FAA Applications Reveal Intention to Build One of Florida’s Tallest Towers

MIAMI, Fla. – In a bold step forward for its new headquarters, hedge fund giant Citadel has submitted applications to the Federal Aviation Administration seeking approval to operate what could become the tallest construction cranes in Florida’s history. The move signals concrete progress in Citadel’s highly anticipated plans to build a 1,040-foot supertall skyscraper in Miami’s Brickell financial district.

According to FAA filings, Citadel is requesting clearance for three cranes, with two slated to reach 1,298 feet and a third expected to rise to 1,297 feet. These heights would surpass those used in any other construction project in Florida to date.

The cranes are planned to be in use from October 2025 through April 2027, giving a strong indication that the project’s groundbreaking could take place before the end of this year. Citadel is working with Capitol Airspace Group, a Virginia-based aviation consulting firm, to handle the application process. The firm declined to comment when contacted by CoStar News.

A Landmark Project for a City on the Rise

Citadel, led by billionaire CEO Ken Griffin, announced in 2022 that it would relocate its headquarters from Chicago to Miami, reinforcing South Florida’s growing reputation as a magnet for finance, technology, and real estate investment.

“Miami is unequivocally one of the great up-and-coming cities, not just in Florida, not just in America, but in the world. It’s nice to be in a city where people are optimistic about the future,” Griffin said in a recent interview for Bloomberg’s “Bullish.”

The planned tower at 1201 Brickell Bay Drive is part of Citadel’s broader vision for a 1.7-million-square-foot campus, including 1.2 million square feet of office space that will house Citadel and other high-profile financial and legal firms.

“Law firms, private equity, Citadel. Not just us … Wall Street South,” Griffin told Bloomberg, calling the building “one of the greatest office buildings built in the world.”

A New Era for Miami’s Skyline

The Citadel tower would become Miami’s second supertall building under construction — defined as any structure exceeding 987 feet in height — and would further solidify the city’s emergence as the tallest skyline in the U.S. south of New York City.

Developers across the city are racing to bring several supertalls to life. The Waldorf Astoria Hotel & Residences, already rising above the Miami River, is expected to top out at 1,049 feet, making it the city’s first completed supertall. When its FAA permits were filed in 2024, the tallest crane proposed was 1,238 feet, roughly 60 feet shorter than the cranes Citadel now proposes.

The Citadel project will also include a hotel with 212 rooms on its upper levels, along with public open spaces and a waterfront terrace at the base of the tower — features designed to both anchor the neighborhood and enhance access to Biscayne Bay.

Super Skyscrapers Face Mixed Fortunes

While Citadel and the Waldorf Astoria tower appear to be progressing, not all proposed supertalls have fared as well in Miami’s volatile real estate market.

Swire Properties recently canceled plans for its One Brickell City Centre tower — another nearly 1,000-foot office building — due to sluggish preleasing activity. The developer has since enlisted CBRE to market the site as it pivots toward a different project: the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences.

Despite such setbacks, Citadel’s advancement sends a clear signal that Miami’s appeal to global financial firms is far from fleeting.

If approved, Citadel’s project could become a new architectural and economic landmark in Brickell, representing not only a physical transformation of the skyline but also the city’s continued evolution into a financial powerhouse.

Originally reported by Joshua S. Andino in Co Star News.