Baptist Health to leave its 709 Alton Road center, where a 38-story Live Local tower is proposed

Baptist Health South Florida plans to move all of its services out of its medical center at 709 Alton Road in South Beach by spring 2027, the health system confirmed to the Miami Herald. City records show that a 38-story redevelopment of the site under the state’s Live Local Act has been under review since March.

The five-story building at Seventh Street and Alton Road houses Baptist’s urgent care, primary care and other doctors’ offices, diagnostic imaging and physical therapy. Baptist leases the space, the Herald reported. The health system said its doctors and services will be available at its other locations, that it is notifying patients, and that it is “exploring opportunities for another location in the area.”

Until the move, the urgent care center in Suite 430 is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, according to Baptist’s website.

What’s planned for the site

On March 30, an application was filed with the city under the Live Local Act for a 38-story mixed-use building on the block, according to the city’s record (case LLA26-0009), which is listed as under review. It followed a Planning Board pre-application on March 19, and a traffic study for the project is also under review. The case summaries online don’t name the applicant or give a unit count, and they don’t say whether the plan is tied to Baptist’s departure. Baptist’s statement, as the Herald reported it, didn’t mention the redevelopment.

The Live Local Act lets developers who set aside 40% of a project’s units as workforce housing build taller and denser than local zoning allows, with approval by city staff and no public hearing. The city has issued 15 case numbers in its 2026 Live Local series, including this one, Red Sidewalks reported Monday.

Who owns it

The building was completed in 2018 and sits on a 45,000-square-foot lot. It’s owned by Alton Road Development LLC, according to the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser. State corporate records list Marisa Galbut as the company’s president. She is president of GFO Investments, the family office of her father, developer Russell Galbut, according to GFO’s website. Crescent Heights, the real estate firm Russell Galbut co-founded, lists 709 Alton in its online portfolio.

Russell Galbut withdrew Live Local applications for three other Miami Beach towers last month: at 1575 Alton Road, 740 Alton Road and 880 71st St., the Miami Herald reported Oct. 15. That report didn’t mention 709 Alton Road. As of Tuesday, the city’s records still list the 709 Alton application as under review.

Where to get care nearby

The Herald listed these options near the site:

• Miami Beach Urgent Care, 1329 Alton Road, the closest urgent care center.
• Jackson Express Care, 615 Collins Ave., part of Miami-Dade’s public Jackson Health System. It takes walk-ins for minor problems from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, but it isn’t a full urgent care center.
• Mount Sinai Medical Center, 4300 Alton Road, which has a 24-hour emergency room but no urgent care center.

Patients should check with their insurer about which providers are in their network, the Herald advised.