Five Park’s master association and Jay Newman, as trustee of his revocable trust, have sued developer TCH 500 Alton LLC and Miami Beach over the unbuilt pedestrian bridge across Fifth Street. They want a judge to order the developer to build it and the city to enforce the agreement requiring it, according to Miami Beach Journal’s October 16 report.

Five Park stands at 500 Alton Road, Miami Beach, FL 33139, beside the causeway entrance to South Beach. Terra, led by David Martin, and GFO Investments, led by Russell Galbut, developed the tower; TCH 500 Alton is the entity named as a defendant.

The federal court’s new-case list records the October 13 filing in the Southern District of Florida.

A missing link for walkers

The bridge was designed as both a public art piece and a practical route between neighborhoods. The city’s January 2025 project fact sheet described a 158-foot enclosed tube with colored panels, elevators and stairs. It would connect the Baywalk network across the causeway, helping link the west side of Miami Beach with South Pointe and the Beachwalk.

That bulletin put the start of work in January 2025 and expected completion in summer or fall 2026. The crossing remains unbuilt as the city considers whether a different route could provide the connection.

What stalled the plan

In May 7 city committee minutes, Capital Improvement Projects Director David Gomez reported that foundation excavation had encountered an FPL line about 30 feet underground. He said the design team was reviewing foundation locations after FPL supplied more precise survey information.

Gomez also described challenges for an over-water route beneath the causeway, including room to install piles and the permits needed for work over water.

The September 10 commission agenda called for a review of the developer’s engineering assessment. It outlined talks on an over-water alternative if city staff agreed a redesign was not feasible. Those talks would include moving the city’s and developer’s existing financial obligations to the alternative, keeping funding part of the discussion.

The next city discussion

The October 21 committee agenda lists two bridge items: the feasibility of an over-water connection between the Baywalk sections north and south of Fifth Street, and a monthly project update. The meeting is scheduled for Commission Chambers and Zoom.

Separately, the October 14 commission agenda included a proposal to clean up the construction site and add temporary landscaping, grass and sod ahead of the holiday season.