Global Miami-APRIL2025_Issuu

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VOL 3. ISSUE 2 FEATURES

SPECIAL REPORT: REAL ESTATE

From new digs in Doral and two Argentines building the St. Regis Residences, to high real estate prices and shifting Canadian investments, a sampler from the global city.

UGO'S ICONS

Ugo Colombo's 30-year career has been marked by a succession of high rises that are not only well built, but well designed. Few South Florida developers have left behind a comparable legacy of design.

SPECIAL REPORT: ISRAELI TECH

Known as the “Startup Nation” for its innovation and ample government support for tech enterprises, Israel has been forging business links with Miami for decades, thanks partly to South Florida’s role as a gateway to the U.S. and Latin America

SPECIAL REPORT: LOGISTICS

South Florida’s rise as a logistics powerhouse didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of decades of planning, investment, and a drive to stay one step ahead of global trade trends.

ACROSS THE AMERICAS: DHL

DHL Express Americas runs a massive logistics and transport operation from the city of Plantation, where it moved its regional headquarters from California to South Florida over a decade ago.

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Towards a New Economic Model GLOBAL MIAMI

No one involved in world trade today can avoid concerns about the current trend of rising tariffs. Whether or not you agree with their use as policy, and whether or not you believe they will result in the administration’s goal of leveling the reciprocal playing field for U.S. products abroad – which they may very well do – we are in for a period of uncertainly.

At the same time, periods of great uncertainty are also periods of great opportunity. For Greater Miami, which is more deeply linked to the Americas than to China and other Asian markets, the disruption of traditional trading patterns is much less volatile. Miami is also home to a plethora of free trade zones, which can mitigate trade restrictions, and the recipient of enormous amounts of foreign direct investment. Foreign dollars are pouring into real estate, wealth management funds, information technology, and biomedical and avionic manufacturing.

Of perhaps greatest significance, Miami is moving toward a post-industrial, post-product economy, one that is driven by ideas and the cyber universe. Regardless of trade agreements for imports and exports of goods, global firms are continuing to migrate their headquarters here, global wealth management is continuing to relocate here, and global online companies are continuing to be born here.

Miami has just wrapped up its annual eMerge conference, attended by more than 20,000 visitors from the Americas, Europe and beyond – from more than 60 nations. Innovators came to meet with venture capitalists, to listen to industry experts, and to see the exhibits from countries like Spain, Hungary, Chile, Uruguay, South Korea, and Argentina. Even Serbia sent a delegation. And even in the tumultuous first quarter of this year, South Florida startups attracted nearly $1 billion in venture capital, on a blistering pace to beat last year’s $2.77 billion. Why corporate leaders like Victor Lozinski of LeverX are moving their company HQs here is not because of the tangibles of physical trade – where Miami has traditionally excelled – but because the city is becoming a center for financial, banking, insurance, and legal services. Add to that South Florida’s new momentum as a center for innovation and intellectual property – as an emerging world hub for IT and AI – and you have a post-modern city that is capable of growing and adapting to any shifting patterns of world trade.

RICHARD ROFFMAN

PUBLISHER

GLOBAL MIAMI MAGAZINE

PUBLISHER Richard Roffman

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

J.P. Faber

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Gail Feldman

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL Manny Mencia

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS

Monica Del Carpio-Raucci

MANAGING EDITOR Drew Limsky

SENIOR EDITOR Yousra Benkirane

SALES AND PARTNERSHIPS

Sherry Adams

Amy Donner

Andrew Kardonski Gail Scott

ART DIRECTOR Jon Braeley

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jorge G. Gavilondo

WRITERS

Doreen Hemlock

Riley Kaminer

Joe Mann

Katelin Stecz

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Rodolfo Benitez

Alexia Fodere

CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION

CircIntel

BOARD OF ADVISORS

Ivan Barrios, World Trade Center Miami

Ralph Cutié, Miami International Airport

Gary Goldfarb, Interport

Bill Johnson, Strategic Economic Forum

Roberto Munoz, The Global Financial Group

Stacy Ritter, Visit Lauderdale David Schwartz, FIBA

EDITORIAL BOARD

Alice Ancona, World Trade Center Miami

Greg Chin, Miami International Airport

Tiffany Comprés, Pierson Ferdinand

Paul Griebel, Venture for America

James Kohnstamm, Miami-Dade County

John Price, Americas Market Intelligence

TJ Villamil, eMerge Americas

COVER PHOTO by Rodolfo Benitez

Global Miami Magazine is published bi-monthly by Global Cities Media, LLC. 1200 Anastasia Ave., Suite 217, Coral Gables, FL 33134. Telephone: (305) 452-0501. Copyright 2025 by Global Cities Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph, or illustration without o\prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Send address changes to subscriptions@ globalmiamimagazine.com. General mailbox email and letters to editor@globalmiamimagazine.com

