Notes from a Miami Land Use Attorney: 'Construction Has Proceeded Unobstructed'

MIAMI⁠—Mario Garcia-Serra, an environmental and land use attorney with the Miami office of Gunster law firm, says in spite of the lockdown conditions brought about by the pandemic, April was his busiest month so far in 2020 in terms of billable hours. 

“That’s in part explained by the fact that we have all been forced to be more efficient,” Garcia-Serra tells GlobeSt.com. “There is no time lost commuting to the office or between meetings. We have been busy.”

Garcia-Serra, who represents major developers before local government boards and regulatory agencies, says construction in the Miami-Dade area has proceeded unobstructed, save for social distancing requirements. He says these requirements have produced few issues.

“Luckily, for my area of work, things have been moving forward pretty well and projects are moving forward,” he says. “As far as the permitting and approval side of things, it has been somewhat slow, but even so government agencies are innovating and we are having virtual zoning hearings. On the building permits side, it’s been unique because those municipalities that have electronic plans submissions methods already in place, it’s been a little easier for them to adjust than those who still require hard copy.”

Projects move slower when agencies who require hard copies are involved because hard copies of documents have to be quarantined for a period of time, creating a lag. Nevertheless, business continues to be conducted, Garcia-Serra says.

“The projects that are in the pipeline are certainly moving forward,” he says. “For newer projects, there has been some interest and people are looking at opportunities, but we are seeing some limitations because of the current situation and not being able to meet in person. But overall, the construction and development business in Miami-Dade has been more resilient than other businesses that were more exposed to the downside of this quarantine.”

Garcia-Serra predicts that multifamily will be the first real estate sector to rebound due to the continuing need for affordable housing in the region. He puts assisted living in the same category. On the other side, he says the hard-hit hotel industry will take more time to come back, as will retail.

“Office will be interesting,” he says. “Let’s see if this experience has pushed us in the direction of more people working remotely from home and therefore less office space is needed. I think the jury is still out on that.”