Convention Center Advisory Board Picks Portman-CMC

MIAMI—The Miami Beach Convention Center Advisory Board has endorsed Portman-CMC's plan to redevelop the Miami Beach Convention Center District. This endorsement comes four weeks before the City Commissioners and Mayor will vote to determine which developer will be chosen to redesign the 52-acre district.

“We are pleased and honored to be the recommended choice of the Miami Beach Convention Center Advisory Board,” says Jack Portman, vice chairman of Portman Holdings. “We are confident that this process will lead to the best outcome for the residents and visitors of Miami Beach.”

Highlights of the Portman-CMC plan include a modernized convention center, 800-room hotel, 125,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 300 residential apartments, a refurbished Jackie Gleason Theater and Carl Fisher Clubhouse, significant additional parking, and a Latin American Cultural Museum.

The final vote by the Advisory Board was four to three in Portman-CMC's favor. The Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners will vote to determine which developer will win the bid for the Miami Beach Convention Center District on July 17th.

ACE issued a response, noting its focus has been to keep the Miami Beach Convention Center operational throughout construction at the direction of the City Commissioners and City staff.  This, the group says, is reflected in its timeline and detailed phasing plans that it has reviewed in depth with the City.  

“Tishman, the builder of the World Trade Center and other landmark buildings, has achieved this with similar projects, such as the Javits Convention Center, an equivalently sized facility that has remained open and has not lost one day of operations over the course of construction,” the group says. “The Portman phasing plan does not provide a realistic timeline or the necessary exhibit and meeting space that would enable the Convention Center to remain open and functioning for critical shows and exhibits during construction.”