The Messi effect is alive and well in Brickell, where Cipriani Residences has quietly turned into one of Miami’s hottest tickets. The branded tower is rising fast into the neighborhood skyline as crews push toward handover, and brokers say interest across multiple floorplans has picked up in a big way. For local end users and far‑off investors alike, the combination of Cipriani hospitality, oversized terraces and Biscayne Bay views has turned the project into an early must‑see.
Developer Mast Capital is marketing an upscale building with 397 residences and roughly 50,000 square feet of amenities, with an occupancy target in the fourth quarter of 2027. The project’s materials list one to four bedroom homes starting near $1.8 million, while a limited Canaletto Collection on the upper floors begins around $4.1 million. Interiors come from London design studio 1508, and on‑site sales and marketing are being handled by Fortune Development Sales, according to the developer’s website.
Construction hit a very visible benchmark this spring when the tower rose to roughly 872 feet, which temporarily made it the tallest residential structure in Florida as crews continued driving the superstructure upward. That rise has gone hand in hand with rapid enclosure work and interior buildout as the team shifts focus to upper level spaces.
Messi Moved The Needle
Interest took a noticeable jump after reports last year that soccer star Lionel Messi went under contract on four units in the tower, a storyline that regional outlets eagerly picked up. The reported buys include a four bedroom residence priced at about $7.5 million, a splashy move that helped pull the project onto the radar for both domestic and international buyers.
As noted by the Miami Herald, that kind of celebrity endorsement tends to speed up demand at branded condo projects, and Cipriani Residences is no exception.
This week the New York Post reported that the development is now over 80 percent sold, with buyers said to include executives from Citadel and Amazon, a jump the outlet links directly to Messi’s purchases. Other market trackers and broker tallies paint a slightly more nuanced picture, with some estimates landing near 60 percent presold and others putting sell through well above 70 percent. The spread comes down to how different sources count reservations versus executed contracts. For alternative snapshots of the presale curve, see market reports from LuxuryDade and commentary from Bensimon Luxury.
Why Buyers Are Rushing
Industry observers point to a mix of forces that have sharpened demand at Cipriani and similar projects. Branded residences are attracting buyers who want hotel level service and a true lock and leave setup, while Miami’s steady influx of wealth and corporate relocations keeps expanding the pool of potential owners.
Analysts have also flagged how tax and regulatory changes in traditional gateway cities can push high net worth buyers toward Florida, which in turn helps branded towers move inventory more quickly. For more on that dynamic, see reporting and analysis from OffTheMrkt, along with national coverage of Miami’s buyer wave on Realtor.com.
What It Means For Brickell
Strong performance at Cipriani would reinforce Brickell’s recent streak of ultra luxury, branded towers and the neighborhood’s growing appeal to global private wealth. The project moved ahead after Mast Capital locked in a record construction financing package to fund the build, a milestone widely covered in industry media that highlighted lender confidence in large scale luxury developments. For more on the loan structure and the developer’s remarks, see coverage from The Real Deal and Mast Capital’s own materials.
Developers and the Cipriani family have framed the tower as the brand’s first ground up residential project in the United States and a long term bet on Miami’s trajectory. The New York Post quoted Cipriani family members and Mast Capital executives celebrating both sales momentum and the topping out milestone, language that underscores the building’s cachet as well as the commercial risk that comes with high end branded condos. Whether Cipriani Residences ultimately resets pricing benchmarks for Brickell will come down to how closings, resale activity and the conversion of reservations into recorded sales play out once the tower delivers.
