Lucky Fish Beach Bar & Grill at 65 N. Beach Road in Dania Beach opened in March 2025 as a ground-up new restaurant, and Permit Express LLC handled the permitting through the entire process, from start to finish. The site sits on Florida’s Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL), which made permitting this project difficult. Here is how CCCL permitting works and what a beachfront restaurant typically requires.
About the project
Lucky Fish Beach Bar & Grill Dania Beach is an open-air beachfront restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with tiki bar cocktails and coastal-inspired food. It is operated by LM Restaurants, the South Florida hospitality group that also runs Lucky Fish in Pompano Beach.
The restaurant was built on the site of the former Dania Beach Grill. The City of Dania Beach held a groundbreaking ceremony there in September 2022, and LM Restaurants developed the project in partnership with the city. The restaurant officially opened on March 17, 2025.
Building on the Coastal Construction Control Line
The CCCL is a line set by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) along the state’s sandy beaches. It marks the part of the beach and dune system expected to see severe changes in a 100-year storm. DEP’s CCCL program regulates construction in that zone to protect the beach and dunes, nearby property, public beach access, dune plants and sea turtles.
Building seaward of the CCCL adds a second permitting track on top of the usual local building permits:
- A state CCCL permit from DEP. The application needs proof of ownership, a local government letter confirming the project meets zoning and setback rules, a recent sealed survey, sealed site, grading and cross-section plans, drainage details, a planting plan, a construction schedule and, for major structures, foundation plans.
- Stricter building standards. Section 3109 of the Florida Building Code, enforced by the local building official, covers structures seaward of the CCCL. Habitable buildings must be elevated on piles or columns designed for storm erosion, scour, wind, wave and flood loads. The lowest horizontal structural member must sit at or above the 100-year storm elevation published by DEP, confirmed with a CCCL elevation certificate before work continues.
- Turtle-friendly lighting. Projects with permanent exterior lighting must submit a marine turtle lighting plan with every fixture listed. In nesting areas, fixtures must be shielded and use long-wavelength light, and windows and doors visible from the beach need tinted glass or similar light control.
- Construction timing. DEP can add conditions on the timing and sequence of construction when needed to protect nesting sea turtles and hatchlings.
Because the state and local reviews depend on each other, a change from one agency can send plans back to the other. On this project, the CCCL requirements made permitting difficult.
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What restaurant permitting typically involves
Local permits in Dania Beach come from the City of Dania Beach Building Division, using the Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application with a separate application for each trade. A new restaurant typically involves:
- Building: structure, foundations and accessibility, designed to Broward County’s hurricane wind loads.
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing: kitchen hood and exhaust, HVAC, kitchen and bar equipment, grease interceptors and gas piping.
- Fire: cooking-equipment suppression, alarms and life-safety review.
- State restaurant approval: plan approval from the Florida DBPR Division of Hotels and Restaurants.
Why restaurant owners use a permit expediter in Broward
Coastal sites add more agencies and more chances for delay. Since 2004, Permit Express LLC has helped contractors, designers and owners keep projects moving across Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade, including work for brands like The Cheesecake Factory, Wawa and Shake Shack. We track every review and coordinate responses so revisions go back in complete.
Building a restaurant on or near the beach in Broward?
We can help you understand what your project will need before you submit, including CCCL requirements. Read our frequently asked questions, then call Permit Express LLC at 954-632-0353 or contact us online. We are open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.