Technology Village (FATVillage), Music & Arts South of Sunrise District (MASS), the renowned Las Olas Boulevard and The Warf at Riverfront. 1 East Broward additionally offers fantastic access to I-95, I-595 and the Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

Robert A. Stok, Esquire Managing Principal of Stok Kon + Braverman stated, “We surveyed the entire Fort Lauderdale office market and determined that 1 East Broward Boulevard is the ideal office building to establish a permanent home for our for firm. It’s location, convenient to the federal and Broward courthouses in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale’s commercial center, with easy access to rail and highway transportation, high end hotels and restaurants, meshes perfectly with the firm’s suite of business services and is appealing to our clientele and employees.”

 

NAI/Merin Hunter Codman’s Chairman Neil Merin stated, “Stok Kon + Braverman has a long history as one of Broward County’s premier boutique law firms and we are proud that they have made a long-term commitment to make 1 East Broward their home. Ownership has recently invested significant capital upgrading and modernizing the building’s elevators, security systems, common areas and amenities, and are committed to continuing to improve the property to attract high quality tenants like Stok, Kon and Braverman.”

 

Personal Injury Lawyers Drop $337 PSF For Palm Beach Gardens Office Building

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A trio of Phoenix-based personal injury law partners paid $8.6 million for an office building in Palm Beach County.

An entity managed by Sean Greene, Michael Steinger and Michael Feiner bought the two-story building at 11360 North Jog Road in Palm Beach Gardens, records show. The three lawyers head Greene, Steinger & Feiner, a personal injury law firm with offices in 18 U.S. cities, including Coral Gables, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, according to the firm’s website.

The deal breaks down to $337 a square foot.

The seller, an affiliate of Palm Beach Gardens-based real estate development, investment and property management firm John C. Bills Properties, paid $1 million for the property in 2001, records show. Completed in 2005, the 25,496-square-foot building is part of Mirasol Town Square, a seven-building office park built by John C. Bills.

 

MHCommercial Real Estate Fund II Acquires Office Complex For $45.9 Million

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MHCommercial Real Estate Fund II (“MHCREFII”), a discretionary real estate private equity fund formed by Dung Lam, Neil E. Merin and Jordan Paul, has closed on the purchase of Yamato Office Center in Boca Raton for $45,925,000, or $267 per square foot. in a joint venture partnership with an institutional real estate fund based out of New York.

Yamato Office Center is a 171,724-square-foot office complex comprising two Class-A office buildings located at 999 and 1001 Yamato Road. Yamato Office Center was approximately 71% leased at the time of the sale. Christian Lee, Marcos Minaya, and Sean Kelly with CBRE Capital Markets represented the seller, Adler Real Estate Partners (“Adler Partners”).

999 Yamato Road, built in 2000, is a three-story, 82,974-square-foot office building. 1001 Yamato Road, built in 1986, is a four-story, 88,750-square-foot office building. The complex is located near the entrance of the Park at Broken Sound and is situated on approximately 10 acres of prime Yamato Road frontage lending a generous parking ratio which includes covered parking. The Park of Broken Sound has recently benefited from a renaissance through the development of over 1,900 multi-family units and over 554,000 square feet of retail. Yamato Office Center’s prime location is a short drive to a large variety of nearby upscale amenities and 15 minutes away from transportation infrastructures including I-95, the Boca Raton Airport, Tri-Rail and the future Boca Raton Brightline Florida station.

MHCREFII is the second real estate fund for Merin, Lam and Paul after closing and fully deploying their first fund in December 2021 acquiring approximately $125 million in commercial real estate. MHCREFII launched in January 2022 and closed on its first acquisition in April 2022 with the $32.5 million purchase of EcoPlex® Office Center in West Palm Beach. Yamato Office Center is the second acquisition for MHCREFII with a target to acquire a total of $250 million of commercial real estate throughout the Southeastern United States over the next 12 to 18 months.

MHCREF and MHCREFII principals Neil E. Merin, Dung Lam and Jordan Paul stated, “We are very excited with the acquisition of Yamato Office Center at a purchase price well below replacement cost while also providing a tremendous opportunity to create value. Our plan is to reposition the asset as a premier Class-A office center primarily through capital improvements allowing Yamato Office Center to capture the robust demand for Class-A office space in Boca Raton.  Boca Raton is one of the nation’s most attractive communities for wealthy decision makers and Yamato Office Center is specifically located in one of Boca Raton’s most rapidly urbanizing micro-markets.”

Corey Winsett, Director of Acquisitions for MHCREF oversaw the acquisition and due diligence process on behalf of MHCRFII’s JV partnership. Financing for the transaction was provided by LoanCore Capital a leading institutional lender that has financed over $25 billion in commercial real estate loans since 2008. Steve Kay, Managing Director and JP Kost, Vice President structured the financing transaction on behalf of LoanCore Capital.

