After years of delays, lawsuits and other
issues, Penn-Florida Companies is now facing foreclosure on
the Mandarin Oriental Residences, Boca Raton project.
The lender, an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, filed
a $417.7 million suit against the developer’s affiliate and
a laundry list of co-defendants, including subcontractors
and condo buyers. Penn-Florida, led by Mark Gensheimer,
first unveiled plans for the Mandarin Oriental-branded
mixed-use condo development in 2015. Construction was
supposed to begin in 2017, when the developer secured its
original construction loan, which was refinanced in 2023
with a $270 million loan.
The 1.5-acre site is home to the partially completed
163-room hotel and 85-unit condo at 105 East Camino Real.
The foreclosure suit alleges the developer defaulted on its
loan by failing to make monthly interest payments due from
June 2024 to August 2025. The lender says that Penn Florida
failed to pay off the loan when it matured in September of
last year.
The $417.7 million includes the $270 million principal
balance on the note, $24.6 million in advanced funds for
project expenses, plus interest, fees and other costs.
Condo buyers could lose most, if not all, of their deposits
if the Apollo affiliate forecloses on the property. But the
foreclosure wasn’t the first sign of trouble at the project.
The Mandarin Oriental, Boca Raton hotel, owned by a separate
Penn-Florida affiliate, is heading to a bankruptcy auction
on Aug. 14.
More than a dozen buyers have also sued the Penn-Florida
affiliate developing the condo component over missed
deadlines.
The project’s trajectory is markedly different from the
Mandarin Oriental-branded condo development in Miami, which
has reported strong presales and an accelerated construction
timeline — including two $50 million penthouse sales before
a shovel hit the ground.
But not all branded condo buildings are built equal.