MIAMI—South Beach ACE continues to put the competitive pressure on Portman-CMC. Both groups are vying for the right to redevelop the Miami Beach Convention Center and its 52-acre site. But South Beach ACE is ahead on public endorsements.

Led by Tishman, OMA, the international architecture firm led by Pritzker Prize winner Rem Koolhaas, and Miami Beach developer UIA, South Beach ACE, already secured a nod from the Miami International Boat Show. Now, it's announcing endorsements from seven of the world's largest meeting planners and a number of Lincoln Road property owners.

South Beach ACE has also enlisted MetLife, one of the nation's largest real estate investment firms, as a tentative equity partner in its planned development. The news comes as Miami Beach City officials begin evaluating the two plans in advance of making a formal recommendation to Commissioners in June. South Beach ACE proposes a fully-renovated and reconfigured convention center that attracts major events from around the world and integrates within South Beach's existing urban landscape.