Spirit Airlines' South Florida HQ Scheduled For July Auction
Budget airline Spirit Airlines in 2024 built a shimmering new headquarters for itself in Dania Beach, Florida. Two years later, Spirit is out of business and the four-building campus just south of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is set to be auctioned off.
An auction for the 8.5-acre complex at 1731 Radiant Drive has been scheduled for July 22 at a law office in New York City. Potential buyers have the option to buy the entire campus or portions of it, according to filings in bankruptcy court.
The deadline for expressions of interest, including for a potential stalking horse bid, is set for June 24. The final bid deadline is July 20.
The budget airline filed for bankruptcy in late 2024 after years of reporting losses. Despite attempts at merging with JetBlue, slimming down operations and nearly landing a $500M government bailout from President Donald Trump, it ran out of cash to operate.
Spirit's abrupt shutdown early last month, which left roughly 17,000 employees without jobs at a moment's notice, meant its recently delivered South Florida headquarters was going to hit the market sooner or later.
Spirit spent $275M on the headquarters, which the company named Spirit Central and opened in 2024, just seven months before it filed for bankruptcy.
The campus includes a 180K SF office building for more than 1,000 employees across six floors, an amenity building with a gym, lounge spaces and a café, an in-flight and flight operations training facility, and housing for up to 400 visiting workers.
Spirit listed the value of the land at $33M and the buildings at $228M, according to the company's bankruptcy filings. The office is valued at $133M, including the land and the building, according to the Broward County property appraiser.
The campus was listed for auction separately from the airline's LaGuardia Airport slots, which are set for auction on June 30, and other assets, like engines and equipment, which are set for auction on July 7.
Broward County commissioners are set to consider bidding on the office to use as a replacement for the county's current office in downtown Fort Lauderdale, according to a motion and exhibits reviewed at a commission meeting on Tuesday.
The county would not pay more than $100M on the asset and would only purchase the office building, parking garage and training building designed as a flight simulator for pilots.
Vacant land between the office and the training center would give the county the option to build a new structure, according to a letter Spirit sent to the county detailing the campus and the bidding process on May 30.
Representatives for Spirit did not respond to a request for comment.
