A group of Moishe Mana’s downtown Miami tenants filed a lawsuit against the developer’s companies, alleging they were fraudulently evicted from their spaces, The Real Deal has learned.
Las Hermanas Restaurant Corp., Vive Cafe Restaurante, Golden Palace and Isabel Alteration sued Mana Miami Management LLC and 48-76 East Flagler Realty LLC on Tuesday. The two restaurants, jewelry store and alterations shop allege they were forced to move out on short notice last year, under the “false pretense” that the properties at 48 and 76 East Flagler Street were structurally unsafe.
The tenants allege that the buildings only needed minor repairs, and that they suffered damages, including the theft of their fixtures and inventory.
Mana Common said in a statement that it does not comment on pending litigation. The city did not immediately respond to a request for more information.
The tenants were given days to evacuate about a year ago, after Mana Properties said it commissioned structural engineering reports ahead of planned renovations of the two properties. The reports, Mana said, determined the buildings “have significant structural issues and should not be occupied.”
The notice provided to tenants said that 76 East Flagler Street was at risk of collapse, a sensitive issue especially in the months following the deadly Surfside condo collapse. The June 2021 tragedy that killed 98 people put pressure on owners of older structures in need of repairs.
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The lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, alleges that the Mana-led entities violated the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
A notice from the city of Miami on June 17 stated that the city’s unsafe structures panel determined the building at 48 East Flagler Street could be repaired within 120 days, or about four months.
Attorney David Winker, who represents the tenants, said the two restaurants have not been able to reopen. Winker questioned why Mana had the tenants move out when Mana has not filed new plans.
“We feel my clients were lied to,” Winker said. “Any reasonable inquiry would have shown minor repairs were needed, and there was no need to rush people out of that building.”
Mana has spent roughly half a billion dollars over several years assembling land in downtown Miami, where he plans to create Mana Common, a startup and tech hub. Mana’s downtown portfolio totals more than 1.3 million square feet spread across 70 buildings, but he has been slow to make significant construction progress. The Nikola Tesla Innovation Hub is under construction.
The investor and developer, who owns Mana Wynwood and surrounding land, has also been assembling properties in Miami’s Allapattah.