Residents sue to block Related's Hollywood Live Local tower

A group of Hollywood residents and a new nonprofit have sued to block a Related Group beachfront tower, opening another front in the fight over how far Florida’s developer-friendly Live Local Act can reach.

Kathleen DiBona and the nonprofit Keep Public Lands Public are suing the City of Hollywood and a Related affiliate over the proposed project at 1301 South Ocean Boulevard, arguing it violates a deed restriction on the site and should require a public referendum. The suit was filed June 23 in Broward County Circuit Court.

Why it matters. The Live Local Act has become the most consequential — and contested — housing policy in Florida, letting developers bypass local zoning in exchange for below-market units. This challenge targets a pressure point the statute did not resolve: what happens when the state’s override runs into a deed restriction and a city charter on public land. The outcome could shape how confidently developers deploy Live Local on constrained Miami-area sites.

The numbers. Related holds a 99-year lease on the 4-acre site fronting a public beach, secured from the city in 2022. In May, officials cleared the project through the Live Local Act, letting Related skip rezoning in exchange for workforce housing for households earning up to 120 percent of area median income. The current plan calls for 201 residences, including 84 workforce units.

What’s next. The suit seeks to invalidate the deal, citing a city charter rule requiring voter approval to lease waterfront parkland east of the Intracoastal for 50 years or more, plus a deed restriction limiting the land to public use. Neither the city nor Related has responded in court; an attorney for Related said he is confident the case will be dismissed. A ruling either way will sharpen the boundaries of Live Local across Florida policy.