Alfredo Rossano

Investments and Innovations Impacting South Florida

GLOBAL FIRM RELOCATES

Data security firm Varonis has relocated its headquarters from New York to Miami’s 801 Brickell building. The company, which employs 2,400 worldwide, provides software to detect and fix data security issues across cloud, SaaS, and hybrid environments. Its former New York office remains one of its 14 global locations.

NEW EAST COAST HQ

Kandji, the Apple endpoint security platform, has opened its East Coast headquarters at The Plaza Coral Gables to support global growth and expand hiring. The 30,000-square-foot space will accommodate over 100 new positions. Kandji also has offices in California, London, Sydney, and Japan.

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP

Miami-based logistics platform PayCargo and Gnosis Freight, a supply chain software provider, have partnered with Germany’s Hapag- Lloyd to launch the Container Payment Portal (CPP). The CPP enhances cargo visibility, reduces dock times, and streamlines payments for U.S. shipments.

CMA CGM EXPANDS

CMA CGM is investing $20B to expand U.S. maritime, warehousing, and air cargo operations, tripling its U.S.-flagged fleet and enhancing port connectivity. Also, PortMiami launched the CMA CGM California Bridge Service, a weekly first-stop route linking Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. West Coast. France-based CMA CGM is the third largest container shipping company in the world.

FLYING CARS GO GLOBAL

Pompano Beach-based Doroni Aerospace secured a $30 million investment from Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Aero Industries to accelerate development of its H1-X, a two-seat eVTOL. Production is targeted for 2026, with plans for a joint venture to manufacture and distribute the aircraft globally from Saudi Arabia in 2027.

NEW DATA CENTERS

Storage and data management firm Iron Mountain has begun construction on MIA-1, its first Miami-Dade data center. Set to open in 2026, the 150,000 sq. ft. facility will provide 16MW capacity on a 3.4-acre site running entirely on carbon-free energy. Iron Mountain operates data centers in 11 U.S. cities and 25 locations worldwide. Meanwhile, data center developer Metroblok has purchased a 4-acre site in Miami to build a 15.2MW multi-tenant data center. The facility will support high-capacity computing for AI, gaming, and other tech needs, helping to expand South Florida’s role as a digital gateway to the Americas.

GLOBALX EXPANDS CARGO

Miami-based Global Crossing Airlines has signed a short-term deal to provide airlift for DHL Express in the U.S. The airline, which operates four Airbus A321 cargo jets and 15 passenger aircraft, reported 1,600+ billable cargo hours in Q4, quadrupling year-over-year.

INDIA’S FIRST MOBILE TELE-SURGICAL UNIT

Fort Lauderdale-based SS Innovations International Inc. has launched India’s first mobile tele-surgical unit, the SSI Mantra Tele-Sync Mobile Unit. The unit integrates the SS Mantra 3 Surgical Robotic System with high-speed connectivity for real-time remote surgeries and medical training. SS Innovations has also secured regulatory approvals for its surgical robotic system in both the Philippines and Ukraine.

NEW FLIGHTS

Aeromexico has added daily Cancún-Miami service, while American Airlines will begin daily Miami-Rome flights on July 5, extend its Miami-Paris service through August, and add a fourth daily Miami-Buenos Aires flight in December. Condor Airlines now offers nonstop Frankfurt-Miami service. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, El Al has resumed twice-weekly nonstop flights to Tel Aviv. Avianca has launched daily Medellín–Fort Lauderdale service and is launching daily Miami-Guatemala City flights and a Fort Lauderdale-Managua flight in May.

SPANISH BANK LOAN

Santander Bank, the U.S. arm of Spain’s Santander Group, provided a $67.5 million construction loan to 13th Floor Adler South LLC – a joint venture between Miami-based 13th Floor Investments and Adler Group – for the Parks at Davie project, located on Broward College’s east campus. Groundbreaking is set for this month, with completion in 2027. The college anticipates at least $315 million in lease revenue over time.

