Bay Country Club, Sunny Isles Beach: What Buyers Should Check

Bay Country Club is a 13-story bayfront mid-rise at 17720 North Bay Road, completed in 1972, with about 79 residences — one of the older towers on the bay side, and one of the few in its price range with a genuinely full amenity program: a heated bayfront pool, a gym and sauna, a clubhouse, a small boat dock, and garage parking, in one- to three-bedroom residences that have recently sold from about $385,000 to $611,000. It is not oceanfront: the building faces the Intracoastal Waterway on the west side of North Bay Road, with the beach about an 11-minute walk east to Samson Oceanfront Park — and the trade for giving up direct sand is space, with two-bedrooms running 1,413 to 2,253 square feet, far larger than the two-bedrooms in most of the newer towers. The complication is the paperwork that comes with a 1972 building: the milestone-inspection cycle is well advanced, the next round falls around 2027, and no milestone report, reserve figure, or assessment history was found in public sources — so the documents, not the listing copy, decide whether the dues (about $1,182 to $1,308 a month) are buying a well-kept building or deferring work. One more thing to confirm before anything else: the published unit count conflicts by one — 79 in county/MLS records, 80 in directories — and one directory's square-footage range tops out at 3,911, a figure no listing supports.

The facts

• Address: 17720 N Bay Rd, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160.
• Completed: 1972 (every source agrees).
• Stories: 13.
• Residences: about 79 in total (county/MLS records); two directories give 80.
• Developer: not verified in any public source checked.
• Architect: not verified in any public source checked.
• Unit mix: one- to three-bedroom residences, about 1,063–2,253 sq ft (one-bedrooms about 1,100 sq ft; two-bedrooms 1,413–2,253 sq ft; three-bedrooms up to 2,253 sq ft). One directory's 3,911 sq ft top end is not supported by any listing.
• Waterfront: bayfront on the Intracoastal Waterway; listings describe the beach as an 11-minute walk to Samson Oceanfront Park.
• Parking: 1–2 open parking spaces per unit and 1–2 garage spaces per unit.
• Association: Bay Country Club Condo Association, 17720 N Bay Rd, (305) 935-0828.

Amenities and day-to-day living

Bay Country Club runs a fuller program than most 1970s bay-side buildings: a bayfront heated pool, a gym and sauna, a clubhouse, a hobby room and meeting areas, a barbecue/picnic area, storage rooms, bike racks, laundry facilities, card/code access and phone entry, on-site parking, and a small boat dock for water enthusiasts. The building sits in the Sunny Isles Shores neighborhood, a minute's walk from Senator Gwen Margolis Park, with the Norman S. Edelcup K-8 school nearby and Aventura Mall a short drive away. The market is steady and low-volume: 3 sales in the last twelve months, with recent closings including #803 (1,413 sq ft) at $405,000 in April 2025, #703 at $480,000, #1203 at $469,000, #6D at $550,000, #10D at $610,000, #11D at $425,000, #901 (1,413 sq ft) at $385,000, and #903 (1,413 sq ft) at $610,726. One two-bedroom was listed at $659,000 ($466 per sq ft) in 2026. Rentals are happening — a furnished two-bedroom (#6C, 1,575 sq ft) was listed at $7,000 a month.

What to check before you buy

• (1) Monthly cost — the dues are high for the building's age, so confirm what they buy. One directory gives a monthly HOA range of $1,182–$1,308, and the #703 listing carried $1,182 a month. The stated inclusions are broad — common areas, cable TV, hot water, insurance, internet, ground maintenance, maintenance of the structure, pool(s), recreation facilities, roof, sewer, security, trash, and water — but no adopted budget was found in public sources. On a 1,413 sq ft two-bedroom, $1,182 a month works out to about $0.84 per square foot. Confirm the dues for the specific unit against the adopted budget, including whether any special assessment is running.
• (2) Milestone inspections — cycles began decades ago; the next round falls around 2027. Built in 1972, Bay Country Club's milestone inspections began around 1997 on the 25-year coastal rule and now run every ten years, with the next cycle falling around 2027 — derived dates, not confirmed. Ask the association for its most recent completed milestone report and its Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS), and confirm the certification status. No verified milestone report or certification was found in public sources.
• (3) Subsidence — not on the study's list, which is a real positive. Bay Country Club does not appear on the published list of 35 barrier-island buildings the University of Miami's 2024 InSAR study found settling between 2 and 8 centimeters from 2016 to 2023. The study's authors said no building was found unsafe, and the absence of Bay Country Club from the list is a point in its favour, not a guarantee: ask the association whether any engineering review or monitoring has been done.
• (4) Reserves and assessments — unverified. No building-wide reserve figure or assessment history was found in public sources. Given the building's age and the dues level, the reserve study and the last three years of board minutes are essential reading — the question is whether the roughly $1,200-a-month dues are funding adequate reserves or just covering operations.
• (5) Owner-occupancy — unverified. No owner-occupancy ratio was found in public sources. If you are financing, your lender will check it — confirm it before you are under contract, not after.
• (6) Rentals — happening, but the written rules were not verified. A furnished two-bedroom was listed for rent at $7,000 a month, and rentals are visibly listed. No rental minimum, annual cap, waiting period, or approval process was verified in public sources. Confirm the current lease rules with the association before buying for income.
• (7) Pets — allowed with restrictions, but the restrictions were not verified. One directory records the pet policy as "Pets Allowed with Restrictions," and one rental listing records "Pets Allowed: 1." No size, number, or breed rule was verified in public sources. Confirm against the association rules if a pet is part of the plan.

Who this building suits

Bay Country Club suits a buyer who wants the most space for the money on the bay side — a large two-bedroom from the high $300,000s to about $610,000, with a heated bayfront pool, a gym, a clubhouse, and a boat dock, in the quiet Sunny Isles Shores pocket a minute from Gwen Margolis Park — and who is comfortable doing the diligence a 1972 building demands: read the milestone report, the reserve study, and the assessment history before signing, and confirm the dues for the specific unit. It is a poor fit for a buyer who wants direct oceanfront, a newer tower, low dues, or firm rental and pet answers from public sources — the beach is an 11-minute walk, the dues run about $1,200 a month, the next milestone cycle falls around 2027, and the rental and pet rules were not verified. If you are choosing between this and another tower, send Mike the buildings you are comparing and he will walk through the finances with you, building by building.

Next step

If Bay Country Club is on your shortlist, start with the free Sunny Isles Beach Buyer's Building Guide. It walks through the checks that matter before you sign — milestone inspections, reserves, assessments, owner-occupancy, and the questions to ask any association. Download the free guide — Book a call with Mike