Lennar will build smart homes in Homestead

Lennar Corp., a major South Florida homebuilder, bought more than 77 acres of land in Homestead for about $11 million, Miami-Dade property records show.

The four parcels of land, previously approved for single-family home development, are located just west of the Ronald Reagan Turnpike along Southwest 152nd Avenue and Mowry Drive.

Earlier this month, the homebuilding giant announced it was partnering with Amazon to bring Alexa — Amazon’s smart personal assistant— into its future housing units. On Tuesday, a Lennar spokeswoman said the company would build smart homes in Homestead, although the timing isn’t set.

“Lennar is building homes for the way people live today and well into the future. We are phasing Wi-Fi CERTIFIED home design into new communities in Florida throughout 2017. We are currently working to implement this in the Homestead area,” said Kay L. Howard, Lennar’s chief marketing and communications officer.

Owners of smart homes will be able to ask Alexa to lock their doors, control their TV, A/C and lights, and even measure their car’s carbon-dioxide emissions.

Lennar currently has about six communities in Homestead and dozens more across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Some recent South Florida purchases include acquiring 400 acres for single-family homes in Broward in April, and about 100 acres for $51 million in Hialeah near the future American Dream Miami mega mall.

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 6:50 AM with the headline "Lennar will build smart homes in Homestead."