Florida Entrepreneur Ben Novack Dies

Ben Novack, who built the posh Fountainebleau Hotel in 1954, luring thousands of wintering Northeasterners to its sunny beaches and French-oriented decor, has died of heart and lung failure after a weeklong stay in Mt. Sinai Medical Center.

Novack was 78 and his final days were marked by a battle over his assets between the entrepreneur’s son, Ben Jr., and Juana M. Rodriguez, a former Miss Uruguay who said she was the elder Novack’s companion for the last five years.

A hospital spokeswoman said Novack died shortly before midnight April 5 of heart and lung failure.

Novack owned and operated the 1,250-room Fountainebleau Hotel, the largest in Florida, from its opening until he filed for protection under federal bankruptcy laws in 1977. It is now operated by the Hilton Hotel chain.

At its peak, entertainer Ed Sullivan made television broadcasts from the Miami Beach hotel. Frank Sinatra has a huge suite named after him.

As tastes changed in the 1960s, the hotel lost much of its clientele to resorts offering tennis courts and stays on nearby Caribbean islands. Occupancy rates have risen since Hilton’s takeover.

Novack most recently owned Orangebrook Concessions, which filed for protection under U.S. bankruptcy laws last year. Novack’s estate is still believed worth about $1 million.

His son, who had power of attorney for his father at the time of the death and stands to inherit that estate, had asked a Miami judge last month to declare his father mentally incompetent and appoint him as guardian.

After the elder Novack suffered a stroke March 30, Rodriguez filed suit trying to prevent that ruling.