Stearns Weaver Miller's Commercial Real Estate Lending Practice Group represents commercial and investment banks, insurance companies and other institutional lenders in connection with the extension credit. We have decades of experience in financing the acquisition, development and construction of office buildings, shopping centers, mixed-use projects, affordable housing projects, hotels, condominium projects, single and multi-family residential projects, and healthcare facilities, employing advanced lending techniques and negotiating financing documents and the workout of troubled assets.
We represent lenders who make conventional, participated, syndicated or mezzanine loans secured by real property, as well as tangible and intangible personal property, including accounts receivable, inventory, fixed assets, transferrable development rights, accounts and intellectual property located in and outside of the State of Florida. The Firm also represents lenders in portfolio and fund financing matters, including subscription credit facilities, advises lenders with respect to personal property leasing and financing and structures financing for secured and unsecured real estate investment trusts. We also have experience in multi-lender real estate financing transactions.
We work closely with our litigation and bankruptcy attorneys to advise and assist lenders in dispute avoidance, the workout of troubled assets (including loan modifications, workouts, restructurings, loan sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure), and litigation relating thereto and relating to lenders' potential liability for their actions originating and administering loans, or as a consequence of environmental laws and regulations.
- Affordable Housing Lending
- Asset-Based Lending
- Factoring
- Letters of Credit
- Leveraged Buyouts
- Loan Participations and Syndications
- Loan Workouts
- Management & Sale of Special Assets
- Personal Property Leasing
- Real Estate Acquisition, Construction and Permanent Lending
- Sales & Purchases of Loan Servicing
- Represented lead financial institution in the $119,800,000 syndicated construction financing of a mixed-use project in Atlanta, Georgia containing a regional shopping center, restaurants, movie theater and high-rise residential units.
- Represented financial institution in the sale of a portfolio of more than fifty properties including branches, buildings and operations centers.
- Represented lead financial institution in the syndicated construction loan of an apartment project with ground floor retail in downtown Tampa, located in a Planned Development District within a Qualified Opportunity Zone.
- Represented financial institution in numerous $25-30 million construction loans for grocery anchored shopping centers throughout Florida, which include credit tenants, as well as nationally recognized banks, retail stores and restaurants on the outparcels.
- Represented financial institution in two $75-95 million regional shopping centers construction loans, which include credit tenants that are national retail tenants and restaurants.
- Represented financial institution in several $25-30 million term loans for marquee office towers in the downtown cores of Chicago, Dallas and Tampa.
- Represented financial institution in the syndicated construction loan of an apartment project in St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Represented lead financial institution in a $50,000,000 term loan for the refinance of a major office building in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Represented lead lender in a $110,000,000 syndicated construction loan for a mixed use project containing a hotel, timeshare units, retail and restaurants in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
- Represented lead lender in a $210,000,000 syndicated construction loan for a mixed used project in Naples, Florida containing retail, restaurants and condominiums in Naples, Florida.
- Represented lender in connection with $62,000,000 acquisition loan provided for the purchase of a luxury 39-story high-rise residential apartment building in downtown Chicago. National lender client was provided with representation with respect to the initial acquisition financing and subsequent negotiation of an Intercreditor Agreement related to the borrower’s $22,000,000 mezzanine financing pertaining to the project.
- Represented national lender client with $32,000,000 construction loan for the construction of several hundred single-family residences and coach homes on various tracts of land located in Indian River County and St. Lucie County, Florida. The loan was secured in part by three separate mortgages and was later syndicated.
- Represented lender in connection with $15,000,000 revolving credit facility for national food distribution company.
- Represented national lender client in the negotiation of loan documents, review of community development district (CDD) documents, the re-platting of the property and Chinese drywall remediation in connection with $8,000,000 construction loan provided for villas and single-family home project in Collier County, Florida.
- Represented private lender with $3,442,500 loan extension in connection with a sale of an outparcel securing the lender’s mortgage, which included a partial pay down of the existing loan and a partial release of the existing mortgage.
- Represented national banking client in connection with multiple mortgage modifications and collateral assignments resulting in all amounts due under the $22,000,000 construction loan, for two luxury residential condominium towers, being paid in full.
- Represented national lender client by negotiating a settlement agreement and foreclosing on Borrower’s collateral securing a $45,000,000 acquisition, development and construction loan. The settlement agreement with the Borrower (i) significantly reduced the outstanding loan by millions of dollars, (ii) liquidated the real property collateral in an expeditious manner, and (iii) saved the client the cost of litigating the mortgage foreclosure count in the foreclosure action.
