No Deal for Briny Breezes

The sale of Briny Breezes, a Florida trailer park, would have made each resident a millionaire. But the deal is dead. It’s one of the last South Florida sites with land on the Intracoastal and Atlantic Ocean, giving a developer the freedom to build a multiuse complex. The deal was not without controversy. Local officials worried about the loss of affordable housing, and other area residents worried about the changes development would bring to local roads and services; some also feared that the high-rise towers would ruin the beach view. The deal sparked a philosophical discussion on Florida growth. In the end, however, market realities killed the deal – the developer backed out when the town refused to extend an August deadline for plan reviews. However, the mayor and the developer both agree that a deal may yet happen. For their part, residents of Briny Breezes were split on the decision to kill the contract, with some relieved and others disappointed that their new-found riches were not to be – at least not yet.

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