Soffer's Big Easy Casino Rebuild Hits Hallandale Board Oct. 13

The Real Deal reported Oct. 9 that Jeffrey Soffer plans to rebuild the Hallandale Beach casino. The outlet’s article was not reachable to us in full, so we went to the city’s own paperwork for the project.

Why it matters

The filings show a full teardown and replacement, not a refresh. The Planning and Zoning Board meets Oct. 13 on a plat waiver for the “Big Easy Casino Plat” at 831 N. Federal Highway, filed by 831 Federal Highway Property, LLC. City staff’s cover memo does not name Soffer. We are linking the applicant to him only through The Real Deal’s reporting.

The memo says the applicant proposes “a new 214,428-square-foot casino complex” with surface and structured parking. Existing structures on the parcel would be demolished. Staff recommends approval with conditions.

This is a separate project from Soffer’s Miami airport hotel trouble, covered in our Oct. 8 report. Here the move is reinvestment in an operating asset.

The numbers

The site is 23.91 acres before right-of-way dedication and 23.77 acres after, or about 1,035,681 square feet. Code caps lots in the RAC Greyhound Track subdistrict at 100,000 square feet, so the single parcel needs a waiver from Section 32-81. The plat would carry a note limiting the site to 214,500 square feet of casino use with ancillary commercial.

The casino would sit in the Greyhound Track zoning. Casinos are not permitted in the RAC Corridor portion, which is slated for parking. The memo lists four related filings: the plat (P-26-02908), a major development application (DB-26-01755), variances (V-26-01756) and an alley vacation (RV-26-02909). Secondary outlets have cited a roughly 163,000 sf figure. We could not verify it, and the city’s number is larger.

What’s next

The waiver is the first gate. The plat is on hold until the board acts, and the major development, variance and vacation requests are still under review. The plat also needs Broward County review and County Commission approval. The memo also flags a future NE 8th Street extension and added Pembroke Road right-of-way. For wider context, see South Florida coverage.