<div>Frank Scala and his wife, Nancy Scala, say they paid nearly $1.3 million after agreeing to buy a new condo in 2021 at the planned Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences in Boca Raton.Now, more than three years later, they’re among people suing after delays in the Mandarin residence’s completion, court records show. Some condo buyers expected the project to be done, and the delays have now led them to ask for their deposits to be returned, the records show.“We’re kind of in limbo,” Frank Scala said. “They’ve got $1.3 million of my money over there, and they haven’t performed.”Robert Sweetapple, an attorney representing Via Mizner Owner III LLC, which is associated with the entire resident, retail, hotel and restaurant project, said the contracts illustrate that the estimated date of the project’s completion would be subject to change.“Everyone understood that this was going to be a complicated, long process, and that the date was estimated, and the estimated date would change,” Sweetapple said, adding: “This was so broad to protect the developer.”In response, the people behind The Residences at Mandarin Oriental noted how some customers are OK with a projected 2025 completion date, with one buyer recently telling the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “it’s worth waiting for in my book.”Albert Piazza, the executive vice president of development for Penn-Florida Companies, the group behind the project, said the residences and hotel will be completed at some point next year.“We’re building a Mandarin product. Mandarin has such high standards,” Piazza said. “Living up to those standards is extremely, extremely challenging. But Mandarin also works at a level which is just a little different than everybody else.”Offering ultra-luxury livingThe Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences in Boca Raton, which is being built in the 100 block of East Camino Real, will comprise 85 private residences and a 164-room, five-star hotel. It has been envisioned as a $1.5 billion ultra-luxury resort.Upon completion, residents will have exclusive amenities such as a private wine cellar, resident-only club room, membership privileges at Via Mizner Golf & City Club and more, according to a news release providing project updates on Sept. 19.In an interview earlier this year, Piazza told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that he started designing the project in 2015. Piazza has said the delays primarily resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and difficulty in getting the right materials. Pre-sales for the residences began in late 2017, about three years before the pandemic began and before construction began.</div>

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Boca Raton condo buyers sue after delays in completing luxury Mandarin Oriental residences

Frank Scala and his wife, Nancy Scala, say they paid nearly $1.3 million after agreeing to buy a new condo in 2021 at the planned Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences in Boca Raton. Now, more than three years later, they’re among people suing after delays in the Mandarin residence’s completion,...