Apartments Under Construction in Key Biscayne: What International Buyers Should Know

A project announced in Key Biscayne and a project actually under construction are not the same thing, and the difference shows up in the county permit record. A buyer abroad can check it without flying in.

Sales material is produced before the building exists: a sales gallery, renderings and a scale model can be ready while the land still has no foundation permit. Knowing where the permit file stands changes what you are buying, because a project with an approved vertical permit and a crane on site carries a different risk from one still in municipal review. That information is public and free, and the seller does not control it.

Key Biscayne moves through a different channel because the village keeps its own permit counter and because everything that reaches the island crosses a single bridge. For a buyer abroad that is not scenery, it is logistics. The contractor quoting a renovation prices in travel and the delivery window in which material can be unloaded; the appraiser and the inspector your lender sends depend on that same bridge; and scheduled work can stop because of a closure nobody told the buyer about. On top of that, the county does not grant the approval: height, setback, landscaping and dune protection rules are set by the village, and when the parcel touches the shore a state authority enters as well, so a wall, a dock or a pool may require more than one file. Ask your insurance broker how the carrier reads the exposure of that specific parcel and what it requires before issuing; ask your closing attorney whether dune restrictions or easements are recorded on title; ask the village which work is approved at the counter and which goes before a board. It also pays to learn who manages the building or the association, because on a small island the manager is the person who actually answers.

What is specific to Key Biscayne

What to verify, step by step

1. Ask for the project's exact address and parcel number, not the marketing name, because permit files are searched by parcel.
2. Look that parcel up at the county permitting centre and see which permits are open, closed or merely applied for.
3. Check the county appraiser's record for what stands on that land today: if it still shows vacant or an older structure, the work has not progressed.
4. Ask in writing what stage construction is at and request the date of the last approved inspection report, not a verbal description of progress.
5. If you cannot travel to Key Biscayne, commission a Florida-licensed broker or an independent inspector to visit and send dated site photographs.
6. Ask about the city or town permit as well, because the municipality and the county run separate processes.

Mistakes that cost money

• Confusing the sales launch with the construction start: the sales gallery opens long before the structural permit.
• Accepting undated photographs, or a crane from a neighbouring project, as proof of progress.
• Assuming an applied-for permit is an approved permit.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know the project I am being offered really exists?

Through the parcel. With the exact address and parcel number you can pull the county permit file and the appraiser's record, and both sources are public and free.

Can I verify progress without travelling to Key Biscayne?

On paper, yes: permits and approved inspections are searchable online. For the physical state of the site it is worth commissioning a visit with dated photographs from someone licensed in Florida.

Which permit shows that construction has started?

It depends on the project and the municipality, which is why you read the whole file rather than trusting a single document. The county permitting centre shows the sequence and the dates.

Where to check it

• Miami-Dade Permitting and Inspection Center — open or closed building permits on an address
• Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser — record card, area, year built and parcel history
• Miami-Dade Board of Rules and Appeals — the county's building recertification programme
• Florida DBPR — whether a broker, appraiser or contractor holds a current licence
• Village of Key Biscayne — the rules of the municipality Key Biscayne belongs to

Official bodies. Specific figures are requested there, not copied from a listing.

Updated 2026-11-06