The lawsuit claims the condo association and its directors have violated the city’s zoning code Miami 21 that prohibits short-term rentals in multifamily buildings such as Opera Tower. Condo association attorney Jose Baloyra and Dispoto’s lawyers, Janet Varnell and Brian Warnick, did not respond to phone messages and emails requesting comment. Warhaft, the condo board’s president and Florida East Coast’s chief development officer, declined comment. Opera Tower LLC also owns the building’s commercial spaces and is managed by Jerome Hollo, executive vice president of Florida East Coast Realty, which developed the 56-story tower. The defendants are the building’s management and leasing entity Opera Tower LLC, the Opera Tower Condominium Association and condo board directors Dean Warhaft, Joseph Arthur and Michael Smith. Yet, as many as 200 unit owners would be eligible for class action status, and damages would exceed $5 million, according to the suit. The plaintiff is Joseph Dispoto, who purchased an Opera Tower one-bedroom unit in 2007. The complaint, filed in Miami federal court on June 21 and seeking class action status, is the latest legal tussle involving unauthorized rentals of 30 days or less at the 635-unit luxury tower at 1750 North Bayshore Drive in Miami’s Arts and Entertainment District. Miami’s Opera Tower with Jerome Hollo (Opera Tower Leasing)įor years, the Opera Tower Condominium Association has allowed illegal short-term rentals to run rampant, causing building expenses to skyrocket and property values to crater, according to a recently filed lawsuit.

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