Le Frontenac, Sunny Isles Beach: What Buyers Should Check

Le Frontenac is a small gated boutique at 17801 North Bay Road — a 6-story building completed in 1991 with 70 residences, every one of them the same two-bedroom, two-bathroom layout of 1,330 square feet, except for a handful of larger penthouse units. It is not oceanfront: the building sits on the bay side, five minutes' walk from the beach, next to a park — and the trade for giving up direct sand is the most rental-flexible small building in this program so far, with a directory listing short-term rentals as permitted daily and a current sale listing that says "short term rentals allowed," in two-bedrooms that have recently sold from $400,000 to $560,000 with dues of about $835 a month. The catch is the sameness: because every unit is the same 1,330 sq ft two-bedroom, there is no smaller or larger option in the building, and the rental picture, while friendly on paper, still rests on listing copy and a directory — the written rules need confirming with the association. One listing also states "no special assessments," which is listing copy, not an association document.

The facts

• Address: 17801 N Bay Rd, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160.
• Completed: 1991 (every source agrees).
• Stories: 6.
• Residences: 70 in total (county/MLS records); one directory says 60.
• Developer: not verified in any public source checked.
• Architect: not verified in any public source checked.
• Unit mix: all two-bedroom, two-bathroom residences of 1,330 sq ft, plus larger penthouse units of 2,054 sq ft.
• Waterfront: bay side, west of North Bay Road; listings describe it as a five-minute walk to the beach, next to a park.
• Parking: covered parking, 1 space per unit (MLS records); guest parking per MLS records.
• Association: not verified in any public source checked (no association name, phone, or address found).

Amenities and day-to-day living

Le Frontenac runs a deliberately small program: a pool, a billiard room, an elevator, covered parking, and a gated entrance, with in-unit washer/dryers and large balconies with park and pool views. There is no gym, restaurant, or valet here — the amenity list is the pool, the billiard room, and the gate, and the dues reflect that. The market is active for a building this size: 4 sales in the last twelve months, with recent closings including #210 (1,330 sq ft) at $400,000 on October 1, 2026, #607 (1,330 sq ft) at $425,000, and #301 (2,054 sq ft penthouse) at $560,000. As of November 14, 2026, one unit was for sale at a median asking price of $455,000 ($342 per sq ft). Rentals are visibly active: #303, a furnished two-bedroom, was listed at $2,700 a month; #410 was listed at $3,000–$4,000 a month; and #402 at $3,000–$3,500 a month.

What to check before you buy

• (1) Monthly cost — the dues are low, but only one figure was verified. The #607 listing carried $835 a month on 1,330 sq ft — about $0.63 per square foot. No building-wide dues range was found in public sources, and no adopted budget was verified. One aggregator page shows "$2.03 per sq ft per month" next to the #303 rental — that is the rent divided by the square footage ($2,700 ÷ 1,330), not the dues, and should not be relied on. Confirm the dues for the specific unit against the adopted budget, including whether any special assessment is running — the #607 listing's "no special assessments" is listing copy, not an association document.
• (2) Milestone inspections — the first cycle falls around 2016, the next around 2026. Built in 1991, Le Frontenac's first milestone inspection falls around 2016 on the 25-year coastal rule, with the next cycle around 2026 — derived dates, not confirmed. Ask the association for its most recent completed milestone report and its Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS). No verified milestone report or certification was found in public sources.
• (3) Subsidence — not on the study's list, which is a real positive. Le Frontenac 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 Le Frontenac 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 low dues, the reserve study and the last three years of board minutes are essential reading — the question is whether the roughly $835-a-month dues are funding adequate reserves or deferring work.
• (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 — the most rental-friendly small building in this program, but the written rules were not verified. One short-term-rental directory lists Le Frontenac as "Daily," and the #607 sale listing states "Short term rentals allowed." Rentals are visibly listed at $2,700–$4,000 a month. No rental minimum, annual cap, waiting period, or approval process was verified against association documents. Confirm the current lease rules with the association before buying for income — daily rentals also need the city's short-term rental registration, which the association's documents should address.
• (7) Pets — essentially unverified. One rental listing for #303 records "Pets Allowed: 1." No pet policy — size, number, or breed limits, or any owner-versus-renter distinction — was verified in public sources. Confirm against the association rules if a pet is part of the plan.

Who this building suits

Le Frontenac suits a buyer who wants the simplest, lowest-cost way into a bay-side two-bedroom in Sunny Isles Beach — every unit the same 1,330 sq ft two-bedroom from about $400,000, with dues around $835 a month, a pool and a billiard room, five minutes from the beach — and who is buying for rental flexibility, since short-term rentals are listed as permitted daily, a rarity for a building this small. It is a poor fit for a buyer who wants direct oceanfront, a full amenity program, a choice of unit sizes, or firm rental and pet answers from public sources — the beach is a walk away, there is no gym or valet, every unit is the same layout, and the rental and pet rules rest on listing copy and a directory rather than association documents. 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 Le Frontenac 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