East of Collins Expediting  ·  May 2026

Balcony Enclosure Permits · Air Rights Sunny Isles Beach · TDR Program Florida · Condo Renovation Permits · South Florida Permitting · Miami-Dade Building Permits · Sunny Isles Beach Construction

Your Balcony Is Worth More Than You Think. But the Window to Act Is Closing.

A conversation between Joey Newman of Newman Construction and Carmin Tillit, VP of East of Collins Expediting — on what it actually takes to enclose a balcony in Sunny Isles Beach, why the air rights won’t last, and why the value is impossible to argue with.

If you own a unit in Sunny Isles Beach, you’ve probably looked out at your balcony and wondered: what if this were inside?

More square footage. Cooler in summer. Usable year-round. A living space, a home office, an extension of everything you already love about where you live.

It’s possible. We’ve done it — including Mansions at Acqualina, one of Sunny Isles Beach’s most iconic addresses. But it is not as simple as putting up windows. Not even close.

Here’s the full picture — what a balcony enclosure actually involves, what the air rights situation in Sunny Isles Beach really looks like right now, and what the team behind some of the most successful enclosures in the city wants every owner to understand before it’s too late to act.

“People Think It’s Just Throwing Up Windows. That Is Far From the Truth.”

That’s Joey Newman, founder of Newman Construction — one of South Florida’s most trusted names in condo renovation and enclosure work. He’s right. And it’s the single most important thing for any owner considering a balcony enclosure to understand upfront.

A balcony enclosure in Sunny Isles Beach is not a renovation project. It is a real estate transaction, a legal process, a permitting effort, and a construction project — all running in sequence, each depending on the one before it.

Before a single window goes up, before a permit is pulled, before construction begins — you have to secure something the city calls air rights. That step alone typically takes around four months — and the full journey from start to construction completion can be a year or more.

“You purchase the air rights, and that process alone takes roughly four months. That waiting period is where the trust between our teams really gets built — knowing that everything is being managed, that the next step is permitting, and that the process is moving even when it doesn’t feel like it. That trust is the foundation of what we’ve built together on these balconies.”

— Joey Newman, Newman Construction

What Are Air Rights — and Why Do They Matter for Your Balcony?

In Sunny Isles Beach, every building is permitted up to a certain amount of livable square footage — what’s known as Floor Area Ratio (FAR). When a building was originally designed, the balconies were intentionally left as open, unconditioned space. They do not count toward that square footage limit.

When you enclose a balcony, you are converting that open space into conditioned, livable interior square footage. That means you need to purchase the right to add that square footage — and that right comes in the form of a Transfer of Development Rights, or TDR, purchased through the City of Sunny Isles Beach’s public TDR bank.

Think of it as buying the legal right to expand your unit’s footprint — not just square footage in a construction sense, but square footage in a legal, recorded, city-approved sense. It changes your unit’s official floor area. It adds to your property’s assessed value. And it requires City Commission approval before a single permit application ever reaches the Building Department.

The Air Rights Won’t Be There Forever. The City Has Said So Directly.

This is the part of the conversation that every owner in Sunny Isles Beach needs to hear clearly.

The TDR bank is not unlimited. The city has explicitly communicated that there are only a certain number of air rights available to issue — and they are being drawn down with every approved enclosure. Once that supply is exhausted, there is no guarantee more will become available. This is not speculation. This is what the city has confirmed, directly, to the teams doing this work.

“The city has been clear with us — there’s only a limited amount of air rights they’ll issue. They’re not guaranteed. That’s the most important thing for owners to understand. It’s a process, and you have to trust the process. But you also have to start the process while the opportunity still exists.”

— Joey Newman, Newman Construction

For owners who have been thinking about this — who have been sitting on the idea, waiting for the right time — the right time is not a later decision. The right time is now, while the supply exists and while the process is understood.

When the air rights are gone, the option is gone. There is no workaround.

What the Process Actually Looks Like — Step by Step

Here is what a successful balcony enclosure in Sunny Isles Beach actually requires — in the correct sequence:

The Value. You Don’t Even Need to Do the Math.

The value of a balcony enclosure is straightforward: you are adding real, conditioned, livable square footage to your unit. Whatever that square footage is worth in your building — that’s what you’re adding to your property. It’s not a percentage game. It’s not a formula. It’s square footage that wasn’t there before, now permanently yours, recorded with the city, and reflected in your unit’s official floor area.

But the value calculation isn’t just about resale. It’s about what you’re getting — and what you never expected to have when you bought.

“Owners are genuinely proud when their space gets done — and they should be. The value it brings to their property is real. Between the air rights adding official square footage and the construction delivering a finished, livable space, what they end up with is something they never imagined having when they bought. The math speaks for itself.”

— Carmin Tillit, VP, East of Collins Expediting

Between what the air rights add in official square footage and what the construction delivers in livable space, owners consistently walk away with something they didn’t think was possible when they bought their unit. Something they didn’t know to plan for. And something that — in most cases — permanently increases the value, the functionality, and the feeling of their home.

That’s what this process is for. That’s what it delivers, when it’s done right.

A Partnership Built on Balconies

The collaboration between East of Collins Expediting and Newman Construction didn’t start as a formal arrangement. It grew out of doing the work — enclosure after enclosure — until the trust between the two teams became the foundation of what they offer together.

“The balconies have been the thread that tied this partnership together. Between the air rights work and the construction, we’re giving owners something they never expected to have when they bought their unit — and watching them see the finished space for the first time never gets old. That’s what we’re both in this for.”

— Carmin Tillit, VP, East of Collins Expediting & Joey Newman, Newman Construction

East of Collins Expediting handles the legal, regulatory, and permitting architecture of the project — the air rights acquisition, the City Commission process, and the building permit coordination. Newman Construction handles the physical build — managing construction through private residences with the care and accountability that high-end condo owners expect.

Together, they’ve completed enclosures across Sunny Isles Beach. The process is known. The relationships with the city are established. The steps are understood — which means the timeline is as efficient as this process allows, and the result is as seamless as the owner deserves.

It is a definitive team effort. And it shows in every completed enclosure.

If You’re Thinking About This — Here’s What to Do Now

There are a few things every Sunny Isles Beach condo owner should understand before reaching out: