Flagler Street reopens after a decade of construction chaos. Here’s what to know

Miami’s historic Flagler Street has fully reopened after six years of on-off construction on a $32 million streetscape project plagued by fired contractors, design changes and business closings. New businesses are opening along the corridor, but questions remain about the street’s future identity.

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FULL STORY: Construction is finally, finally over. Can historic Flagler Street reinvent itself?

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Here are key takeaways:

• The project’s cost ballooned from $13 million to $32 million over a decade, with delays caused by contractor disputes, surprise underground utility issues and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins and City Manager James Reyes stepped in earlier this year, hiring subcontractors directly to finish enough work to reopen the five-block corridor from Biscayne Boulevard to West First Avenue.
• Terrell Fritz, director of the Flagler Business Improvement District, said 13 new businesses have opened or are about to open this year, including a pizza restaurant, cigar club, wine shop and French bakery, with seven more leases signed.
• Entrepreneur Moishe Mana, who owns about 80 downtown properties including the former SunTrust Bank tower he bought for $110 million in March, is demolishing condemned buildings to make way for a temporary soccer park in a deal with the Downtown Development Authority.
• Weekend closures on Flagler Street during this summer’s FIFA Fan Festival drew big crowds, but the 14 closures cost more than $130,000 — roughly 70% of which went to police security — making regular closures financially unfeasible without cost-saving measures.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.

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