{"id":1124,"date":"2026-05-29T04:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T04:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1124"},"modified":"2026-05-29T04:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T04:02:09","slug":"developer-of-fort-lauderdales-galleria-mall-megaproject-shrugs-off-critics-idiots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1124","title":{"rendered":"Developer of Fort Lauderdale\u2019s Galleria Mall megaproject shrugs off critics: \u2018Idiots\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Miami-based developer behind the sprawling, nine-tower redevelopment of Fort Lauderdale\u2019s Galleria Mall says he\u2019s excited about the project, but he has one major complaint: it\u2019s taking too long.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1122\">George Pino\u2019s boat-crash case will proceed to a jury next week, judge rules<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Russell Galbut, who\u2019s real estate collective purchased the dying shopping mall last year, discussed his plans for the mall and presented never-before-seen renderings of the redevelopment while speaking on a panel at a real estate conference Thursday afternoon in Hollywood. A slideshow presentation quickly flipped through images of a shiny new Macy\u2019s store, tall glass towers and verdant landscaping for the crowd of real estate moguls and insiders at the Bisnow Broward State of the Market event.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am bullish on the county\u2019s future, and I\u2019m really bullish on Fort Lauderdale. Part of the reason is that it\u2019s really the hole in the donut,\u201d said Galbut, the managing principal and co-founder of Crescent Heights and founder of GFO Investments. \u201cMiami has been and is on fire, and so is Palm Beach, and what happened is it just seems like Fort Lauderdale was overlooked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not all sunshine and donuts.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>While the mall redesign was a hot topic at the conference, it\u2019s been a hot button issue among Fort Lauderdale residents who heavily criticized the plans as too tall, too large and too much of a traffic magnet.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Galbut had some choice words: \u201cWe cannot let the idiots, the minority \u2014 the very small minority, but they\u2019re very vocal \u2014 dictate what happens in the community. The community is for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The massive mall makeover is being done under the Live Local Act, a controversial state law that encourages developers to produce mixed-use projects with affordable housing in exchange for tax incentives and a streamlined process that overrides some local building controls. The redesign includes retail space, a hotel, nine 30-story residential rental buildings with thousands of units, about 40 percent of which is dedicated to affordable housing.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In December, the Sun Sentinel reported that Galbut\u2019s Galleria project would get expedited approval thanks to the Live Local Act. But about six months after the Office of the Attorney General said the mall plans were legal, Galbut said the permitting process with city staff is very much still underway.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>When asked by the Herald when he thinks construction will begin, Galbut said it\u2019s too early to say since the plans haven\u2019t been approved.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s been many changes, many responses and many questions. We\u2019re in a constant, never-ending answering of questions. Sometimes questions that have been asked before, we answer them again,\u201d Galbut said. \u201cThe city commission has been incredibly wonderful. The mayor is incredibly wonderful. The problem with Fort Lauderdale is they have an administration that\u2019s been stuck with the old ways for a long time. They haven\u2019t modernized. They don\u2019t understand computers or technology or AI. They take too long to give comments, and sometimes they repeat comments that they did twice before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>\u2018It\u2019s not carte blanche\u2019<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Mayor Dean Trantalis brushed off Galbut\u2019s complaints that approval is taking too long.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1120\">Little Havana businessmen say they\u2019re entitled to city\u2019s $770K payout to Carollo<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery developer says that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLive Local does give the developer more flexibility, but it\u2019s not carte blanche. The application has been kicked back several times because there are still certain requirements that they must fulfill, which have yet to be fulfilled by the development plan,\u201d Trantalis said. \u201cYou can\u2019t just walk into a community and say, \u2018I\u2019m just going to build this whether you like it or not.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The mayor added that it\u2019s not a good look for the developer to call critics \u201cidiots.\u201d Since Commissioner John Herbst\u2019s resignation, the Galleria Mall debate is likely to soon become a campaign issue in that district leading up to the Nov. 3 election, Trantalis said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think name-calling is going to be helpful coming from either side,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should be careful about the rhetoric that we use and to try to become more understanding of the beliefs and the feelings of the community as we try to integrate development projects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Galleria Mall was a hotspot in Fort Lauderdale when it was built in the \u201880s. But over the years, the once vibrant shopping center became more of a ghost town. In September, GFO Investments and InSite Group announced it acquired the mall for an undisclosed amount of money. Galbut promises to restore the mall to its former glory where residents will be lining up to eat, shop and host quincea\u00f1eras, bar mitzvahs and weddings.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to bring it back as a 24-hour community. We\u2019re going to have plenty of places to work in the property, plenty of places to live in the property &#8230; and it will become that urban core, which it should have been 30 years ago,\u201d Galbut said at the conference.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In October, hundreds of residents packed a forum Trantalis held to discuss the redesign and how it relates to the Live Local Act. Residents shared several concerns (and heckles).<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A major concern was that the influx of residential units would worsen traffic in the area. Galbut disagrees.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou won\u2019t have traffic. Once somebody gets there, they\u2019ll be there. It\u2019s really a traffic solver,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019ll create affordability because it\u2019s being done under Live Local. The most important thing that you get out of Live Local is its speed to permit, and that\u2019s true in every other community it seems but Fort Lauderdale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1119\">\u2018Hand to God.\u2019 Deputy said driver was texting with a hand that she doesn\u2019t have<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Developer Russell Galbut unveils Fort Lauderdale Galleria Mall renderings, touting affordable housing under Live Local while critics worry about size and traffic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-broward-county"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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