SoMi Walk's 173-Unit Hotel Wins $70.1M Permit in South Miami

Miami-Dade County issued a $70.1 million permit on August 18 for a 173-unit, 16-story hotel at 5959 SW 71st Street in South Miami, according to our permit wire’s read of the county’s RER building permit dataset. The 319,114-square-foot project, marketed as SoMi Walk, replaces the Rodeway Inn South Miami site near the University of Miami. Jaxi Builders Inc is the contractor of record.

Why it matters

South Miami has drawn little new hospitality supply outside the Beach corridor, and a 173-key project this close to the University of Miami and Coral Gables signals developers see demand for extended-stay and flexible-rental hospitality product away from the coast. For South Florida contractors, a permit this size, at $70.1 million and 319,114 square feet, is a large near-term bid opportunity now that Jaxi Builders holds the general contract.

The numbers

Permit 2026065890 covers new construction totaling $70.1 million, with 173 units across 16 floors and 319,114 square feet, classified by the county under commercial hotel use. The permit applicant of record is Pacmiso 13 Corp. Matching the permit’s unit and floor counts against Jaxi Builders’ own project listing for “Somi Walk Residences,” at the same address, identifies Alta Development, led by Henry Pino, as the project’s sponsor. Alta first outlined plans for the site in 2024 as a larger, 310-unit condominium; the permitted version scales that down to 173 flexible, furnished units built around short-term and student-housing demand near campus.

What’s next

With the permit issued, Jaxi Builders can begin site work to demolish the existing Rodeway Inn and start vertical construction. Neither Alta Development nor Jaxi Builders has publicly detailed a groundbreaking date or opening timeline for SoMi Walk. Subcontractors and suppliers bidding South Miami work now have a live, permitted 16-story job to track through completion.