MIH $90M ACQUISITION

Miami International Holdings (MIH), via its subsidiary MIH East Holdings, has agreed to acquire the remaining 70.54% of The International Stock Exchange (TISE) it does not already own in a $91.5M cash deal. Headquartered in Guernsey, TISE is a key player in European capital markets, with over 4,400 listed securities valued at more than $975B as of year-end 2024. MIH will open a new MIAX options trading floor in Miami in Q2 2025.

MIAMI BIOTECH

Miami-based Galatea Bio has raised $25 million from investors to expand its global biobank. Founded by Stanford geneticist Carlos D. Bustamante, (above), the biotech firm is building the world’s largest genomic datasets focused on non-European populations. Using AI, Galatea will sequence data from 10 million participants to enhance disease modeling and drug research for immune, cancer, and neurodegenerative conditions. l

A Blooming Business

MIAMI TAKES A DOMINANT ROLE IN THE IMPORTATION OF FRESH FLOWERS TO THE U.S.

BY YOUSRA BENKIRANE

Every year, as Valentine’s Day approaches, the cargo holds of Avianca’s freighters transform into airborne greenhouses, packed with millions of delicate stems destined for lovers and florists across North America. This year was no different. The Colombian carrier, one of the largest movers of fresh-cut flowers in the world, saw another bustling season, transporting more than 18,000 tons of flowers between January and February. In the weeks leading up to February 14, MIA processed approximately 940 million stems of cut flowers, with about 1,500 tons arriving daily.

But the business of blooms extends far beyond a single holiday. The Miami Customs District, which handles more than 90% of all fresh-cut flower imports into the U.S., saw another year of significant growth in 2024, with total imports reaching $1.73 billion, marking a 10.9% increase from the previous year.

Leading the charge was Colombia, which exported $1.19 billion worth of flowers through Miami, a 12% increase from 2023. The South American nation remains the undisputed leader in the industry, supplying nearly 70% of all flowers imported through the Miami Customs District. The country’s high-altitude farms, ideal growing conditions, and strong supply chain

networks – coupled with efficient air freight operations from carriers like Avianca – have all contributed to its dominance.

Ecuador, another floral powerhouse, recorded $451 million in flower exports to Miami, up 8.01% from the previous year. While smaller in volume compared to Colombia, Ecuadorian flowers – particularly roses – are prized for their larger blooms and vibrant colors, making them a staple for luxury floral arrangements and premium markets.

Costa Rica remains a market but saw a 10% decline to $25.2 million, as it faced stronger competition from its larger South American counterparts.

For Avianca, the floral trade has been a boon. In the three weeks preceding Valentine’s Day 2025, the airline operated around 300 cargo flights, transporting approximately 18,000 tons of flowers from Colombia and Ecuador to Miami. To manage this increased demand, Avianca Cargo doubled its regular capacity, investing in infrastructure enhancements and expanding its U.S. operations workforce by 30%. These efforts led to a 57% reduction in flower processing and delivery times in Miami, ensuring that fresher blooms reached consumers more swiftly.

The remarkable efficiency of Miami’s

flower trade is due in large part to its coldchain logistics infrastructure. Upon arrival at Miami International Airport, flowers are swiftly processed at specialized cold storage facilities, inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and distributed across the country – often reaching their final destination within 48 hours of landing.

Despite rising demand, the industry faces ongoing challenges, including higher freight costs, labor shortages, and the potential impact of climate change on flower-growing regions. Nevertheless, the sector continues to thrive, leveraging Miami’s strategic location and its deep connections with Latin America’s agricultural powerhouses. l

AVIANCA CARGO DELIVERS FLOWERS AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Source: US Census Bureau; Avianca; The Observatory for Economic Complexity

MIAMI CUSTOMS DISTRICT FLOWER IMPORTS

Liechtenstein Looks to Miami

In his first-ever visit to Miami, His Excellency Georg Sparber, Liechtenstein’s Ambassador to the United States, is already taking notes. On a March trip hosted by the World Affairs Council of Miami, Sparber was exploring opportunities to deepen economic ties and people-to-people connections between the small but mighty Alpine nation and South Florida.

What brought you here on this trip?

I’ve always had a soft spot for Florida, mostly from the movies and books I loved growing up, but this is actually my first time in Miami. We’re off to a great start – we visited Little Havana yesterday and stopped at Versailles, just to get a first impression of the culture and history here. It’s beautiful.

Tell us about your role as ambassador?

I’ve been the Ambassador of Liechtenstein to the United States for three and a half years. I joined the diplomatic service 16 years ago. These are exciting times in the U.S., and I see a lot of potential to strengthen our relationship, especially through economic ties and people-to-people contact.

