Charles Cohen plans $350M Dania Beach office project

The new campus will rise on Griffin Road near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and eventually include two 10-story towers with about 400,000 square feet of office space, terraces, promenades and two parking garages. Cohen Brothers Realty said the development will be built in two phases over roughly four years, with construction financing arranged by Cooper Horowitz.

For South Florida’s office market, the timing matters. New construction remains a selective bet in a sector still shaped by higher financing costs, uneven leasing demand and the migration of corporate users toward newer, amenity-rich properties. A project of this scale suggests Cohen sees enough tenant demand in the Fort Lauderdale-Dania Beach corridor to justify replacing a 40-year-old building with a modern campus aimed at capturing higher rents and stronger occupancy.

It also marks a sharp shift in the narrative around Cohen Brothers Realty, which spent the past two years under pressure from Fortress after defaulting on a $534 million loan. Fortress seized one Broward property in foreclosure, refinanced another part of the campus, and even pushed to take over assets across Cohen’s portfolio. Cohen’s Manhattan headquarters was also lost in foreclosure earlier this year before he cleared the debt in June by selling office properties and land in New York.

The new office plan suggests the founder is not simply stabilizing — he is re-entering the market with a growth strategy. That is important for investors because it indicates access to financing, confidence from lenders and a willingness to commit fresh equity at a time when many private owners are still focused on refinancing and asset sales. It also raises the stakes for Cohen’s own legal fight with Fortress, which continues through a separate damages lawsuit.

For the broader office sector, the development is a reminder that distress and opportunity are increasingly coexisting. Assets with older layouts or weaker locations may still struggle, but landlords with capital, land control and access to debt are beginning to test new supply in resilient Sun Belt markets.

The key question now is whether Cohen can convert the reset into leasing momentum. If he can, the project could become a useful barometer for the depth of office demand in South Florida. If not, it will stand as another expensive bet on a market that has rewarded selectivity more than scale.