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Brightline owes $65 million to company that could sell off its Miami retail space

A general view of the MiamiCentral train station on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in downtown Miami, Fla. The station, built on an 11-acre lot, spans six blocks between Northwest Third and Eighth streets.
Matias J. Ocner
/
Miami Herald
A general view of the MiamiCentral train station on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in downtown Miami, Fla. The station, built on an 11-acre lot, spans six blocks between Northwest Third and Eighth streets.

Chick-fil-A lovers and Powerhouse Gym members in Miami beware: retail spaces at the Miami Central Brightline station are at risk of being seized and sold thanks to a recently filed foreclosure suit.

U.S. Bank Trust Company filed suit late last month against Brightline Investment Holdings, the sister company of Brightline Trains that owns the real estate at the station in downtown Miami. U.S. Bank Trust represents a lender that gave Brightline a $65 million loan in September of 2022.

According to the complaint, Brightline Investment Holdings has failed to pay down its loan or make any interest payments since December of 2025, even after seeking multiple extensions and postponing the maturity date of the loan.

READ MORE: Miami-Dade may be close to penning a taxpayer-funded deal with financially-strapped Brightline

Now the lender, XYQ Cayman Ltd., is asking a Miami-Dade County court to appoint a receiver on the property and seeks to foreclose on the Miami Central retail space to recoup its costs. The retail space currently houses Chick-fil-A, Powerhouse Gym, Central Fare food hall, Rosetta Bakery, AT&T, Starbucks and Joe & the Juice.

"Unless a Receiver is appointed, BIH will continue to commit waste to and diminish the value of Plaintiff’s collateral by, among other things, failing to adequately operate the Property, which serves as Plaintiff’s security under the Loan Documents, to the detriment of Plaintiff," the complaint reads.

Reached by WLRN, a spokesperson for Brightline Trains asserted that stores and restaurants at its station remain open despite the suit.

"This is a real estate matter affecting retail areas adjacent to Brightline’s MiamiCentral station. Brightline’s operations are not impacted. The station, train service, and all retail spaces remain open," a Brightline spokesperson said.

Brightline has not responded to the complaint in court filings.

While Brightline Investment Holdings contends with this lawsuit and allegedly struggles to meet its loan requirements, Brightline Trains is facing its own financial crisis.

The private train company has extended its interest payment deadline by nearly six months since the original Feb. 17 target date. Brightline holds an estimated $5.5 billion in debt which the company is currently in negotiations to restructure.

Joshua Ceballos is WLRN's Local Government Accountability Reporter and a member of the investigations team. Reach Joshua Ceballos at jceballos@wlrnnews.org
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