Liechtenstein has gone through a remarkable economic transformation. Any lessons for Miami?

After World War II, Liechtenstein transitioned very quickly from a rural economy to one of the most industrialized countries in the world. We benefited from the “peace dividend” in Europe –long-standing peace and stability in the region – and developed a strong startup mentality. Many of the industries that emerged back then are still around today and are globally competitive. Some even have a footprint in the United States. That’s part of why I’m here: to learn more about South Florida’s conditions for doing business and share those insights with our companies.

Are there specific economic or cultural interests Liechtenstein has in Miami?

We’re a country of only 40,000 people, but Liechtenstein companies

provide around 7,000 jobs in the U.S. – mostly in manufacturing and construction. Some of those sectors, like automotive and dentistry, are particularly interesting for South Florida.

Are those industries where you see opportunity for partnerships in South Florida?

Yes, those are sectors where we’re already well established in the U.S. and part of the supply chain. But we’re open to new areas as well. Liechtenstein also has a financial sector, and we’re very interested in South Florida’s activities around digital finance. We’ve created a regulatory framework that gives U.S. companies a way into the European Union single market—through Liechtenstein, they can access over 400 million consumers.

What Liechtenstein companies currently operate in Florida?

We do have some presence here. For example, Hilti, in the construction sector, employs more than 100 people in Florida and is our biggest employer in the U.S. There’s also Ivoclar, which specializes in dental technology. Their sales and marketing operations are active in the region.

Do you see potential collaboration with Miami’s financial sector?

We’ve developed strict regulations to ensure legal security for digital assets and to prevent abuse. That gives us a competitive advantage [and] we also have strong ties with Switzerland. There are already good discussions between our leadership and U.S. regulators –mostly in D.C. – but I think there’s great potential to explore opportunities more concretely here in Miami. l

A Transatlantic Bond

ITALY AND SOUTH FLORIDA’S TRADE RELATIONSHIP CONTINUES TO GROW

BY YOUSRA BENKIRANE

F

rom luxury yachts to designer labels and fine espresso, Italy’s footprint in South Florida is as stylish as it is economically significant. Unlike South Florida’s trade with many Latin American and Asian partners, which is often driven by bulk commodities, industrial machinery, or agricultural exports, Italy’s engagement is defined by high-value, low-volume exchanges. And Italian companies are increasingly choosing the city as a gateway not only to the U.S. but also to Latin America.

On the export side, Miami supplies Italy with raw materials critical to its high-end industries. Gold exports to Italy, which surged 224% to $258 million in 2024, supply Italy’s world-renowned jewelry sector. Hormone exports of $64 million (up 100%) reflect both Italy’s sophisticated biotech and medical research sector and South Florida’s importance in the global pharma supply chain.

On the import side, Italy’s luxury craftsmanship is in high demand in South Florida. Recreational boats valued at $473 million are the top Italian import, feeding Miami’s demand for maritime opulence. Italian manufacturers such as Ferretti, Azimut-Benetti, and Sanlorenzo, renowned for craftsmanship and design innovation,

Italy is the number one producer of yachts and superyachts in the world, and Florida is the number one market ...

NEVIO BOCCANERA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ITALYAMERICA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SOUTHEAST - IACCSE

are prestige brands. “Italy is the number one producer of yachts and superyachts in the world, and Florida is the number one market,” says Nevio Boccanera, Executive Director of the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast (IACCSE). “The marine industry has long been a critical part of the Italy-South Florida trade relationship, particularly in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.”

The influence of Italian style is a driver of its exports to Miami and all of Florida, extending to fashion, furniture, and ceramics.

(Statewide, fashion and accessories top the import category at $722.4M). Miami’s Design District is home to Italian clothiers like Salvatore Ferragamo and Empresa, as well as home décor brand Minotti Miami.

With Miami as a strategic entry point into Latin America, many Italian firms establish their regional headquarters in South Florida to manage operations across the Western Hemisphere. “For Italian companies, Miami has become just as important as New York,” says IACCSE President Graziano Sbroggio. “Previously, Italian companies would set up in Manhattan, but now Miami offers a more attractive alternative – it’s a growing market with a strong business infrastructure and a favorable tax environment.”

