Ancient Burial Site Found in Brickell, City Still Letting Developers Build

Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old Indigenous settlement and burial site at 444 Brickell Avenue, right on the edge of the Miami River. The site includes midden deposits, deep trash piles containing bones, tools, pottery, shark teeth, and human remains. It sits in one of Miami’s designated archaeological zones, yet high-rise construction is still moving forward.

The property is owned by Related Group, which bought it for $104 million in 2013. Their plan: three luxury towers, including a Baccarat-branded skyscraper. So far, archaeologists have excavated more than 1 million items. Remains of whales, giant sea turtles, and extinct monk seals were found, along with Indigenous artifacts and skeletal fragments. Native tribes were not consulted until after human remains were unearthed.

In April 2023, part of the site was given temporary landmark protection. A final vote on the rest of the property is set for July 2025. But construction is already happening on areas that were previously excavated, meaning parts of this history could be lost forever under concrete. Activists and archaeologists say the city has no real policy to preserve sites like this one.

This is the second major discovery at a Related Group site. Another dig in 2021 revealed a 7,000-year-old Tequesta village nearby. Miami approved that project too.

Right now, the most significant Indigenous site in Brickell is being slowly removed, piece by piece, while luxury condos rise above it.