Miami Beach commission to vote on future of Nikki Beach
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Nikki Beach club at dusk. Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The fate of the world-famous Nikki Beach day club will be decided Wednesday.
Driving the news: Miami Beach commissioners are voting on which vendor will take over the Ocean Drive institution once the current operator's lease with the city ends in 2026.
Why it matters: The longtime owners of Nikki Beach — the Penrod family, which has opened up outposts of the club across the world — will lose control over the city-owned property that they've had since 1985.
- The city rejected their bid earlier this month after saying the family failed to submit required documents by a set deadline.
The latest: The city administration has recommended that the commission award a 10-year contract to Boucher Brothers, the beach concessionaire whose blue-and-white umbrellas dot the South Florida coastline.
Details: Boucher Brothers proposes to spend over $26 million in renovations and would partner with Major Food Group, which owns Carbone and other eateries, to operate two restaurants and a cafe onsite.
- The planned project, dubbed Pier Park, would also include child care and wellness centers.
- Boucher Brothers, which would pay the city a minimum of $41 million in rent over the 10-year agreement, plans to fund a police substation and offer resident discounts.
- Three other companies — Tao Group Hospitality, RH and The Group US Management — submitted bid proposals for 10- and 20-year agreements.
The intrigue: The Penrod family sued the city and Boucher Bros. in May, accusing Miami Beach officials of making a "backroom deal" to pursue a no-bid contract with the concessionaire to take over the property. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in August.
- Commissioners previously voted in April to pursue a non-binding term sheet with Boucher Bros., but walked back the vote after facing public backlash, instead directing city administration to put the property out to bid.