WGM: Ken Griffin is Miami's Santa, Gil Dezer Scores $630M, & Bey Bey Returns
With season upon us, Miami headlines are heating up and the weather is cooling down.
On My Mind
Community isn’t something you join, it’s something you feel. And once you’ve felt it, you can’t unsee its power. The right people, the right energy, the right city… it changes how you move through the world.
Today, culture isn’t shaped by billboards or big budgets. It’s shaped by us, the clusters of creatives, locals, weirdos, founders, artists, and taste-makers who collide in real time and give Miami its pulse. Trends don’t trickle down from institutions anymore; they surge up from communities who trust each other more than any ad.
In a world where the feed never stops, attention goes to whoever shows up with intention, consistency, and something to genuinely offer. That’s the whole game now: earn trust, contribute meaningfully, and let the community amplify what’s real.
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Beach Business
Ken Griffin is Miami’s Santa Clause
The billionaire financier is sprinkling serious generosity across South Florida.
$630M Loan Powers the Bentley Residences
Dezer Development has secured construction loan for Bentley Residences.
Robotaxis Coming to South Florida
Tesla is reportedly bringing its long-promised robotaxi fleet to Miami.
Florida Flexes: 22 Hotels Earn Michelin Keys
Twenty-two hotels across the state earned the coveted Michelin Key.
$30 Million Penthouse Comes with a Supercar
The new Pagani Residences in North Bay Village just redefined excess.
Hospitality: Local Insider
Bey Bey Reloaded: Sunset Harbor’s Comeback Kid
One of our favorites, Bey Bey, is finally reopening in Sunset Harbour.
Eyal Shani Doubles Down on Miami Beach
Eyal Shani is opening not one, but two restaurants in Miami Beach.
Cotoa is named one of the Best New Restaurants in the Country
Cotoa proves that the next great Miami restaurant doesn’t have to chase trends.
Rumor Has It….
A new hotel on Collins might be Miami Beach’s most expensive ghost story.
Real Estate: Luxe Listings We Love
The Most Miami House Ever
New listing from my homegirl Lourdes Alatriste is dripping in vintage Miami swag.
BEACH BUSINESS
KEN GRIFFIN IS MIAMI’S SANTA CLAUSE
Move over Saint Nick, Ken Griffin has the sleigh this season. The billionaire financier has been sprinkling serious generosity across South Florida, cutting checks to nearly every major institution from education and healthcare to the arts and public safety. What started as a high-profile relocation has turned into a full-scale civic makeover: hospitals expanded, museums reimagined, schools funded, and parks polished. The charities are lining up….
In November 2025 the PAMM announced a $20 million gift from Ken Griffin to accelerate its restoration and renewal efforts. In November 2024 PAMM publicly announced that Ken Griffin would donate $10 million to the institution.
In March 2024, Baptist Health Foundation announced a $50 million gift from Ken Griffin to advance neurological care in South Florida.
Ken Griffin recently gave $2 million more to Achieve Miami’s Teacher Accelerator Program. Previously he had given $3.5 million to the same program.
Ken Griffin made a notable gift to Lotus House, the women’s-and‐children’s homeless shelter in Miami. According to a recent article, he donated US $5 million toward the new “Children’s Village” campus in Overtown.
He was part of a $50 million gift (or commitment) to bring Success Academy (a charter-school network) into Florida/Miami.
In a city where flash often overshadows foundation, Griffin’s giving spree feels like a power move with purpose. He’s not just buying art or penthouses, although he is buying those too, he’s underwriting Miami’s future. Whether you see it as philanthropy, legacy-building, or both, one thing’s clear: this holiday season, Ken Griffin isn’t just on the nice list, he’s writing it.
$630M LOAN POWERS THE BENTLEY RESIDENCES
The ultra-luxury condo game in South Florida just hit another gear. Dezer Development has secured a staggering $630 million construction loan to bring the 61-story, 216-unit Bentley Residences to life on Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach. The project blends British automotive precision with Miami’s appetite for spectacle, and naturally, it’s being built by Florida’s sexiest developer, Gil Dezer.
This isn’t just another glass tower. Expect private sky garages accessed via Dezer’s patented Dezervator, in-unit pools, a cigar and whiskey lounge, and a restaurant by chef Todd English, all wrapped in design by Sieger Suarez Architects in collaboration with Bentley Motors. Units start around $5.8 million, with penthouses soaring past $37 million.
ROBOTAXIS COMING TO SOUTH FLORIDA
Elon Musk’s next experiment is rolling straight into South Florida. Tesla is reportedly bringing its long-promised robotaxi fleet to Miami, marking one of the first major markets outside Texas to test a fully autonomous ride-sharing network. Think self-driving Teslas picking you up in Brickell, dropping you off in Wynwood, and charging you by the mile, all without a driver in sight.
FLORIDA FLEXES: 22 HOTELS EARN MICHELIN KEYS
The Michelin Guide 2025 just dropped, and Florida officially arrived on the world stage. Twenty-two hotels across the state earned the coveted Michelin Key distinction, ranking Florida third in the nation, just behind California and New York. At the top sits Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in the Keys, Florida’s only Three-Key property. At the Two-Key level, icons like Faena Miami Beach, The Setai, and Four Seasons at The Surf Club lead the pack, joined by Four Seasons Palm Beach, Mayfair House, and The Marquesa in Key West. The One-Key category paints a broader picture of Florida’s evolution, from legacy names like The Breakers and 1 Hotel South Beach to new-era standouts such as Palm House, The Moore, and Hotel Greystone.
