The 19th floor was vacated in April 2005 by another law firm, Stearns Weaver, which moved to the penthouse in the Sun-Sentinel at New River Center Building on E. Las Olas Boulevard. While the Las Olas section "has more cachet, there's a limited amount of space there," Stephen Levine, managing director of the locally based office of Studley, tells GlobeSt.com. "So, for companies looking to be Downtown, Broward Boulevard is an appealing alternative."

Levine and Tom Capocefalo, also a Studley managing director, represented Weiss Serota. "We started the process quite awhile ago," Levine says. "We got in before the market turned up. The rate would be higher today." He declined to disclose the value of the lease or the rental rate.

However, on condition of anonymity, an area broker confirms Levine's assessment of rising rates. He tells GlobeSt.com that the quoted rent rate in Wachovia Center "was between $29 per sf and $30 per sf six months ago. Now, it's $32-plus per sf."

The property, built in 1991, is now approximately 93% occupied. Sandra Anderson of the area office of Jones Lang LaSalle represented the owner, VV USA City, which is an entity of Invesco, a major real estate investor with offices in Dallas and New York City.