The North Miami luxury real estate scene will heat up with a new residential development adjacent to landmark Acqualina Resort & Spa. Developed by LPLA Partners with Luxury Living-FENDI CASA at the design helm, it’s being called the Mansions at Acqualina. Construction is just beginning on the luxury high-rise project of 79 “sky mansions,” including a highly anticipated 15,000-square-foot “Palazzo di Oro” penthouse. Even years before its estimated completion date of 2014, this promises to be an incredible next chapter for the AAA Five-Diamond rated Acqualina Resort & Spa, which already draws a platinum-level international crowd to its Sunny Isles beach location.

Acqualina is known for its two-story destination spa, its restaurants, its spacious high rise villa accommodations—but its crowning feature is its beach. Sunny Isles Beach was ranked #1 among U.S. destinations by TripAdvisor Travelcast in 2010, and the stretch fronting Acqualina Resort & Spa lives up to all accolades.

Sims Crane & Equipment, who has been a part of the project from the beginning, was on hand for the ceremonial groundbreaking.  CCO Rahjell Wright was operating Sims' Tadano GT900xl, holding a nearly life size banner of the future mansions, which served as a backdrop to the scene of the dignitaries shoveling the symbolic sand to show that construction was officially underway. After the first dirt was shoveled, the rest of the construction crew and development team that was on hand began to work, and what was once a quiet scene, was now buzzing with activity.

The project is expected to take 18 – 24 months to complete.