A composite of three photos: the Surfside condo collapse aftermath, an apartment block, and the Miami-Dade County Courthouse. What a year it's been for the real estate sector in South Florida. A Miami lawyer helped negotiate one of the year's biggest fights, frustrations rose as a courthouse closed amid building safety concerns, and the multifamily sector remained strong amid the pandemic.

Photo: Raychel Lean/ALM

Miami litigators expressed their frustration as their courthouse closed in July – right reopening after courts went remote during the pandemic. The closure followed an engineer's report, which identified safety concerns on various floors of the 28-story historic building.