Miami billionaire Ken Griffin’s Miami Beach helipad moves forward

Miami Beach admin September 25, 2026 0 Comments

Miami billionaire Ken Griffin’s Miami Beach helipad moves forward — for now

Despite opposition from residents and some Miami Beach leaders, billionaire Ken Griffin’s plan to add a private helipad to his megayacht marina cleared a key city committee Thursday and now heads to the full City Commission.

The dispute centers on how much noise Griffin’s helicopter flights would bring to residents of luxury waterfront high-rise condominiums near the MacArthur Causeway and just south of Fifth Street.

The helipad is a late addition to the private marina Griffin won approval from Miami Beach to build on Terminal Island, next to the U.S. Coast Guard station. Griffin is expected to dock his 308-foot megayacht, Defy, at the marina.

Leaders of eight luxury condominium buildings, including the Icon and the Yacht Club at Portofino, spoke out against the proposed helipad at a meeting of the Land Use and Sustainability Committee. Together, the buildings have about 2,000 residents.

Griffin’s representative, attorney and former Miami Beach Mayor Neisen Kasdin, said the helipad would largely be used by Griffin for his commute around downtown Miami and to and from Miami International Airport.

Some residents say the helicopter flights would add noise and disruption to an already busy waterfront.

“We are doing all this for one individual?” Brian O’Brien, who represents condo residents at the Yacht Club at Portofino, asked members of the committee as he urged them to reject the helipad. “We are upsetting our quality of life so Mr. Griffin can land a little closer to his house?”

Griffin has a residential compound on nearby Star Island along the MacArthur Causeway.

Kasdin dismissed the noise concerns, saying it was a “low impact.” issue. He also said Griffin has support from residents of three other nearby wealthy communities — Star Island, Palm Island and Hibiscus Island.

“The helicopter will not impact the buildings south of Fifth Street,” Kasdin told the committee, adding that “all the buildings in question were half a mile away from the helipad.”

Kasdin said Griffin hired a sound expert to simulate how much noise the helicopter would generate during takeoffs and landings.

From a high-rise balcony, the sound would be hardly noticeable, Kasdin said, citing the expert’s findings.

“It’s the sound level of a normal unamplified conversation,” he said, describing the expected noise level as 65 decibels during the 13 seconds the helicopter would be in flight.

Commissioner David Suarez said he wanted to hear the helicopter noise for himself. Kasdin agreed to arrange a sound test in the coming weeks. A resident of the Icon volunteered his condo unit.

Commissioners Alex Fernandez and Joseph Magazine advised Griffin’s representatives to try to reach an agreement with residents who are opposing the plan.

“You need to do some more bread breaking,” Magazine said.

Commissioner Tanya Bhatt voted against advancing the measure, saying she wanted to defer the matter. She told Kasdin that Griffin “has a lot of work to do” before she would support the helipad.

Bhatt also challenged Kasdin over the U.S. Coast Guard’s position on the proposal.

When asked whether the Coast Guard had approved the helipad, Kasdin said the agency had “no opposition.” Bhatt pointed to documents stating that the Coast Guard actually said is that it had “no position” on the proposal.

Bhatt also asked who would use the helipad and how often. Kasdin said Griffin would be the sole user. As an indication of how frequently Griffin uses helicopters, Kasdin said Griffin used a rental helicopter from Watson Island 61 times last year.

One resident of the Icon warned commissioners that promises made by Griffin could change once the helipad is built.

“What if they have a wedding and people are arriving on helicopters? We have no recourse if things get out of hand,” said Icon resident John Stimmel. “We’ll be stuck with the helipad forever.”

After an hour discussion, the committee approved the proposed change to Miami Beach’s zoning rules that would allow a private helipad as an accessory use in the industrial district.

The zoning change still must be approved by the full Miami Beach City Commission and go through the city’s planning department.

But the issue will not be on a city agenda for two months. Magazine advised Kasdin to use the time wisely.

“Don’t spend the time lobbying the commissioners, lobby the neighbors,” Magazine said.

The opposition emerged after Griffin’s helipad request became public in July.

The helipad was proposed after the city approved Griffin’s plans for his private yacht marina planned at a 3.5-acre waterfront property also used as a ferry station for Fisher Island. It will accommodate up to eight megayachts. Plans for the marina include an owner’s pavilion, private suite, crew facilities, marina operations space, maintenance facilities, security offices and a rooftop swimming pool.

Griffin, the founder of Citadel, moved the investment firm’s headquarters to Miami in 2022. Forbes estimates his fortune at $60.5 billion.

In South Florida, he has built an ever-growing real estate portfolio, including his planned Citadel headquarters in Brickell. The roughly $2.5 billion project includes a 54-story office tower as well as residential and commercial components.