Katherine Kallergis

1 week ago | therealdeal.com | Lidia Dinkova |Katherine Kallergis

In broad changes, the Florida Legislature passed bills related to condo safety laws enacted after the deadly Surfside condo collapse, and the state’s workforce housing law, known as the Live Local Act.  The bills, both approved just before the legislative session closed late last week, now head to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for final approval.  Bills aimed at curbing mismanagement and fraud at homeowners associations fizzled early in the session.

1 week ago | therealdeal.com | Katherine Kallergis

Naples, the quieter and more relaxed counterpart to Palm Beach, just moved up on the luxury resi market leaderboard. In the span of a few days, two record sales closed in Naples: First, billionaire David Hoffmann paid $85 million for a waterfront estate in Port Royal, setting a record for Collier County. It held that record title for about a week, until the billionaire DeGroote family sold their beachfront estate for $225 million.

1 week ago | therealdeal.com | Katherine Kallergis

After rounding a corner, I stepped on the gas pedal. This time I managed it without going off the track. The engine revved, sounding just like a Formula 1 race. I was going over 100 miles per hour — the fastest I’ve ever driven. I had, minutes earlier, climbed into the body of an F1 car, my legs straight out in front of me, gripping an unfamiliar steering wheel. But I wasn’t really on a track.

1 week ago | therealdeal.com | Katherine Kallergis |Sheridan Wall

A Miami-Dade judge set the trial date for Ohad Fisherman, an alleged accomplice of Oren Alexander and his twin brother, Alon, in a sexual battery case prosecutors unveiled in December. The case is separate from the federal charges brought by the Southern District of New York against Oren, Alon and Tal. Oren is also facing a separate state sexual battery charge. Fisherman, alongside Oren and Alon, is charged in connection with an alleged attack in 2016.

1 week ago | therealdeal.com | Katherine Kallergis

Developer Michael Stern and JDS Development Group are alleging a John Doe orchestrated a smear campaign to spread false and defamatory information about him and his company, according to a lawsuit filed last week. Stern, CEO of Miami-based JDS, is suing to uncover the identity of the operator of the website JDSpulse.com and affiliated social media accounts. The complaint, filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, alleges the person is likely a competitor of Stern and JDS.