Luxury Italian brands such as Gucci, Prada, and Ferrari use Miami as a base for Latin America, leveraging its bilingual workforce. Italian industrial firms in sectors such as energy and construction also set up offices in Miami before expanding into countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. “Miami provides stability,” says Sbroggio. “It’s easier to set up an office here than to deal with the regulatory complexities of certain Latin American markets.” The Chamber estimates that there are some 350 to 400 Italian subsidiaries across the state, with about 100 to 150 in Miami.

A CONNECTION BEYOND TRADE

The Italy-South Florida relationship is also cultural, in both directions. “We try to create an ecosystem where Italian companies feel comfortable when they arrive in Miami,” says Boccanera. “Our offices, for example, were designed by an Italian architect and are entirely furnished with made-in-Italy products, donated by our members.” For South Floridians, Chamber events amplify Italy’s

Italy Miami Customs District Trade 2024

Miami provides stability. It’s easier to set up an office here than to deal with the regulatory complexities of certain Latin American markets.

presence in South Florida, from the Authentic Italian Food & Wine Festival in June – showcasing Miami’s top Italian chefs – to the Best of Italian Design event during Art Basel.

The Chamber also supports Italian businesses through initiatives like the Italian Lab, a space in its Miami headquarters where Italian companies can land before committing to a full office. “We are looking at organizing a trade mission to Central Florida, particularly to Cape Canaveral, to connect Italian aerospace companies with U.S. counterparts,” says Sbroggio. “With Space Florida recently visiting Italy, there is a lot of potential collaboration in this sector.”

TOP IMPORTS FROM ITALY

down 7.01%

up 31.3%

Source: Italian Trade Agency, U.S. Census Bureau

That mission would reciprocate last November’s 85-member Florida trade mission to Italy, where Gov. Ron DeSantis met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and announced the opening an economic development office in Milan in 2025. That office, Florida’s first in Italy, “will continue the work of this trade mission in bringing more businesses, investment, and trade to Florida,” DeSantis said at the time.

“There have already been follow-up meetings,” said Boccanera. “Port Jacksonville has reached out about increasing Italian imports, particularly in the cruise and maritime industries. MSC, which has built the largest cruise terminal in Miami, is also looking at deeper collaborations. We are seeing continuous growth.” l

GRAZIANO SBROGGIO, IACCSE

The Role of Technology in International Arbitration

BY TIFFANY COMPRÉS

FOUNDING PARTNER AT PIERSON FERDINAND LLP AND CO-CHAIR OF INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES

As global commerce expands, resolving disputes through international arbitration efficiently and fairly has become more important than ever. The rising complexity and volume of cross-border disputes calls for new approaches to streamline the procedure, manage costs, and ensure consistency, particularly as the volume of data implicated in each case skyrockets. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly instrumental in meeting these demands, yet its integration in international arbitration raises fundamental questions about ethics, neutrality, and the unique qualities of human expertise.

THE CURRENT AND NEAR-FUTURE STATE OF TECHNOLOGY IN INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION

Today, AI is streamlining arbitration by automating routine tasks, such as assisting in reviewing documents and preparing initial drafts of procedural orders and party submissions. Machine learning tools sort through vast volumes of evidence, assisting counsel in building cases more efficiently, and allowing arbitrators to assess them more effectively. These tools also sort case law and quickly identify patterns across thousands of previous cases, helping in the analysis of legal issues. AI-driven research platforms and predictive analytics, although still imperfect, allow lawyers to focus more on complex strategy and judgment rather than manual, time-consuming tasks.

Natural language processing (NLP) tools enable faster and more accurate document analysis and translation, which can be invaluable for cross-border cases involving multilingual documents and intricate factual details. AI can make notes during hearings for use by arbitrators and counsel and suggest counter-arguments to help counsel hone their cases. It can even take the role of a particular arbitrator (based on an analysis of prior awards) for mock hearings to help attorneys prepare their arguments. Damage experts will soon use AI to determine the value of losses, and explain at the evidentiary hearing how their AI works to support the valuation. Engineers engaged as experts will have their AI produce videos of construction and mechanical issues central to the case at hand. Third party arbitration funders will use AI to cull cases with low probabilities of success.

AI is not only transforming how routine tasks are handled, but it is also poised to take the place of the junior associate at law firms. Although today this technology is still in the early stages –reminiscent of a goofy first year associate that makes mistakes and doesn’t understand the nuances that make a great legal argument – given the exponential improvement in the technology, in short order AI may very well become the indispensable junior associate, churning out research and first drafts. As technology that is expensive today becomes broadly available at a lower cost, small businesses and consumers will have more direct access to sophisticated legal tools.