$30 MILLION PENTHOUSE COMES WITH A SUPERCAR
Only in Miami. The new Pagani Residences in North Bay Village just redefined excess: buy a penthouse, get a hypercar. The two top units, priced at $28.5 million and $30 million, each come with a custom Miami Edition Pagani Utopia Roadster, one of the rarest and most coveted supercars on the planet. Buyers will even be flown to Italy to collaborate with Horacio Pagani himself on the car and condos final design.
HOSPITALITY: LOCAL INSIDER
BEY BEY RELOADED: SUNSET HARBOR’S COMEBACK KID
We’re excited that one of our favorites, Bey Bey, is finally reopening in Sunset Harbour this fall after fighting back through a long stretch of permitting challenges. The Miami Beach restaurant from Tiger Saliba and Samuel Baum is relaunching with a new concept led by Yucatán-born chef Roberto Solís, whose restaurant Huníik has been featured on Latin America’s 50 Best. Making his U.S. debut, Solís will bring a fusion of Yucatán and Lebanese flavors centered on open-fire cooking, charcoal, and spice—a concept inspired by the team’s travels through Mexico City and Mérida. Chef Geoff Lee, who helped open the original Bey Bey, returns as chef de cuisine to help steer the next chapter.
EYAL SHANI DOUBLES DOWN ON MIAMI BEACH
The Israeli chef and global culinary showman Eyal Shani is opening not one, but two restaurants in Miami Beach. The first, Bella, will debut this November inside the South Beach Hotel, a Mediterranean-Italian hybrid built around handmade pastas, seafood, and Shani’s signature vegetable-driven flair. A second, still-unnamed concept is set to follow in early 2026, continuing his obsession with turning humble ingredients into art. Both promise a softer, more soulful take on Shani’s theatrical style than his previous tomato obsessed-clubstaurant HaSalon. Miami doesn’t need another dinner party, it needs Shani’s original Telavivian cooking that brought us the whole roasted cauliflower that took over the world.
COTOA IS NAMED ONE OF THE BEST NEW RESTAURANTS IN COUNTRY
Miami’s own Cotoa just earned a spot on The Infatuation’s list of the best restaurants in the country, and it’s easy to see why. What started as a humble ode to Ecuadorian flavors has evolved into one of the city’s most inspired dining experiences. Cotoa doesn’t just represent Ecuadorian cuisine; it redefines it, turning pantry staples like plantains, cassava, and rice into art. Cotoa proves that the next great Miami restaurant doesn’t have to chase trends, it just has to take what we already love and make it sing.
Rumor Has It…
Rumor has it there’s a new hotel on Collins Avenue that might be Miami Beach’s most expensive ghost story. After pouring hundreds of millions into renovations the property is reportedly sitting nearly empty. The lobby’s pristine, the staff is polished, but the rooms? Unbooked. If the numbers don’t turn soon, this might go down as one of the biggest missteps in Miami hospitality history: a multi-million dollar mirage shimmering by the ocean, waiting for guests who never came.
REAL ESTATE: LUXE LISTINGS WE LOVE
The Most Miami House Ever
A new listing from my homegirl Lourdes Alatriste, the cougar from Coconut Grove is dripping in vintage Miami swag. And where Lourdes goes the money flows. Picture this: if Tony Montana and Gianni Versace had a pink baby, raised it at The Delano, and gave it a trust fund big enough to buy Coconut Grove, this would be it. A fairytale fortress dripping in drama, design, and undeniable Miami energy.
The Great Hall hits you first — 30-foot vaulted ceilings, stone fireplaces, and antique stained glass straight out of a cathedral, all lit by French bronze chandeliers and Jerusalem stone floors. There’s a La Cornue chef’s kitchen, a keystone-edged infinity pool, a cement dock, and even a rooftop sundeck for those sunset champagne moments. Add in Fernando Wong landscaping, Murano chandeliers from B.F. Signoretti, and custom metalwork by Belt Designs, and you’ve got the definition of bespoke excess. Oh, and did we mention the 3,000-square-foot unfinished basement? Even the unfinished parts flex.
This isn’t just a house, it’s a Miami mood board brought to life. One part Gothic romance, one part beach club fantasy, and all parts ridiculous perfection.
1840 S Bayshore Ln, Miami, FL 33133
Yours For: 24,000,000
Closing Thoughts
At the end of the day, everything comes back to contribution. Cities rise on the backs of communities who create more energy than they consume, the people who show up, add value, and keep their promises. Miami moves fast, but the people shaping it aren’t chasing virality; they’re building trust, one moment at a time.
If you give to your community with clarity and consistency, it gives back in ways you can’t predict. That’s the loop. That’s the magic. And that’s the whole point of What’s Good, to connect the people who move this city forward, reveal what matters, and amplify the culture we’re all building together.
Keep your SPF high and your standards higher.
See you at the beach.
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For much less than the cost of your morning matcha, subscribe to get full access to the intel that matters. Cement your status as an insider and support your community. We love you Miami.
PS. You can write off your subscription, it’s a cost of doing business in the MIA.