In 1991, the crisis of the Gulf War forced the closure of El-Wakil's offices in the UK. Being aware of the situation, Andrés Duany invited El-Wakil to come to Miami as visiting Professor at the University of Miami. El-Wakil also joined a charette organised by Duany for the development of South Beach. The developer Thomas Kramer, impressed by El-Wakil, asked him to design his new residence on Star Island. Duany presented El-Wakil with several consultancy opportunities of which The Kemer County Development offered him the opportunity to experiment with Traditional Turkish Architecture in the Design of the Country Club. El-Wakil kept a base in Miami until the tragic events of 911.