RK Centers alleges restaurant refused Covid relief, vacated property

A Sunny Isles Beach landlord said a restaurant refused relief and vacated the property.

Many tenants are seeking relief from landlords due to the pandemic, but a Sunny Isles Beach landlord said a restaurant refused relief and instead vacated the property.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, RK Centers alleges La Barra Restaurant “willfully disregarded relief programs as a result of COVID-19” and in March stopped making its $10,342 monthly payment on its five-year lease. The complaint alleges the restaurant then vacated the property at 17032 Collins Avenue on April 1.

On April 2, the landlord sent the tenant a notice of default, alleging La Barra owed all rent and operating expenses, totaling $594,381, according to the suit. La Barra is owned by Juaisa Investments, led by Sabrina Andrea Manzo of Weston, records show. The suit alleges Manzo guaranteed the lease.

RK Centers is suing La Barra, Juaisa Investments and Manzo in Miami-Dade Circuit Court for breach of lease and breach of guaranty.

La Barra, which advertises itself as a casual Argentinian/Latin restaurant, did not immediately return a request for comment.

RK Centers is a privately-held real estate development company that owns about 9 million square feet of commercial space, according to its website.

Many of the properties are in Sunny Isles Beach and Aventura, including the RK Village Plaza at 18090-18290 Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach.

The company is led by Raanan Katz, who was an original partner in the National Basketball Association’s Miami Heat and was a former basketball player in Israel.

The post RK Centers alleges restaurant refused Covid relief, vacated property appeared first on The Real Deal Miami.

from The Real Deal Miami & Miami Florida Real Estate & Housing News | & Curbed Miami - All https://therealdeal.com/miami/2020/06/25/rk-centers-alleges-restaurant-refused-covid-relief-vacated-property/
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