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Nitin Motwani has 10 acres ready for Amazon. But will Bezos play ball?

Amid the cacophony of cranes and construction crews at the 27-acre Miami Worldcenter in Overtown sits a swath of land, untouched.

These are the 10 acres set aside for the holy grail of tenants, Amazon, which last month announced that Miami would be among 20 cities on its shortlist for its second headquarters. The prospect of landing the $5 billion project sent every major developer in Miami – and their entourage of brokers, attorneys, project managers, and contractors – scrambling to make a deal that would define their careers.

Despite the region’s challenges, such as rising sea levels, mounting traffic issues and limited public transportation, Nitin Motwani, the lead developer of the Worldcenter, thinks he’s got a shot. His real-life assistant named Alexa adds to his optimism.

But the developer is also a realist, so he is moving ahead with his own project while following the e-commerce giant’s decision.

“It just so happens our timing could work out,” Motwani, who also sits on the board of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority, said. In the event Amazon decides to go elsewhere, those acres could go toward another project, he said.

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TRD