Brian L. Belt
Special Counsel
Duane Morris LLP
200 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 3400
Miami, FL 33131-2318
USA
Phone: +1 305 960 2255
Fax: +1 305 397 1858
Email: bbelt@duanemorris.com

Brian L. Belt practices in the area of hospitality, real estate and corporate law. Mr. Belt has represented owners, lenders and developers of real estate, condominium, marina and hospitality projects throughout the country and internationally and his experience includes acquisition and sales, due diligence, restructuring, land use, leasing, construction and financing. He has extensive experience in acquiring, structuring, developing, financing and restructuring complex mixed-use hospitality projects. His innovative structures for mixed-use hospitality projects have been utilized by others throughout the hospitality industry. He was the a co-chair of the international practice group for a major U.S. law firm. Brian has advised real estate and corporate clients throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.

A member of the Florida Bar, Mr. Belt is a 1981 graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and a graduate of Kalamazoo College.

Areas of Practice

• Real Estate Law, Construction / Construction Financing
• Hospitality Law
• Corporate Law

Representative Matters

Construction/Construction and Project Financing Experience

• Financing of hotel, mixed-use hotel properties and residential projects in excess of $2 billion.
• Represented public company in connection with multilender revolving construction credit facility for multiple residential towers of approximately $500 million.
• Negotiated construction contracts for approximately $1 billion for mixed-use hotel projects, luxury condominium projects and other products located throughout the United States .
• Negotiated construction contracts for private developer of ultra-luxury hotel in Broward County, Fla.
• Represented contractor for $35 million home on Miami Beach in connection with construction financing by owner.
• Represented hotel owner in connection with construction loan for luxury hotel project in Broward County, Fla.
• Represented multiple real estate lenders in construction-related financing transactions.
• Prepared construction forms for national builder.
• Represented borrower in connection with financing of 3 million square foot office/industrial park in west Miami-Dade County.
• Represented borrower in connection with construction loans for 200,000 square foot office park in West Miami-Dade County, Fla.
• Represented a variety of lenders in connection with financings involving distressed real estate loans, hospitality projects, management buy-outs, inventory and receivable lines, business acquisitions and workouts.
• Represented a variety of clients in connection with construction defect matters.
• Represented clients in connection with construction of projects in the Caribbean.

Commercial Transactions

• Represented owner of 200-acre, approximately 3 million square foot office/distribution/industrial park in the Miami-Dade West Airport area.; representation included construction, development, construction financing, sales and leasing work.
• Represented Empresa Minera del Centro de Peru (semi-autonomous agency of the government of Peru) in connection with $50 million multilender export credit facility.
• Represented developer in connection with the acquisition, financing, construction and sale of a 400,000 square foot technology park in West Miami-Dade County, Fla.
• Represented development and ownership group in connection with acquisition, financing, construction and leasing of various office buildings.
• Represented international telecommunication company based in South America in connection with a variety of corporate, acquisition and financing transactions.
• Represented developer in connection with structuring and negotiation with Ritz-Carlton fractional interest project.
• Represented landholder of proposed hotel and gaming property located adjacent to Las Vegas strip in connection with possible sales and leasing activities.
• Represented developers in connection with non-taxable low- and moderate-income housing projects.
• Represented developer of $128 million university student housing project in connection with bond financing.
• Represented Florida Marlins in negotiation and preparation of player contracts.
• Represented variety of companies and business owners in connection with management buy-outs, joint ventures, corporate finance, sale and acquisition of assets and facilities.
• Disposition of office-building portfolio located throughout the State of Florida valued at approximately $130 million utilizing innovative technology.
• Acquisition, financing and development of 200,000 square foot condominium office/distribution facility.
• Represented developer in connection with several-thousand-unit, single-family, golf course, condominium, hotels, office, and commercial mixed-use, time-share project.

Luxury Condominium and Residential Projects

• Represented public developer in approximately $175 million high-density mixed-use project (luxury residential towers, office, marina, hotel and retail) in connection with acquisition, construction loans, development and repeated negotiations with local municipality. This project involved the revitalization of the city’s intercoastal/riverwalk area, the creation of a number of public destination spaces and municipally controlled spaces within the project.
• Represented proposed developer before local municipality in connection with RFP for redevelopment of 600-acre mixed-use project, including moderate-income housing. Representation involved extensive public/private negotiations and public presentations. Response to RFP received highest ranking from municipal staff.
• Represented large regional developer in connection with an approximately $400 million mixed-use residential project on environmentally sensitive land. Representation included negotiations with county, annexation into municipality, appearances before municipality, construction, construction loans, development and sales work.
• Represented a public developer client in connection with luxury residential condominium/mixed-use project in Broward County, Fla., that is the foundation of municipality’s efforts to revitalize public beach front. Work included acquisition, development, construction loans, construction documents, negotiations with municipalities and creation of public meeting space. This project also included a proposed hotel mixed-use project on adjoining parcel and plans that involved relocation of public rights of way and additional public meeting space.
• Represented public company developer of large luxury residential condominium complex in New Jersey; federal ILSA filings.
• Represented a public company developer of luxury multibuilding project in St. Augustine, Fla., area in connection with financing, negotiations with master builder, master association issues, condominium filings and ILSA filings.
• Represented developer of approximately $150 million residential condominium project in Northern Miami-Dade County in connection with land acquisition, due diligence, financing, negotiations with master builder, master association issues, condominium filings and ILSA filings.
• Represented national developer of luxury condominium project located on beach in Hollywood, Fla.
• Represented a developer of an ultra-luxury residential condominium tower in Palm Beach County, Fla., in connection with construction, marketing, ILSA, condominium filings, marina development and structuring, sovereign submerged land leases.
• Represented developer of ultra-luxury condominium project in Miami Beach, Fla., in connection with sales and condominium work.
• Represented developer of several-hundred-unit residential project in Ohio in connection with project structuring, sales, ILSA filings and condominium documents.
• Represented public company developer in connection with the development, project structuring and marina financing for a 700 luxury home mixed-use project in Manatee County, Fla., including ILSA filing issues, condominium documents, project structuring, community development districts, marina condominium structuring, association documents and governmental entitlements.
• Represented an Eastern European buyer in connection with purchase of $20 million luxury condominium unit in shell condition in Northeast Miami-Dade County, Fla.

