Miami Beach resiliency project brings flood protection and frustration for Lincoln Road business

A major construction project in a busy corridor of Miami Beach is designed to protect the city from flooding and improve long-term infrastructure. But for some people who live and work along Lincoln Road and West Avenue, the work is creating short-term challenges they say are hurting daily life and business.

The construction is part of Phase II of the West Avenue Improvements Project, a years-long resiliency project that includes new stormwater drainage systems, water lines and sewer improvements intended to keep roads dry and walkable in the future.

Still, the impact above ground has been hard for some neighbors and business owners to ignore.

“It doesn’t look like a street, and it doesn’t look like it’s livable,” said Adi Zilberberg, a real estate agent who works at the office for Gary Hennes Realtors located on the western portion of Lincoln Road between Bay Road and West Avenue. 

Zilberberg said access has been a major issue for months.

“We had no access, whatsoever. Unless you have a big car, like a Jeep or a Range Rover,” he said, describing muddy and uneven conditions.

He said business depends heavily on walk-in traffic, but ongoing construction has left the area dirty, confusing and, at times, what he believes is unsafe.

“This is like really chaotic,” Zilberberg said.

A long-planned project grows in scope

City officials say the disruption is tied to a large-scale resiliency effort that has been in development for about a decade. Since its start, the entire project’s scope and budget have expanded to more than $100 million.

“So, the entire West Avenue community neighborhood is getting a makeover,” said Heather Leslie, the public information liaison for the West Avenue Phase II project.

Leslie said the goal is to address chronic flooding.

“We want to eliminate the flooding. We want to make sure that the water is going into the system underground clearing as quickly as possible and into the pump station and beyond,” she said.

The owner of the real estate office shared cellphone video with several city officials and commissioners, showing muddy conditions and limited access outside the office.

“It is not accessible by any sidewalks, and it is a giant mud pit right in front of my office,” Hennes said in the video.

He said construction has kept customers and agents away, and estimates commissions have dropped by about $2 million since work began on this block in June 2025.

Although a pedestrian path remains on the south side of the street, the block is closed to car traffic. Reaching businesses on the north side can require navigating the construction zone.

The city says that despite signage indicating road closures, the area remains open to local and business traffic. Zilberberg, however, said that can be inconsistent in practice, based on the ongoing construction.

“In real life, when you’re coming towards there and you have the two bodyguards in front, they need to confirm if you can access or you cannot access,” he said. “Clients sometimes are being rejected. They need to go around.”

City response and next steps

City officials acknowledge the challenges and say crews are trying to balance safety, progress and access.

“And a direct line cutting through the work zone — again, not ideal, but as a way to try to maintain access and maintain a business operating,” Leslie said.

After concerns were raised to city commissioners, crews placed rocks over muddy areas to improve access temporarily. 

“Our hope is to be able to start compacting the area to provide and restore a temporary sidewalk on the north side of Lincoln Road as well,” Leslie said.

Zilberberg said he supports the resiliency project but believes more planning should have been done to reduce the burden on neighbors and businesses.

“They could have planned. They can still do it. They can still fix what is going on. This is not a lost cause,” he said.

“We always have lessons learned as we work in front of each property,” added Leslie, “And things that we can do better as a team.”

In a statement to NBC 6, a Miami Beach spokesperson said:

“City staff is consistently responsive to inquiries related to the West Avenue project. Our goal is to be proactive, responsive and timely in all communications. The project team works collaboratively to review concerns and resolve issues as quickly as possible.  We understand that construction can be disruptive, particularly in a dense and active neighborhood. While we strive to address concerns promptly, there are times when coordination, field conditions or safety requirements mean that solutions cannot be implemented immediately. In those instances, we continue working toward practical resolutions. We also take every opportunity to evaluate feedback and apply lessons learned so we can continue improving how we serve the community throughout the duration of the project.”

The city says it anticipates having this stretch of road at what it refers to as “beneficial occupancy,” which includes being open to vehicle and pedestrian traffic by the end of summer.