Construction on South Beach's long-promised 5th Street Pedestrian Bridge has come to a halt, and Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez is warning that the standoff with Florida Power & Light could cause a months-long blackout across the neighborhood if an underground feeder line is damaged.

The problem: FPL cannot accurately locate underground transmission lines that feed power to South Beach. Contractors drilling for bridge pilings near the MacArthur Causeway have nowhere safe to dig.

"They got it wrong three times," Suarez told WPLG Local 10 on Wednesday, July 16. "In fact, on the second time that they gave the city and the developer a location, when they started to drill it for pilings, they hit the encasement of the FPL feeder line."

Suarez said a punctured feeder line could knock out electricity across South Beach for months.

Utility dispute halts construction

The bridge was first proposed around 2019 as part of a development agreement between the city and Terra Group, the developer behind the 28-story Five Park condominium at 500 Alton Road. Construction was underway by early 2025, according to WPLG, but the site now shows only rusting rebar.

FPL has provided location data for the underground lines three separate times, each time inaccurately, according to Suarez. In a statement to WPLG, an FPL spokesperson said the company has "met and exceeded its responsibilities by locating its facilities several times using multiple methods." Under Florida law, FPL said, the developer is responsible for verifying those locations and designing around existing infrastructure.

Suarez raised another concern: The development agreement contains provisions that could allow Terra Group to abandon the bridge project if construction becomes too burdensome. Terra Group had not responded to WPLG's request for comment as of Wednesday.

City explores alternatives

The city's Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee took up the bridge issue on Tuesday, July 15, but deferred action. The next committee review is expected in September, according to the Miami Beach Journal. Commissioner Monica Matteo-Salinas had referred a proposal in March to explore replacing the bridge with an over-water Baywalk connection.

Suarez said he has asked the city manager to explore alternative bridge designs, and the developer is hiring an independent consultant to investigate the underground utility situation.

Residents with concerns about the project can contact the city's Public Works Department.