A buyer-focused comparison of construction financing at St. Regis, Bentley and The Estates at Acqualina, with separate St. Regis tower profiles and a clear distinction between development capital and association reserves.
For a Sunny Isles Beach buyer, financial comfort should extend beyond the purchase price. The more consequential question is how clearly a residence's long-term ownership costs can be understood before signing. A substantial construction financing package deserves attention, but it answers a different question from an association's capacity to fund future replacements.
Construction loans finance development; they are not evidence of association reserves. That distinction frames this five-entry comparison: three developments, with St. Regis also examined separately at the South and North Tower level. The order is a financing-focused shortlist, not a verified ranking of lower special-assessment exposure. The tower profiles overlap with the overall St. Regis entry and should not be treated as independent projects.
At St. Regis® Residences Sunny Isles, this distinction is particularly important because the financing spans two towers. Buyers should separate development-wide capital from the budget and reserve obligations attached to the specific residence under consideration.
1. St. Regis Residences Sunny Isles Beach: overall development
At 18801 Collins Avenue, Fortune International Group and Château Group's two-tower, 62-story oceanfront development has approximately $532 million in combined disclosed construction financing. The overall project comprises 320 condominium residences. Its position here reflects the detail of its multi-phase financing record, not the largest borrowing amount.
Bank OZK financing reached $418.3 million in December 2025. A further $113.75 million from City National Bank of Florida for the second tower followed in April 2026. These figures establish a substantial development financing record, but they do not establish funded replacement schedules or developer reserve contributions at association turnover.
2. Bentley Residences Sunny Isles: largest individual construction loan
Dezer Development secured a $630 million construction loan from Madison Realty Capital in late 2025 for its Collins Avenue oceanfront project. This is the largest individual construction loan among the three developments considered here, exceeding the combined St. Regis financing figure.
The loan belongs in a buyer's construction-financing review, not in a calculation of available association reserves. To evaluate prospective assessment exposure, request the estimated monthly assessments, association budget and reserve funding policy. The size of the facility alone does not justify describing Bentley as better protected against future special assessments.
3. The Estates at Acqualina: historical development financing
The beachfront development's financing record includes $558 million in Bank OZK construction funding documented in November 2021. That figure provides a substantial historical financing reference, but its date is essential to interpreting it correctly.
For a buyer considering a residence today, this is neither a current reserve balance nor confirmation of remaining new-construction inventory. Establish the particular residence's sales status, then examine current association financial documents. A historical development loan is not a proxy for present financial condition.
4. St. Regis Residences South Tower: tower-level financing and presales
The South Tower's disclosed financing profile includes $418.3 million in Bank OZK construction backing and approximately 90% presales. Treat the presale figure as time-sensitive, not as a current availability statement.
This is a closer view of the development in entry one, not a separate project or another $418.3 million to add to the total. Presales are not evidence of reserve adequacy, either. Buyers should request the South Tower's applicable budget and clarify how any shared expenses would be allocated.
5. St. Regis Residences North Tower: second-phase financing
City National Bank of Florida's $113.75 million financing, disclosed in April 2026, relates to the second tower. The North Tower is planned as a 150-unit building. Its financing is already included in the approximately $532 million development-wide total.
Summer 2026 was the planned groundbreaking window, not confirmation that construction began. Buyers should verify the actual milestone separately and request the budget assumptions applicable to this phase. Neither the planned construction date nor the financing announcement establishes the association's future reserve position.
Brand identity can help purchasers define the ownership experience they want. It cannot establish whether future capital needs have been adequately funded. Neither high residence values nor project scale bridges the gap between construction borrowing and association financial capacity.
For someone evaluating Bentley Residences Sunny Isles, the practical next step is to move beyond the construction-loan headline to the documents supporting monthly ownership costs. Ask which figures are estimates, what assumptions support them and how reserve contributions are presented. A polished sales presentation should come with a financial explanation that can be examined independently.
The same standard applies across the shortlist. No project-specific reserve balance, reserve-study finding, funded replacement schedule or turnover reserve contribution established here supports declaring one development the lower-assessment-risk winner.
Start with the estimated monthly assessment and the association budget. Request a clear distinction between operating expenses and reserve funding, and ask whether the figures are proposed or adopted. The goal is not simply to identify the lowest monthly number, but to understand what it is intended to cover.
Next, request the reserve funding policy, available reserve studies and any replacement schedule supporting the proposed contributions. Ask for current reserve balances where applicable and written details of any developer reserve commitments at turnover. These are document requests, not assumptions that a particular project has made such commitments.
Finally, examine special-assessment history or policy where applicable. Ask how an unplanned funding requirement would be addressed, and have counsel explain the relevant governing documents. For the two St. Regis towers, clarify tower-specific and shared financial responsibilities without assuming that the development-wide financing structure determines those obligations.
When considering The Estates at Acqualina Sunny Isles, keep the November 2021 financing figure in its historical context. The purchase decision should turn on the residence available today and the association documents applicable to that transaction.
Across all three developments, the disciplined approach is the same: assess construction financing on its own terms, then evaluate association funding separately. For buyers prioritizing fewer financial surprises, the strongest conclusion is not that a larger loan offers protection. It is that a credible ownership funding plan must be demonstrated through the documents governing ongoing costs and future capital needs.
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Begin a quiet conversationA construction loan does not establish association reserve adequacy or protection from future special assessments. Buyers should review association funding separately.
No. They cover three developments, with St. Regis also examined at the South Tower and North Tower levels.
Bentley Residences Sunny Isles has a reported $630 million construction loan from Madison Realty Capital, secured in late 2025.
Approximately $532 million combines $418.3 million from Bank OZK and $113.75 million from City National Bank of Florida. The tower entries do not represent additional financing beyond that total.
Its position reflects the detail of its multi-phase financing record, not the largest loan amount or a verified advantage in special-assessment exposure.
It is a time-sensitive presale figure attributed to developer disclosure. It does not establish current availability or adequate association reserves.
No. Summer 2026 was a planned groundbreaking window, not confirmation that construction began.
No. It is historical Bank OZK construction financing documented in November 2021, not evidence of current association reserves.
Request the estimated monthly assessments, association budget, reserve funding policy, available reserve studies and replacement schedules. Also seek applicable reserve balances, written turnover commitments and special-assessment history or policy.
No lower-risk winner is established in this comparison. The construction-financing figures do not demonstrate project-specific association reserve adequacy.
