The remnants of a 2,000-year-old Tequesta Indian village, a U.S. Army fort and Henry Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel that were unearthed in layers of soil and bedrock in downtown Miami meet the criteria for designation as a protected historic site, the city’s preservation office has concluded.
The report by Miami’s preservation officer means it’s likely the city preservation board will opt to proceed with a full designation study when it meets Tuesday, setting the stage for what could be a protracted legal and political tussle over the fate of plans for commercial development on the site.
Developer MDM Group, meanwhile, said it intends to propose to the city a partial redesign of its high-rise hotel and entertainment complex to preserve and display a portion of the archaeological site, even as it continues to fight preservation on the legal front.