MIAMI-BASED TIFFANY REPRESENTS COMPANIES AROUND THE WORLD AS AN ADVOCATE IN INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION AND LITIGATION

AT THE FOREFRONT OF AI AND THE LAW, COMPRÉS IS REGULARLY INVITED TO SPEAK ON TOPICS AT THE INTERSECTION OF THESE EVOLVING FIELDS, SHOWCASING HER THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND EXPERTISE IN INNOVATIVE LEGAL STRATEGIES

Beyond these advances, blockchain technology is revolutionizing contract enforcement. Blockchain-enabled smart contract arbitration mechanisms, such as Kleros, can self-execute under specific conditions, reducing the need for human intervention and eliminating the need for traditional disputes altogether. These systems fully automate every step of the arbitration process (securing evidence, selecting the trier(s) of fact, etc.). For small, routine disputes, AI can serve as the adjudicator if the parties so agree. This is especially valuable for straightforward, lower-stakes disputes that can benefit from quick resolutions without sacrificing fairness. For example, eBay has been using an automated resolution system for years, purportedly settling up to 90% of claims without any human input. You might have thought this was the future, but it’s already happening.

THE RISKS

New technology always comes with unintended consequences. While AI can bring efficiency to many aspects of international arbitration, there are many open questions for the future.

THE DATA SET: CONTENTS AND SIZE

An AI system needs to train on vast amounts of data sets to function properly. In international commercial arbitration, some awards are published in an anonymized fashion, but most awards remain confidential. The entire set would ideally be anonymized and published to provide the largest possible data set to train AI. This has been an increasing trend but is not yet the standard. Further, in investor-state arbitration, the universe of cases is relatively small, so this is a foundational challenge. Training an arbitration AI on court judgments is not a viable alternative because national courts often have a domestic bias even in the interpretation of international law, which would taint the entire data set. In addition, the procedures in international arbitration are vastly different from domestic court procedures, and domestic court decisions would therefore be useless in this regard.

A related issue is bias. Any AI is only as good as the data set on which it is trained. Any data set will naturally include the prevailing societal biases and legal biases. AI can entrench and even exacerbate existing demographic and legal biases instead of freeing us from them.  Remember that at this stage AI is really only a statistical machine, albeit a very advanced one. As a consequence, the output will reflect the input.

LACK OF TRANSPARENCY

Stemming from the concern about the data set is the issue of transparency, often referred to as the “black box” issue, i.e., the impossibility of directly explaining the results or predictions of a given AI. AI arrives at solutions powered by a rationale opaque to even the most experienced programmer. As a “mere” user, to learn exactly what data any particular AI is trained on, much less to understand the complex algorithms that make it spring to life, is inconceivable. This lack of transparency in a legal system predicated on fairness is troubling.

This further leads to a web of issues when AI is used in international arbitration, chief among them whether this complex mathematical / statistical calculation is something akin to reasoning. This is critical in order to determine whether an international arbitration award written by an AI would be enforceable under the applicable international treaties and domestic laws, which often require “reasoned” awards.

Less frighteningly existential questions, with a more immediate and practical impact include: What level of AI are parties comfortable permitting an arbitrator to use? While clients are often eager for their lawyers to use AI to reduce costs, that enthusiasm may not always extend to the decision maker. Based on the current rate of technological evolution, AI’s capabilities will likely outpace clients’ comfort with AI playing a key role in deciding their dispute. Currently, institutions at times explicitly and implicitly limit the use of AI to draft an award – for example, the Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Arbitration from the Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center specifically prohibits arbitrators from delegating their decision-making function to AI. Will this eventually change as disputes become even more increasingly complex and document intensive?

There is little debate that, given AI’s current capabilities, human judgment remains essential for high-stakes, complex cases that demand nuance and cultural understanding. In international arbitration, sensitivity to diverse legal systems and cultural contexts is crucial. Automated tools, though powerful, can inadvertently introduce biases or oversights, particularly in cross-border disputes where regional differences play a critical role. AI is highly effective at pattern recognition, but it lacks the human capacity for empathy, intuition, and the ability to weigh subtle social, cultural, and legal factors that may influence the outcome of a dispute.

For this reason, a hybrid approach – where AI assists with routine and preliminary tasks while human arbitrators maintain oversight – can offer the best of both worlds. AI tools can accelerate initial case assessments, manage document intake, prepare chronologies, and facilitate communication among parties, but ultimate decision-making should rest with human experts, at least for the time being.

