ORLANDO—Courtelis Company, Kislak Organization, and HMG/Courtland Properties—three powerhouse South Florida companies—are putting their collective heads together on a luxury multifamily project in Orlando. The trio broke ground on the $33.6 million Murano at Grande Lakes Tuesday.

Elias Vassilaros, president of development and asset management services at Courtelis, Thomas Bartelmo, president and CEO at Kislak, and Maurice Wiener, chairman of the board of directors, and president and CEO of HMG/Courtland Properties, are leading the charge. The multifamily project is set to come online in 2016. Wells Fargo inked the construction loan.

“We have done our homework and it is clear Orlando's high demand for high-quality multifamily living is going to continue,” says Bartelmo. “Murano at Grande Lakes is designed to provide residents with high-end conveniences and comfort, and when you add in great proximity and access to key employment and entertainment destinations, you know you have a terrific investment.”

Designed as a best-in-class garden-style community by Forum Architecture and Interior Design, the 240-unit multifamily project will sit on a 9.53-acre site at the southeast corner of John Young Parkway and Taft-Vineland Road in metro Orlando. The multifamily project spans three four-story buildings feature one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans and luxury amenities. Roger B. Kennedy is the general contractor.

The multifamily property's central Orlando location near multiple regional road networks provides easy access to Darden Corporate Headquarters and its 5,800 employees, as well as South Park Center, a 2.9 million-square-foot office park with 6,000 employees, the World Design Center, a 206-acre project with 4.5 million square feet entitled for office and industrial use. SeaWorld with 7,000 employees, the Orange County Convention Center, the second-largest in the United States. and many other large employment, shopping, and entertainment centers.

“The leadership teams of these three companies have known, collaborated and consulted with each other for years,” says Wiener. “It is exciting to bring everyone together for this new endeavor, which we hope will be the first of many multifamily projects throughout Florida.”

This Miami trio clearly sees opportunity in Orlando—and for good reason. The Orlando metro is seeing mega multifamily deals. Even rare multifamily deals are getting done in the current market.