In this article, we discuss some of the top mega projects in Florida, a state in the southeast region of the USA. The construction projects are either, new or additions, extensions and renovations to existing infrastructures ranging from residential and commercial buildings to transportation.
While some of the projects might be at an advanced stage of construction, others are at the threshold and some others are even at the planning stage. Let us dig in.
Brightline High-Speed Rail Project
This project mainly involves the construction of a high-speed inter-city railway line dubbed Brightline, between Miami and Orlando and an estimated cost of US$ 4bn. The project is being implemented by All Aboard Florida (AAF), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, the oldest and largest commercial real estate, transportation, and infrastructure holding company.
The project is being implemented in phases, the first of which connects Miami with West Palm Beach through Fort Lauderdale, a distance of  378km. This phase became operational in January 2018. The second phase of the Brightline high-speed rail project on the other hand will extend the railway line from West Palm Beach to Orlando, a distance of approximately 273.5km. The construction of phase two began in May 2019 and services are expected to begin in 2022.
There are plans for a third phase that will run between Orlando International Airport and Tampa, a distance of 136.7km. Trains on this line are expected to travel at a speed of 201.16km/h. The entire high-speed inter-city railway route will be served by five trains namely BrightGreen, BrightOrange, BrightBlue, BrightRed and BrightPink.
Vertical Medical City Project
Vertical Medical City is a three-tower, 2 million-square-foot project that is being developed by Ponte Health Properties LLC. The project includes the construction of three towers, a 300-foot tall critical care tower, a 444-foot tall non-critical care tower, and the third building at around 440 feet.
Nearly 40% of the development is earmarked for residential use, and another 40% is dedicated to the medical offices and research and development while the remainder would be used for surgical and emergency facilities.
In total, the Vertical Medical City project will include 955 apartments offering assisted living, memory care, stroke and hospice services.
Metropica Mixed-Use Complex Project
Located near Simon’s Sawgrass Mills Mall and close to Interstates 75, 95, and 595, as well as the Florida Turnpike, Metropica mixed-use complex is a four-million-square-foot, transit-oriented development by Trillist Companies and the US. K Group Holdings, which is an active private equity and venture capital investor in real estate, Hispanic media and communication, and emerging technologies.
Set to be South Florida’s largest new mixed-use development the project comprises the construction of eight towers that include 2,250 residential units, 485,000ft² of retail space, 650,000ft² of Class-A office space, and two hotels with 260 rooms, plus a 2.5-acre public park.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the first tower of the Metropica mixed-use complex dubbed “ONE Metropica” took place in October 2015 and the building was topped off in March 2018. In mid-2020 the 28-story building with a total of 263 residences was commissioned.
Tyndall Air Force Base reconstruction project
This is a project for the reconstruction of the former Tyndall Air Force Base which is located 12 miles east of Panama City. The base was reportedly destroyed by Hurricane Michael in 2018 and left 484 buildings damaged beyond repair.
The Tyndall Air Force Base reconstruction project has been split into 12 zones, and it is being developed and built by a number of businesses and partners. According to Glen McDonald, the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Economic Development at Gulf Coast State College, with a top-line between 3,000 and 3,500 contractors, the project could take approximately five to seven years to be complete.
Construction efforts are expected to peak in 2024.
Magic City Innovation District project
Magic City Innovation District is a large multi-building transit-oriented mixed-use mega-development proposed for Little Haiti in Miami.
The project consists of 17 pieces of property across numerous blocks, largely between Northeast 2nd Avenue and Northeast 4th Court, with Northeast 59th Terrace serving as the southern-most cross street and Northeast 64th Terrace serving as the northern-most roadway.
The new neighbourhood, which is being built by a combination of Plaza Equity Partners, Metro 1, and Luna Rouge, will span 18 acres and will include 1,599 residential apartments, 941,800 square feet of office space, 432 hotel rooms, more than 200,000 square feet of retail space, as well as exhibition space.
The projected Little Haiti Station along Brightline train tracks is the focal point of the project as a whole.
Miami Worldcenter project
Miami Worldcenter is a large mixed-use development led by principals Arthur Falcone and Nitin Motwani. The project spans several blocks that occupy a total of approximately 25 acres of land, in the Park West neighbourhood of Miami, just north of downtown.
When fully completed, the Miami Worldcenter will have an approximately 600,000 square feet convention centre and a 1,800 room hotel space under a 55 storey building. There will also be residential towers one of which dubbed Miami Worldcenter Signature Tower may rise to the maximum 749 feet above sea level permitted in that area.
Furthermore, the centre will have copious street-level retail and large anchor tenant space, such as Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. The project at large will connect with the Brightline higher-speed rail system’s MiamiCentral station.
Riverfront Jacksonville Project
The Riverfront Jacksonville is a mixed-use, multi-phased scheme that is set to be developed in Jacksonville, a city located on the Atlantic coast of Florida, USA, between the former county courthouse and the former site of Jacksonville Landing marketplace, under a public-private partnership.
The project was revealed by American real estate company SouthEast Development Group, a commercial real estate firm that provides full development services, project management and asset management across the southeastern region of the United States, in June 2021.
It includes over 755 residential units, 330,000ft² of commercial space, a 208-room hotel and 200,000ft² of modern retail, dining and entertainment area. Around 3,000 parking lots and over 15 acres of public green spaces will also be provided.
American Dream Mall project
American Dream Mall is a proposed US$4 billion retail and entertainment complex that is set for construction in the Everglades region of Florida, near Everglades National Park and within Miami-Dade County’s Urban Development Boundary.
Developed by Triple Five Group, which is also responsible for the development of the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the American Dream Mall project will build about double the size of the country’s current biggest mall, the King of Prussia Mall in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, to become the new largest mall in the United States.
It will resemble an amusement park rather than a standard, dumbbell-shaped mall and include a water park with a massive indoor pool, an indoor ice rink, a ski slope, “submarine” rides, dozens of restaurants, and up to 1,200 businesses.