SAFEGUARDING CLIENT TRUST IN A TECHNOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE

Lastly, with the adoption of AI in international arbitration comes a responsibility to safeguard data privacy, uphold client confidentiality, and navigate regulatory compliance across borders. AI systems are only as secure as the frameworks governing their use. Professionals who adopt these tools must remain vigilant in overseeing how client information is managed, stored, and analyzed, in compliance with regulations like the GDPR and CCPA. A lapse in data security can severely impact client trust, which is foundational to any legal relationship.

As the legal profession embraces AI, international arbitration stands at the forefront of innovation. Hybrid arbitration models, combining AI-powered administrative support and junior attorney level assistance with human-led judgment, may become the norm, blending efficiency with the integrity needed for high-value, complex cases. l

Dogs, Cats, and Genetic Testing

HOW OLD IS YOUR RESCUE PET? EPIPAWS’ DNA TEST, NOW GOING GLOBAL, WILL TELL YOU

BY JOSEPH A. MANN JR.

When Andria Beal was working on her doctorate in biology at Florida International University, she developed the first test to determine the age of dolphins. In 2021, after she received her Ph.D. in epigenetics – the field of biology that studies how environment and behavior affect DNA – Beal decided to apply her skill to other animals. So, in 2022 she started EpiPaws, a company that tells pet owners how old their rescue dogs and cats are.

The idea is that, while people who buy cat and dogs from pet stores or breeders usually know their animals’ age, those who take

home a cat or dog from an animal shelter – and more than 4 million pets are adopted nationwide each year – often have no idea how old Tabby or Fido may be.

“When I thought about making a test for rescue dogs and cats, I realized there was a massive market opportunity that no one was addressing,” says Beal. The test uses a mouth swab for dogs and cats and identifies DNA methylation, a molecule that attaches to DNA. “We measure how much of this molecule occurs at certain areas of the

When I thought about making a test for rescue dogs and cats, I realized there was a massive market opportunity that no one was addressing ...

ANDRIA BEAL, FIU GRADUATE AND FOUNDER OF EPIPAWS

THE TEST USES A MOUTH SWAB FOR DOGS AND CATS AND IDENTIFIES DNA METHYLATION, A MOLECULE THAT ATTACHES TO DNA. PET OWNERS USE AN EPIPAWS KIT TO SWAB THEIR ANIMAL’S MOUTH AND SEND THE SWAB IN A SEALED CONTAINER TO BEAL’S LAB WHERE TESTING REVEALS THE DOG'S OR CAT'S AGE

DNA and this is how we can tell how old an animal is,” Beal explains. “About 75% of samples come within five months of the actual age.” The rest come within plus or minus 12 months of the actual age.

Using her own funds, Beal set up EpiPaws in Fort Lauderdale with $30,000. When she started, Beal did everything herself: She built the test kit, designed the product box, put the boxes together, and started promoting EpiPaws on social media. Each Pet Age Test, which retails for $120, is mailed to pet owners, who swab their animal’s mouth and send the swab in a sealed container to Beal’s lab in Fort Lauderdale. So far, Beal has performed more than 1,500 tests, mostly in the U.S. but also for clients in Australia, Singapore, and Korea. While Beal remains the sole employee, she now has five advisors and four part-time consultants.

Beal is also launching a new product that measures the aging rate for all cats and dogs, helping owners to identify factors like food, exercise, medicines, and stressors that affect their health and measure disease development. This will allow pet owners to provide the correct food, exercise regimen and health care for animals as they age.

Beal has already raised $150,000 from two angel investors and is seeking more capital to expand. In addition to revenue from individual tests, EpiPaws is working with veterinarians and has partnered with Hill’s pet nutrition. Beal is also talking to other pet food and pharmaceutical companies, and while there are other epigenetic tests for dogs, Beal’s test for cats is the first of its kind.

“EpiPaws and its founder are a good example of an entrepreneur seeing a need in the marketplace and using unique technologies to address this need,” says Jaap Donath, Ph. D., Assistant Executive Director for Programs at the Alan B. Levan – NSU Broward Center of Innovation. Two Levan Center innovation programs helped Beal with topics such as legal, finance, marketing, fundraising, and pitching to investors. “EpiPaws is generating revenue because Andria did a lot of customer discovery to make sure there is a need, understood how to price her product, and had a strategy to get to her customers,” Donath says. l

More and more, the U.S. is becoming a bilingual

country ...

