South Beach is the southern tip of Miami Beach, running from South Pointe Park north through the Art Deco district to about Lincoln Road. Most of its buildings went up between the 1920s and the 1950s, and very few were designed with a water heater in mind. The appliance arrived later and was fitted wherever space could be found.
Closets that were never meant to hold a tank
That history is what separates a South Beach job from the rest of the island. In a 1930s building the heater may be in a cupboard off the kitchen, on a mezzanine above a stair, or on the roof behind a parapet reached by a ladder or a service stair. Each location has its own problem. A kitchen cupboard limits the size of the replacement. A mezzanine means carrying the new unit up and the old one down. A roof location exposes the fittings to sun and salt and puts the vent termination somewhere that has to be checked rather than assumed.
Ocean Drive, Espanola Way and the streets at the point
Hotel conversions along Ocean Drive and the small apartment buildings near Espanola Way often share plant between several units, so a shutdown affects more than one tenant and the manager sets the window. South of Fifth the streets turn residential, with houses that have garages, side yards and exterior closets, and pool equipment a few feet from the heater. Corrosion on the connectors is routine there and is inspected on every visit.
Permits and pressure
Permits come from the City of Miami Beach. A same-for-same swap is generally the simplest application; anything that changes fuel, location or the vent route is not. Pressure in these buildings is worth measuring rather than assuming, since a relief valve dripping on a third floor is often reporting a regulator at the bottom of the stack.
Start on the contact page. Say which block you are on and whether the unit is in a cupboard, on a mezzanine or on the roof.