Two old Publix stores in South Florida face demolition — and rebirth. What’s planned?

Howard Cohen
·2 min read
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Two outdated Publix supermarkets are getting double-sized.

They are:

▪ The Publix grocery store at the Briar Bay shopping center across the street from The Falls mall in South Miami-Dade near Kendall and Pinecrest.

▪ The Coral Ridge Mall Publix in Fort Lauderdale on Federal Highway just north of Oakland Park Boulevard.

With the upgrades, both will see the addition of a second story and considerably more square footage.

SEE PHOTOS: Publix looked like that? See the supermarket in the days before Pub Subs and BOGOs

Here’s what to expect:

Briar Bay Publix

The Briar Bay shopping center, anchored by owner Publix on one side and an Outback restaurant on the other side, is being torn down. Publix will replace its single-story grocery store with a two-story modern store. The Outback is open and will remain untouched. Some of the new 10,830-square-feet of new retail space has risen to the left of Outback as seen in this Sept. 13, 2023 photo.

In 2020, Lakeland-based Publix filed plans in Miami-Dade to redevelop the Briar Bay shopping center property it owns, according to the South Florida Business Journal.

Demolition of much of the 50,783-square-foot strip mall was underway last year and is ongoing. The plans keep the Outback steakhouse parcel intact and that restaurant, the strip mall’s other anchor, remains open for business.

Two years later, on Aug. 26, the mall’s anchoring Publix at 13005 SW 89th Pl. , closed. A sign in front indicates a new, bigger Publix will be built on site.

Publix spokeswoman Lindsey Willis said a date for completion of the new store and its future opening is not set yet.

Plans indicate that the shuttered 32,000-square-foot Publix would grow into a two-story, 56,070-square-foot grocery store, and that there will be 10,830 square feet in the strip center devoted to other retail stores. A portion of this new retail space has taken shape near Outback.

The Publix at the Briar Bay Shopping Center at 13005 SW 89th Place in Miami, across the street from The Falls, is temporarily closed so that the Lakeland-based chain can build a more contemporary Publix on-site.
The Publix at the Briar Bay Shopping Center at 13005 SW 89th Place in Miami, across the street from The Falls, is temporarily closed so that the Lakeland-based chain can build a more contemporary Publix on-site.

Until the refurbished store opens, Publix is directing customers to nearby locations. These include a newer store built for the neighboring Pinecrest and Falls community about 10 years ago at 13401 S. Dixie Hwy., and a large Palmetto Bay Publix a few miles south at 14601 S. Dixie Hwy.

The Briar Bay center was originally built in 1974. A new Publix also in the Kendall area was rebuilt on the site of an older store in The Crossings Shopping Village at 13001 SW 112th St. That sleek new Publix and its 46,800 square feet of retail space, which includes an adjacent liquor store, opened June 15.

Customers use newly-installed self-checkout lanes at the Publix supermarket at 13401 S. Dixie Highway in Pinecrest on Oct. 2, 2022. The store added the machines about two weeks earlier.
Customers use newly-installed self-checkout lanes at the Publix supermarket at 13401 S. Dixie Highway in Pinecrest on Oct. 2, 2022. The store added the machines about two weeks earlier.

READ MORE: Publix plans new store openings in Miami-Dade and Broward. Take a look at what’s coming

Coral Ridge Mall Publix

This week, a similar mall upgrade was proposed for the Coral Ridge Mall in Fort Lauderdale anchored by a Publix supermarket at 3400 N. Federal Hwy. Publix doesn’t own that mall.

According to Florida Yimby, the new Broward Publix will have a 2,100-square-foot liquor store on ground level, the main Publix departments on the second floor and restructured parking on the outdoor parking lot.

A closing of the old building and eventual opening of the new one in its place hasn’t been determined yet, Willis said.

The Coral Ridge Publix was originally built in 1961 and, like many older stores, has been remodeled and modernized several times over the years.

Miami Herald file photo from Publix of Publix founder George W. Jenkins in front of Store #070 at the Coral Ridge Shopping Center, 3400 N. Federal Hwy. in Fort Lauderdale. This store was opened on Aug. 29, 1961. The store has been remodeled and its latest version will be demolished and rebuilt as a two-story store at the same location, according to 2023 plans.