20 contractors have filed a total of 30 mechanics liens against the newly completed River Landing Shops & Residences, located at 1400 and 1500 NW North River Drive, Miami, FL. Altogether, the liens total approximately $9.4 million.
Of the 30 liens, seven have been released, meaning the owner and claimant have come to an agreement to settle the debt.
River Landing Development LLC is the owner listed in the mechanics lien filings, a Florida-based development company with Andrew Hellinger at its head. Andrew Hellinger is a principal at Urban-X, a Miami-based development firm.
Balfour Beatty, one of the top 20 largest general contractors in the country according to Engineering News-Record, and Golden Sands General Contractors were named as general contractors on the project.
30 mechanics liens filed against River Landing Shops & Residences
Contractors can file a mechanics lien when they haven’t been paid for their work on a construction project. Mechanics liens work by encumbering the property and giving the claimant an involuntary security interest in it. This means the property can’t be sold until the debt is paid. Sometimes, mechanics liens can result in a lawsuit and the forced sale of the property so the owner can pay the debt.
Active mechanics liens against River Landing
The first and most valuable mechanics lien that’s still active was filed by Baker Concrete Construction, Inc. Pursuant to a contract with Balfour Beatty, Baker provided “turnkey cast-in-place concrete” labor, services, and other related materials and services for the project. Baker first provided labor and materials on November 8, 2017, and work is still ongoing.
In accordance with Florida lien law, Baker sent a notice to owner to RL Miami LP on December 4, 2017.
The original contract price between Baker and Balfour Beatty was $78,808,230, and a total of $5.84 million is still unpaid. Baker Concrete filed their mechanics lien on March 25, 2020 to claim those unpaid wages.
The second-highest active mechanics lien was filed by Advanced Stucco. Advanced Stucco contracted directly with RL Miami to provide stucco installation and other related work for the River Landing project.
Advanced Stucco’s original contract price was $4.1 million, and they filed a mechanics lien to claim the unpaid amount of $510,200 on October 20, 2020. Advanced Stucco first provided labor and materials on January 1, 2020 and last provided labor and materials on September 29, 2020.
The third-highest active mechanics lien was filed by Gate Precast Co. on July 6, 2020. Gate Precast was hired by Balfour Beatty to supply architectural precast concrete members for the project starting on July 6, 2018 and ending on January 21, 2020.
The original contract price for Gate Precast was around $4 million, and they’re still owed approximately $435,300.
Here’s a rundown for the rest of the mechanics liens which are still active on the project:
- Coastal Masonry — $418,800 on January 5, 2020
- J. Raymond Construction Corp. — $394,600 on November 4, 2020
- Advanced Contractors of Florida — two liens totaling $338,500 on November 19, 2020
- EMM-Trace — two liens totaling $256,200 on August 7, 2020
- Art Sign Co. — six liens totaling $232,700 on September 29, October 2, October 7, and November 12, 2020
- ABW Electric — two liens totaling $130.300 on November 20 and 30, 2020
- Cailis Mechanical Corp. — $72,600 on October 30. 2020
- Ozinga South Florida — $63,200 on April 22, 2020
- L&W Supply — $45,900 on November 13, 2020
- CGI Floor Covering — $36,100 December 2, 2020
- Caroni Interiors — $29,200 on August 17, 2020
- A Beautiful Ceiling — $8,000 on November 12, 2020
A few of the projects (namely the ones that ABW Electric, Art Sign Co., and Cailis worked on) list some of the big retailers and other businesses that are leasing (or planning to lease) retail space at the River Landing development.
ABW named Hobby Lobby, Ross, and Five Below as lessees of property they worked on. Art Sign Co. named Five Below, ULTA, Old Navy, Publix, and Ross as leasehold owners in their mechanics lien filings.
7 liens against River Landing released
Seven of the 30 liens against River Landing have been released so far.
Banker Steel Co. filed a mechanics lien to claim $677,200 on May 27, 2020. Banker was contracted with Balfour Beatty for an original contract price of $30.47 million to install structural steel for the project.
Poma Metals filed a mechanics lien to claim the unpaid amount of $140,500 on September 29, 2020. The original contract price between Poma and Balfour Beatty was $1.13 million. Poma provided architectural labor and materials to the project between the dates of January 10, 2019, and July 15, 2020.
Futura USA filed a lien to claim unpaid bills that add up to $53,400 on June 4, 2020. The original contract price was $352,100, and Futura was contracted with EMM-Trace.
Next on the list is Titus Construction Group, who filed three mechanics liens on the River Landing development. The liens claim a total of $12,300 in unpaid construction bills, and they were all filed on August 17, 2020. Titus was contracted with Golden Sands General Contractors to provide labor and services related to installing door frames, doors and hardware, and drywall finishing.
Last on the list is Superior Mix Corp. Superior Mix filed a mechanics lien for $2,225.60, the entire value of their contract with Jireh Builder Corporation. The lien was filed on June 4, 2020.
Each mechanics lien was filed with the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Court.
Liens filed on River Landing follow long foreclosure lawsuit
The mechanics liens filed on River Landing follow a long and drawn-out foreclosure lawsuit. In 2015, Eastwatch Holdings T, an affiliate of Northstar Realty Finance, filed a foreclosure lawsuit worth around $38.19 million against River Landing Development.
The lawsuit claimed that the developer was in default to the Eastwatch for the multi-million dollar mortgage that was issued in 2014. Andrew Hellinger, the owner of River Landing Development, bought the 8.1 acres of land in 2014 for $26 million.
Over the course of two years of litigation, a Toronto-based company called River Landing Acquisitions, an affiliate of H&R REIT, bought the mortgage. Under these terms, the Canadian company assumes financial responsibility and takes charge of the project’s construction.
H&R REIT owns millions of square feet of mixed-use development across Canada and the United States, and their portfolio is valued at around $13 billion.
In 2017, a settlement was reached and construction on the project could begin with H&R REIT and Urban-X at the helm.