- Represented a national banking association in connection with the foreclosure and subsequent disposition of a $35,000,000 four loan portfolio secured by multiple commercial real estate properties.
- Represented a national insurance company with the negotiation of a forbearance of a $13,000,000 loan secured by a mini-storage facility. The forbearance agreement included credit enhancement through the imposition of mezzanine debt and which ultimately resulted in a full payoff of the loan.
- Represented national lender in connection with a $146 million dollar syndicated construction loan for a mixed-use, three phase, transit oriented project known as “Douglas Link”.
- Represented national lender in syndicated “gap” financing transaction for the 826/836 Expressway expansion.
- Represented international lender in connection with a $78 million dollar syndicated loan for the construction of a mixed-use project (retail and multi-family housing) on Biscayne Blvd. The deal required the negotiation of a funds financed by a foreign lender as well as mezzanine financing.
- Representation of national lender in multiple Low Income Housing Tax Credits and Tax-exempt bond financing transaction for construction and rehabilitation of public housing in the State of Florida.
- Represented lender in the structuring and closing of a multi-million dollar loan for the acquisition, redevelopment and conversion to private housing of a government owned housing community located in Key West, Florida.
- Representation of lender in $90 million dollar syndicated construction loan for the redevelopment of land and construction of a Marriott hotel and timeshare project located in Florida.
- Representation of national lender in a multi-million dollar revolving credit and term loan facility to provide working capital funding for Tom Thumb Food Stores, a supermarket gasoline dealer, with stores and gas stations throughout South Florida, including complex perfection rules and regulatory issues.
- Representation of lender in connection with multiple credit facilities, the proceeds of which were used to finance the expansion, including purchase of infrastructure assets, of a national major telecommunications company.
- Local counsel to the lender making a $150,000,000 permanent loan to refinance the Wachovia Financial Center in downtown Miami.
- Represented lenders in a $103,000,000 syndicated acquisition, development and construction loan to construct a mixed use (retail, office and residential) project in Miami-Dade County.
- Represented the lender in acquisition, development and construction loans, in the aggregate amount of $168,000,000, to 13 separate entities to acquire and develop a 415 acre planned unit development of regional impact near Orlando, Florida.
- Represented the lender in a $67,000,000 syndicated construction loan, which included $20,000,000 of mezzanine financing, for a dual branded hotel in downtown Miami.
- Represented the lender in a $100,000,000 loan for the construction of a 379 unit multi-family residential building and retail complex in Broward County, Florida.
- Represented the lender in a $76,000,000 syndicated loan for the construction of a mixed-use residential condominium and retail complex in Sarasota County, Florida.
- Represented the lender in a $66,000,000 loan segregated into three separate facilities, secured by 12 properties consisting of office parks and shopping centers, located in three counties.
- Represented the lender in a $45,000,000 builder line of credit for the acquisition and development of raw land and the construction thereon of single-family homes in multiple phases.
- Represented the lender in multiple loans (syndicated and portfolio) for the construction and permanent financing of charter schools throughout Florida, including a $13,000,000 tax-exempt bond funded transaction.
- Represented the buyer of property in Miami-Dade County, and the subsequent $36,500,000 construction loan for a medical office building thereon.
- Represented lead financial institution in connection with a $55,575,000 syndicated construction loan to build a 192-room hotel in Aventura, Florida.
- Represented bank in negotiation and documentation of $25,000,000 loan secured by a mortgage on a luxury hotel in Miami, Florida.
- Represents institutional lenders in tax-exempt bond, letter of credit, and construction loans for affordable housing projects in Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
- Represented lead financial institution in connection with a $33,800,000 syndicated loan to finance the acquisition of land and construction of a 211-unit multifamily residential project.
- Represented lender in connection with a $42,000,000 loan to build a 190-unit multifamily residential project in Miami, Florida.
- Represented construction lender in $45,800,000 syndicated construction loan to build 288-unit multifamily residential project in Sunrise, Florida.
- Represented lender in negotiation and documentation of a loan to a hotel builder under the SBA 504 program.
- Represented lender making a $36,500,000 construction loan for the development of a 116,000 +/- sq. ft. medical office building in Miami-Dade County
- Represented lender in connection with a $44,250,000 loan for the acquisition of the Conrad Miami Hotel.
Firm Announcements:
Real Estate Shareholder Denay Brown Joins Stearns Weaver Miller’s Tallahassee Office
January 2022
In the Media:
Shareholder Brings Lending Experience To Stearns Weaver
Law360|May 2021