Elizabeth Jones and John Strickroot of the Shutts & Bowen law firm represented the purchaser on the transaction. NAI/Merin Hunter Codman will manage and lease the property.

Downtown Fort Lauderdale Boutique Office Building Trades For $480 PSF

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Berger Commercial Realty/Corfac International Vice President Brian Batchelder represented the seller in the purchase of a 5,204-square-foot office building located at 2100 South Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.

RFH 2100, LLC sold the 1972-built boutique office building, which is situated on .37 acres of land, for $2,500,000. Ron Osborne, Managing Director of Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates | RJ Realty represented the buyer, Consolidated Properties of Andrews Avenue, LLC, in the transaction.

The deal closed April 18.

Brian Batchelder-Berger Commercial Realty

Batchelder

“The downtown Fort Lauderdale office inventory is extremely low driving valuations at an all-time high,” commented Batchelder. “My client was able to take full advantage of the market climate and was able to ascertain their desirous price.”

2100 S. Andrews Ave. is a free-standing office building consisting with 21 parking spaces. It is situated on the SE corner of Andrews Ave and SE 21 St.  It is Ideally located within minutes from the courthouses, Broward General Hospital, Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The building features signage capabilities with high curbside visibility facing Andrews Avenue.

 

Law Firm Shutts & Bowen To Relocate Fort Lauderdale Office

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CBRE has arranged a 10,950-square-foot office lease at The Main Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, on behalf of Shutts & Bowen LLP, a Florida-based AM Law 200 law firm with offices throughout Florida.

Zach Wendelin, Kevin Probel and Kevin McCarthy with CBRE represented the tenant, Shutts & Bowen LLP, in lease negotiations. The landlord is LOC3 Investors LLC.

In early 2023, Shutts & Bowen will relocate more than 30 employees to the 22nd floor of the building.

“We are thrilled with this new office space and are actively engaged in a design process to build a great working space for our attorneys and staff,” said Joseph M. Goldstein, Shutts & Bowen’s Fort Lauderdale Managing Partner. “Shutts & Bowen believes in Fort Lauderdale and this amazing location at the Main Las Olas will help us grow and continue to thrive here.”

 

Shutts & Bowen Partner Arthur J. Menor added, “This best-in-class building will not only accommodate our dynamic, growing presence in the Fort Lauderdale market, but will also allow us to implement a state-of-the-art office design that we can refine and replicate in our other offices as our lease terms roll over the next few years. It was a pleasure working with CBRE to make this happen.”

Located at 201 E. Las Olas Blvd., The Main Las Olas is a 25-story Class A mixed-used building totaling 1.4 million square feet. Property amenities include a conference center, tenant lounge, amenity deck, covered terrace, and state-of-the-art fitness center.

“Positioned in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale, The Main provides an ideal live-work-play location for employers like Shutts & Bowen who were looking to upgrade their office environment to help attract and retain top tier talent,” said Probel.

 

CBRE Facilitates 26,000 SF Office Lease Renewal, Expansion For Quest Workspaces

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CBRE has arranged a 25,947-square-foot office lease at Northbridge Centre in West Palm Beach for Quest Workspaces, Miami’s third largest coworking operator.

Kevin Probel and Kevin McCarthy represented the landlords, Vanderbilt Office Properties and C-III Capital Partners, in lease negotiations. Lance Benson with Newmark represented Quest Workspaces.

Quest currently occupies 12,783 square feet on the third floor and will take an additional 13,164 square feet on the fourth floor, which they will occupy in October.

Today, Quest operates nine locations in Florida. Their Northbridge location has more than 170 clients with a notable client base, including Humana, Bravado Health, and Third Federal.

“Quest is excited to cement their long-term tenancy at Northbridge. Strategically located in the heart of downtown West Palm, Northbridge is at the footsteps of the island of Palm Beach, walking distance to hundreds of shops and restaurants, and offers spectacular views,” said Benson.

Located at 515 N. Flagler Drive, Northbridge Centre is a 21-story office tower totaling 294,493 square feet. The property features an attached parking garage with a climate controlled covered sky bridge, restaurants, full-service banking with ATM service, Paul James Salon and full-service NB Fitness Center.

“As office leasing activity continues to increase, tenants will favor properties such as Northbridge Centre, which have received millions of dollars in renovations to provide prime Class A space in Downtown West Palm Beach,” commented CBRE First Vice President Kevin Probel.

Northbridge Centre sits across the street from the Palm Beach Yacht Club and minutes from the Bright Line Station. It is two blocks from Flagler Banyan Square, a $145 million redevelopment project in downtown West Palm Beach.