Charles Cohen is moving forward with a major South Florida development after resolving a long-running debt dispute with Fortress Investment Group. His company plans to replace an aging office building near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with a 400,000-square-foot complex, adding a sizable commercial project to Broward County’s development pipeline.
Key takeaways
- Cohen Brothers Realty is planning the $350 million Office Center of the Americas in Dania Beach.
- The project will include two 10-story office towers and two parking garages.
- Construction is expected to take place in two phases over approximately four years.
- The development will replace a 40-year-old office building at the Design Center of the Americas campus.
The proposal calls for two office towers with floor plates of about 14,000 square feet. Terraces and promenades will connect the buildings, while two four-story parking garages will serve tenants and visitors. Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates is designing the project, and New York-based Cooper Horowitz is arranging construction financing.
A redevelopment at a prominent Dania Beach site
Office Center of the Americas is planned for 1805 and 1815 Griffin Road, near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The site currently contains a roughly 60,000-square-foot, four-story office building that Cohen acquired in 2006 for $13.7 million.
The existing structure will be demolished to make room for the new complex. Although it is associated with the Design Center of the Americas brand, the building is separate from the neighboring showroom and office property at 1855 Griffin Road.
The project would significantly increase the amount of office space at the site, bringing a large, newly designed commercial development to a Broward submarket that includes airport-related businesses, hotels, retail and office properties.
Cohen returns to development after debt resolution
The announcement follows the resolution of Cohen’s high-profile financial dispute with Fortress. The lender acquired the neighboring Design Center property through a foreclosure auction in 2024 after Cohen defaulted on a $534 million loan originated in 2022.
The dispute expanded beyond the property foreclosure. Fortress pursued Cohen under a personal guarantee after the sale proceeds failed to cover the debt, while a New York court ordered him to pay $187.3 million. Cohen ultimately satisfied the balance, along with interest and legal costs, in June after selling office buildings and land in New York.
Cohen later sued Fortress, seeking $203.7 million in damages and alleging that the lender mishandled the sales process. That litigation did not prevent Cohen Brothers Realty from resuming development plans in South Florida.
Another South Florida project in the pipeline
The Dania Beach proposal is the second major South Florida initiative Cohen has revisited since resolving the debt obligations. After settling a separate $10 million foreclosure claim involving a Downtown West Palm Beach site, he also returned to plans for another 400,000-square-foot office project.
Together, the projects signal a renewed focus on office development for Cohen, even as financing conditions and tenant demand continue to shape the region’s commercial real estate market. The Dania Beach development would be delivered in two phases over roughly four years, subject to the remaining planning, financing and construction process.