Hospitality

• Financing and workout work on behalf of lenders and borrowers with respect to a variety of hotel projects.
• Established an innovative mode for structuring large mixed-use hospitality projects that is now widely used in the industry.
• Negotiated rental management agreement terms and analysis of securities law issues related to same.
• Acquisition, development, due diligence, financing, construction and structuring of single-purpose hotel properties, complex mixed-use hotel projects, including vertical subdivisions, shared facilities and shared facilities costs, resort facilities and urban anchor hotels.
• Acquisition and disposition of hotel projects out of bankruptcy proceedings.
• Acquisition, disposition and negotiations related to foreclosed hospitality projects.
• Luxury hotel condominium and mixed-use hotel condominium projects, including submission of documents to regulatory bodies, review and consultation on sales programs to comply with applicable law (including securities laws), sale of underlying hotel lots, sale of ADA and presidential suites, preparation and structuring of rental management agreements and property tax issues.
• Negotiation of franchise agreements and management agreements.
• Developer representation in negotiation of hotel management and operating agreements, pre-development service agreements, and licensing agreements.
• Luxury mixed use five-star hotel, residential, spa, retail and restaurant project with Regent as the operator. Named in 2008 as one of the five great new hotels in the United States, and one of the top three second-home communities.
• Represented developer in connection with proposed ultra-luxury mixed-use four- or five-star hotel project, with Fairmont as the proposed operator; represented developer in connection with acquisition, development, financing, construction, structuring, rental management agreements, sales documents, and hotel management agreements.
• Ultra-luxury mixed-use five-star hotel project with Starwood as the proposed operator; represented developer in connection with development, financing, construction, structuring, rental management agreements, sales documents, and hotel management agreements.
• Represented one the world’s largest hotel operating companies in connection with branded residential licensing agreements.
• Represented developer in connection with Ritz Carlton project.
• Represented national developer of Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and other five-star brand facilities.
• Represented developer in connection with various agreements and management documents in connection with proposed large hotel and mixed-use project in Costa Rica.

Marina Projects

• Development, acquisition and structuring and construction documents related to marina facility located in Palm Beach County, Fla., owned by a public company developer.
• Represented an international marina developer, owner and manager of facilities located in Europe, Caribbean, United States and Latin America in connection with negotiation of marina management agreements.
• Represented multi-marina co-op and marina condominium/developer located in ultra-luxury mixed-use development in Miami-Dade County in connection with management, dockominiums, development, sales and entitlements.
• Represented national luxury developer of a mixed-use project, including luxury boat dry storage facility in connection with real estate, entitlements, and project structuring.
• Represented developer of multiple marina facilities in Bradenton, Fla., in connection with development, construction, financing, structuring, dockominiums, environmental and structuring.

Professional Activities

• The Florida Bar
  - Condominium and Planned Community Committee

Admissions

• Florida

Education

• University of Notre Dame Law School, J.D., 1981
• Kalamazoo College, B.A., 1978

Board Memberships

• Camillus House (leading Catholic charities agency for homeless)
  - Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Former Member
• University of Miami
  - Hall of Fame Committee and Executive Committee, Former Member
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, Inc.
  - Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Former Member
• Beacon Council (public / private economic development body)
  - Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Former Member
• First Serve
  - Former Member of National Board of Directors

Civic and Charitable Activities

• Greater Miami Tennis and Education Foundation
  - Former Pro Bono Counsel

Honors and Awards

• Named in the South Florida Legal Guide Top Rated Lawyers, 2012
• AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Selected Publications

• "Legal and Practical Considerations for Purchasers of 'Broken' or Distressed Condominiums," Inform Legal, January 30, 2009
• "Eleventh Circuit Hands a Victory to Developers and Their Construction Lenders: Pukka Ruling Reversed on 99 Lot HUD Exemption," Duane Morris Alert, December 10, 2008
• "Legal and Practical Considerations for Purchasers of 'Broken' or Distressed Condominiums," Real Estate Finance, Volume 25, Number 6, April 2009
• "Distribution Agreements in Latin America," Journal of Commerce, December 14, 1997

Selected Speaking Engagements

• Presenter, "Acquisitions by foreigners in U.S. real property," Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, April 2012
• Panel Moderator, "National Housing and Florida Legislative/Governmental Update," Duane Morris Real Estate Roundtable, Miami, May 4, 2012
• Presenter, "Hotel Workouts: Has the Distressed Debt 'Tidal Wave' Arrived in South Florida Hospitality?" Interface Distressed Assets Conference, Coral Gables, 2011
• Presenter, "Hotel Acquisitions," 2008 Hospitality Law Conference, Houston
• Presenter, "Mixed Use Projects," 2007 Hospitality Law Conference, Houston
• Presenter, "IMN Symposium on Hotel Condominiums," Miami, 2005