Historic Savoy Hotel in Miami Beach could be replaced by 38-story tower
Miami Beach’s historic Savoy Hotel on Ocean Drive could be demolished to make way for a 38-story condominium project, and city officials say state law leaves them with little power to block it.
The proposal affects two buildings on the site. Under the plan, the Savoy, built in 1937, would be partly preserved, while the Arlington building, completed in 1941, would be fully demolished. The property is part of the Art Deco fabric that has defined Miami Beach for decades.
The city’s position rests on Florida laws passed in 2024. One measure, the Resiliency and Safe Structures Act, limits how coastal local governments can stop demolition of certain historic buildings that do not meet modern FEMA flood standards or have been found unsafe. Another, the Live Local Act, can allow developers to bypass local zoning rules, opening the way for a much taller building than the surrounding area typically allows.
Residents and preservation advocates have warned for years that the law could threaten historic properties in Miami Beach, where nearly the entire city lies in a FEMA flood zone.
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