![\"Ken](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790337127_39_MIA_47TRUMPAMERICABUSINESSFORUM.JPG\" "\\"Ken")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Ken Griffin, the billionaire founder and CEO of the hedge fund Citadel.<\/p>\n
Carl Juste<\/p>\n
cjuste@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
Despite opposition from residents and some Miami Beach leaders, billionaire Ken Griffin\u2019s plan to add a private helipad to his megayacht marina cleared a key city committee Thursday and now heads to the full City Commission.<\/p>\n
The dispute centers on how much noise Griffin\u2019s helicopter flights would bring to residents of luxury waterfront high-rise condominiums near the MacArthur Causeway and just south of Fifth Street.<\/p>\n
The helipad is a late addition to the private marina Griffin won approval from Miami Beach to build on Terminal Island, next to the U.S. Coast Guard station at the entrance to Miami Beach. Griffin is expected to dock his 308-foot megayacht, Defy, at the marina.<\/p>\n
Leaders of eight luxury condominium buildings, including the Icon and the Yacht Club at Portofino, spoke out against the proposed helipad at a meeting of the Land Use and Sustainability Committee. Together, the buildings have about 2,000 residents.<\/p>\n
Griffin\u2019s representative, attorney and former Miami Beach Mayor Neisen Kasdin, said the helipad would largely be used by Griffin for his commute around downtown Miami and to and from Miami International Airport.<\/p>\n
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790337127_268_0.jpg\" "\\"0.jpg\\"")
Former Miami Beach Mayor Neisen Kasdin, and now Ken Griffin\u2019s representative, answers questions about the proposed helipad in front of Miami Beach\u2019s Land Use and Sustainability meeting on Thursday, Sept. 24 City of Miami Beach <\/p>\n
Some residents say the helicopter flights would add noise and disruption to an already busy waterfront.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are doing all this for one individual?\u201d Brian O\u2019Brien, who represents condo residents at the Yacht Club at Portofino, asked members of the committee as he urged them to reject the helipad. \u201cWe are upsetting our quality of life so Mr. Griffin can land a little closer to his house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Griffin has a residential compound on nearby Star Island along the MacArthur Causeway.<\/p>\n
Kasdin dismissed the noise concerns, saying it was a \u201clow impact.\u201d issue. He also said Griffin has support from residents of three other nearby wealthy communities \u2014 Star Island, Palm Island and Hibiscus Island.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe helicopter will not impact the buildings south of Fifth Street,\u201d Kasdin told the committee, adding that \u201call the buildings in question were half a mile away from the helipad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kasdin said Griffin hired a sound expert to simulate how much noise the helicopter would generate during takeoffs and landings.<\/p>\n
From a high-rise balcony, the sound would be hardly noticeable, Kasdin said, citing the expert\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the sound level of a normal unamplified conversation,\u201d he said, describing the expected noise level as 65 decibels during the 13 seconds the helicopter would be in flight.<\/p>\n
![\"Ken](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790337128_767_0.jpg\" "\\"0.jpg\\"")
Ken Griffin\u2019s representative showed the committee how the sound travels from the cross in the center of the proposed area to the surrounding high rises marked with numbers, 47, 48, 51 and 65, which is the decibels reached at that point of flight. City of Miami Beach <\/p>\n
Commissioner David Suarez, who chairs the committee, said he wanted to hear the helicopter noise for himself in a \u201creal world test.\u201d Kasdin agreed to arrange a sound test in the coming weeks. A resident of the Icon volunteered his condo unit.<\/p>\n
Commissioners Alex Fernandez and Joseph Magazine advised Griffin\u2019s representatives to try to reach an agreement with residents who are opposing the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to do some more bread breaking,\u201d Magazine said.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Tanya Bhatt voted against advancing the measure, saying she wanted to defer the matter. She told Kasdin that Griffin \u201chas a lot of work to do\u201d before she would support the helipad.<\/p>\n
Bhatt also challenged Kasdin over the U.S. Coast Guard\u2019s position on the proposal.<\/p>\n
When asked whether the Coast Guard had approved the helipad, Kasdin said the agency had \u201cno objection.\u201d Bhatt pointed to documents stating that the Coast Guard actually said it had \u201cno position\u201d on the proposal.<\/p>\n
Bhatt also asked who would use the helipad and how often. Kasdin said Griffin would be the sole user. As an indication of how frequently Griffin uses helicopters, Kasdin said Griffin used a rental helicopter from Watson Island 61 times last year.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790337129_990_Screenshot-2025-10-23-095226.png\" "\\"Screenshot-2025-10-23-095226.png\\"")
A rendering of Ken Griffin\u2019s proposed marina on Terminal Island, which is also home to the Fisher Island ferry terminal and an FPL transformer BMA Architects <\/p>\n
One resident of the Icon warned commissioners that promises made by Griffin could change once the helipad is built.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if they have a wedding and people are arriving on helicopters? We have no recourse if things get out of hand,\u201d said Icon resident John Stimmel. \u201cWe\u2019ll be stuck with the helipad forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
After an hour discussion, the committee approved the proposed change to Miami Beach\u2019s zoning rules that would allow a private helipad as an accessory use in the industrial district.<\/p>\n
The zoning change still must be approved by the full Miami Beach City Commission and go through the city\u2019s planning department.<\/p>\n
But the issue will not be on a city agenda for two months. Magazine advised Kasdin to use the time wisely.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t spend the time lobbying the commissioners, lobby the neighbors,\u201d Magazine told Kasdin, who sponsored the item. \u201cPut all your resources on threading the needle with residents.\u201d Kasdin said, up to now, efforts to negotiate with the residents on Fifth Street have been unsuccessful.<\/p>\n