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An Island of Dreams

Most of the coverage of Mehmet Bayraktar’s Island Gardens development has come in snippets. A lot of it has dealt with the delays in bringing the $1 billion mega-yacht marina complex with residences, hotels and restaurants to fruition since it was first envisioned in 2001. Many of the stories have been journalistic “gotchas” that made it sound like there was a foreign investor who wasn’t living up to his obligations. Our cover story this issue, however, has another point of view: Bayraktar is a lesson in resolve and persistence.

 

The concept is finally coming to life with the opening of the mega-yacht marina at Island Gardens. It will be a new venue for the Yachts Miami Beach show, which is covered this issue along with the Miami International Boat Show.

 

Why should business readers care about mega-yachts? The marine industry is a key pillar of the local economy and one that symbolizes the South Florida lifestyle. Each yacht that pays a visit has the potential to pump thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, into the local economy with provisioning, refurbishing and spending ashore. Unfortunately, slips large enough to handle these mega-yachts are in short supply. The rest of Bayraktar’s projects provides the amenities that uber-wealthy yacht owners expect ashore.

 

The Bayraktar family’s business history is impressive along with its experience in developing major projects in Turkey, including the first modern shopping mall. It’s already done a project similar to Island Gardens.

Transportation transformation

Our January issue provided an overview of rail mass transit expansion in South Florida. This issue talks about the myriad opportunities to take advantage of it.

 

My crystal ball predicts that All Aboard Florida President Mike Reininger is correct when he says employers will be willing to pay a premium to be in transit-oriented developments. Millennials, in particular, are more oriented toward Uber and mass transit. You can be a lot more productive on your laptop than being stuck in traffic at the Golden Glades.

 

There are a growing number of potential development sites, not only for the Tri-Rail Coastal Link, but also for commuter service on tracks that go west of Miami International Airport.

 

I’m pleasantly surprised about just how much support there is for Tri-Rail’s expansion. Something not covered in the first part of the series is the Tri-Rail Downtown Miami Link, which will be relatively inexpensive to start. That and All Aboard Florida should propel momentum for the Coastal Link build-out.

 

Even if you plan to stick with your car, you should be happy about getting some of the other drivers off the road and providing regional mobility for future growth.

 

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Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.