Living part-time on Fisher Island or in South Beach: which building?

For a part-time owner who wants staff to run the home and a filter at the door, Six Fisher Island is the fullest answer: about 50 waterfront homes, a residential butler and an on-site general manager, and Fisher Island Club membership at closing, subject to the Club's approval. For an owner who wants to walk to the beach and the city, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, South Beach has 30 homes with a beach club and delivery planned for 2027. The Shoreclub Private Collection, From $4,850,000, puts about 49 homes on three oceanfront acres.

The same five questions, from the developers' published material:

Six Fisher Island. Price point: no published entry price on our file. Delivery: no date on file. Unit mix: about 50 waterfront homes of three to eight bedrooms, from about 3,900 to over 15,000 square feet. Position: about 650 feet of shoreline on Fisher Island, set in about 6.5 acres of gardens; no bridge, so arrival is by ferry, private boat, house car and tender, or the private marina. Operator: Related Group with BH Group and Globe Invest; three lobbies with full-time concierges, a residential butler and an on-site general manager.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences, South Beach. Price point: no published entry price on the developer fact sheet. Delivery: planned 2027; sales launched February 2025. Unit mix: 30 residences over 15 storeys, one to five bedrooms, including two duplex penthouses with rooftop pools. Position: 1671 Collins Avenue, oceanfront in South Beach, beside the Lincoln Road corridor. Operator: the Ritz-Carlton name under licence to Sobe Sky Development; not owned or sold by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company; direct access to the Sagamore next door.

The Shoreclub Private Collection. Price point: From $4,850,000. Delivery: no date on file. Unit mix: about 49 homes in three forms, The Tower, The House and The Beach House, in an 18 story building. Position: 1901 Collins Avenue, about three oceanfront acres, behind the landmarked Cromwell House facade. Operator: Witkoff, with Auberge Resorts Collection as hospitality partner.

On Fisher Island, arrival is the product. You come by ferry, by your own boat or through the marina, and nobody is on the island who does not live there, work there or was invited. For a part-time owner, that filter does much of the security work while the home is empty. The cost is friction: every delivery, contractor and guest comes by boat too. Our Fisher Island zone page and the island question weigh that friction honestly.

In South Beach, arrival is a car to Collins Avenue. The Ritz-Carlton building has a private double height lobby, a 24 hour doorman, concierge and valet, and private elevators with direct entry in most homes. At the Shoreclub, the building sits behind the preserved Cromwell House, with a driver room on the amenity list. Both are a short walk to restaurants and the beach, which suits an owner who wants to land and be out the same evening.

A part-time owner is buying the staff as much as the rooms.

Six Fisher Island lists the most: three lobbies with full-time concierges, a residential butler and an on-site general manager. Ask what the butler does for an absent owner, what is included in the association budget and what is charged by the hour.

The Ritz-Carlton South Beach offers services à la carte: in-residence dining, a personal chef, a trainer, spa, childcare and pet care, with José Andrés running the restaurant and beach club programming. Owner benefits extend to more than 700 Marriott International luxury hotels, subject to availability.

The Shoreclub pairs a residential program with Auberge: an Auberge spa and Beauty Atelier, a private residential gym, a library lounge, a beach club with cabanas and a private meeting suite. Ask which services Auberge provides to owners and on what terms. See what the Shoreclub brand does.

Every building charges its association fee, insurance and taxes all year, whether you are there or not. A second home does not receive the Florida homestead exemption.

Fisher Island adds a layer. Membership in the Fisher Island Club comes at closing, subject to Club approval; the developer pays the initiation fee only, and the annual dues and charges are the owner's cost. A part-time owner pays those dues for the full year. Ask the Club for its current dues schedule and approval process before signing. See Six Fisher Island: what to know before you buy.

In South Beach, ask each building for its budget and for any brand or beach club fees. Our page on what it costs to own a condo in Miami each year shows the lines to look for.

Six Fisher Island suits the owner who wants a large home, staff who know the household, and an island that keeps the public away while the family is abroad. You give up spontaneity, since everything crosses by boat, and you take on Club dues for the whole year.

The Ritz-Carlton South Beach suits the owner who wants a small oceanfront building, 30 homes, with the beach and Lincoln Road on foot and hotel services next door. You give up a published price, and the doors open in 2027 at the earliest.

The Shoreclub suits the owner who wants three acres of oceanfront and a Robert A.M. Stern building with Auberge service. You give up some quiet, since a hotel program shares the site, and you pay From $4,850,000 for the door.

Before signing on the island, read the ownership file for a Fisher Island condo; for an owner who wants the island's space year round, new condos that live like a house. For the head to head on the beach side, read the Shoreclub against The Ritz-Carlton South Beach. For the island against Bal Harbour, read Six Fisher Island against Rivage. Our South Beach zone page maps the beach side, and buying a Miami condo as a second home covers the wider choice. The desk reads the Club terms and each building's services list with you, and holds the plans by line; start with the Six Fisher Island dossier.