Four of the most prominent Miami developers spoke at a Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday, and reveled details about their upcoming projects as well as voiced their predictions and hopes for the future of the real estate market. These featured guests were Dacra COO Steven Gretenstien, Swire Properties Senior Vice President Christopher Gandolfo, Florida East Coast Industries CEO Vince Singorello, and Miami Worldcenter Managing Principal Nitin Motwani. The companies these four executives manage have plans to build at least 13 million feet of new properties, including retail spaces, offices, hotels, convention meeting areas and residential homes or condos. Consequently, the decision to have them speak at the luncheon is really no surprise considering the stake they have in shaping the future of Miami. All four had a lot to say about the current state in the city, including one particularly provocative comment made by Signorello; “My wish would be that the city’s business leaders take control of the city back from the grip of the politicians”. He later clarified that it was not so much that he disliked Miami’s politicians, moreover that he felt business leaders should take more of a proactive role, “all too often I see smart business people waiting at the foot of the government as opposed to leading the dialogue and engaging politicians to create a road map [to the future].” This seems to be a far point to make given the business centric direction Miami is headed, as the city is quickly becoming a major huge commercial hub both locally and overseas. Miami is expanding rapidly, and business people are directly invested in that expansion so it seems natural that they would have a voice in the decision making process, as it directly effects the prosperity of their companies.
Overall the gathering was very informative, particularly because four of the major speakers have big real estate projects planned for the near future. Both commercial and residential real estate is expanding throughout Miami, and the next few years are expected to bring even more growth to the area. If you are interested in South Florida real estate then feel free to contact a RE/MAX agent today and they would be happy to answer any questions you may have!