Developer Jeffrey Soffer is planning a full redevelopment of the Big Easy Casino property in Hallandale Beach, replacing the existing facility with a newly constructed gaming complex and structured parking. Plans call for a 165,381-square-foot casino building alongside a four-story parking garage, reshaping a long-established gaming site along North Federal Highway.
The proposed casino program would feature a broad mix of gaming and entertainment uses. According to reporting cited from the South Florida Business Journal, the new venue is expected to house slot machines and a card room, supported by a smoking lounge dedicated to slots players and a centrally located bar. Entertainment components would include a live music venue, while the food and beverage offering is slated to comprise a steakhouse and a sports restaurant to serve casino patrons.
Food and beverage space in the planned development is detailed at 34,344 square feet of restaurant uses, complemented by 11,205 square feet dedicated to bar areas. The project scope also includes 9,755 square feet of administrative offices, indicating back-of-house and management functions will be integrated into the new building rather than handled off-site. The structured parking component is described as a four-story garage, sized to support the expanded mix of gaming, entertainment, and dining, though no specific stall count was provided.
The Big Easy Casino site occupies 23.8 acres at 831 N. Federal Highway, giving the planned redevelopment a sizable land footprint for both the new building and parking structure. The existing casino on the property totals 262,931 square feet and dates back to 1963, underscoring the age of the current improvements that are slated to be replaced under Soffer’s plan.
Soffer leads Aventura-based Fontainebleau Development, which owns the property. Fontainebleau Development acquired the Big Easy Casino site in 2018 for $12.5 million, adding the Hallandale Beach gaming facility to a portfolio that includes the Fontainebleau resorts in Miami Beach and Las Vegas. The redevelopment design work is being handled by Las Vegas-based Steelman Partners, identified as the architect for the project. The article did not disclose a construction timetable, budget, or any planned changes to gaming entitlements associated with the redevelopment.