ANDRES

MORENO, MIAMI TECH ENTREPRENEUR AND FOUNDER OF OPEN ENGLISH

Found in Translation

HOW ANDRES MORENO CREATED A WAY TO DELIVER DIGITAL LANGUAGE CLASSES WORLDWIDE

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

Miami tech entrepreneur Andres Moreno has built a market leader in Open English, the platform offering online English classes that now employs nearly 4,000 people worldwide, operates on five continents, and keeps offices in countries as varied as Colombia, Turkey, Brazil, and Singapore.

Now, Moreno is expanding his venture to offer Spanish classes online too, targeting U.S. businesses whose managers want to communicate better with Spanish-speaking staff, customers, and suppliers in the U.S. and beyond. He’s calling the U.S. corporate initiative in English and Spanish Open Education.

The Venezuelan-born founder knows the new push will require a different approach. Fortunately, he is used to pioneering, creating Open English in the 2000s before Zoom and other videochat software was available. Back then, he found students in Latin America’s middle-class largely through ads on cable TV. He later attracted learners in the U.S. through social media. Today, his team is building relationships with top brass at multinationals, especially human-resource leaders, to obtain contracts to teach company staff.

Moreno sees a strong opportunity to teach Spanish in the U.S. Studies show that nearly one-third of U.S. Latinos rely on Spanish, or if bilingual, prefer Spanish to English as their main language. “More and more, the U.S. is becoming a bilingual country,” Moreno says. “There are many service providers that want to reach Spanish-speaking customers or have suppliers or staff who speak Spanish.”

FROM STARTUP TO MARKET LEADER

Moreno didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. But during his final year in college, while studying engineering in Venezuela, he saw an opportunity to improve the way English was taught. At his small, shared apartment, he gathered 22 programmers to create a platform to offer real-time, online classes anytime, anywhere, with native-speaking teachers. “Back then, if you wanted to speak to someone in another country, you had to make a long-distance call, and it was very expensive,” he says.

Moreno moved to California to raise capital. By 2009, with some $2 million raised, his team set up headquarters in Mi-

ami and formally launched Open English. By 2015, Open English had raised more than $100 million. It now boasts more than $150 million in funding from such wellknown venture capital firms as TCV, which is active in Netflix and Spotify.

That cash fueled Open English to expand across the Americas and then into Spain and Europe. Later, it bought an English-language company in Turkey and entered the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated growth, partly for corporate clients, as many businesses turned to online schools for their executives working from home. To date, some 10,000 companies worldwide have used the platform for their staffs, helping open English boost annual revenues beyond $150 million, Moreno says.

Open English now employs nearly 2,000 online teachers who lead 7 million classes a year. Prices for classes vary, depending on the number of students, length of study, and other factors, but “typically are a fraction of what you pay for traditional, in-person classes,” Moreno says.

While building Open English, Moreno also has contributed to the growth of Miami’s tech ecosystem. He served as a founding board member of accelerator Endeavor, helping to develop its ScaleUp program and mentoring fellow entrepreneurs, says Claudia Duran, managing director of Endeavor Miami. “Andres is a visionary leader,” Duran says, “committed to his multiple businesses and determined to scale them globally.” l

Long an innovator in cargo shipping, Miami-based Seaboard Marine is venturing into a new arena: alternative fuels. In 2023, the freight carrier became the first to fill up a containership at PortMiami with liquefied natural gas (LNG), a fuel that burns cleaner than diesel. Now, it’s integrating eight new and larger LNG-powered containerships into its growing fleet.

Seaboard Marine is part of a Fortune 500 company based in Kansas that is active in diverse businesses including pork processing, grain trading and shrimp farming. The parent company, Seaboard Corp., tops $9 billion in annual sales, employs 10,000-plus people worldwide, and trades its stock on Wall Street.

The ocean shipping unit launched in Miami in 1983, seeing opportunity in booming garment and electronics production in the Caribbean Basin and rising exports of fresh produce to the U.S. Today, it’s the biggest cargo carrier based in Miami-Dade County. The line operates some 20 ships serving 26 countries in the Americas, with 12 vessels calling regularly at PortMiami. It employs more than 370 at its headquarters in Medley (which it shares with logistics affiliate Seaboard Solutions) and at its 77-acre terminal at the port.

In March 2023, the freight carrier made headlines by purchasing the world’s first containership converted from diesel power to cleaner-burning LNG. That ship, retrofitted in 2017 and now called Seaboard Blue, filled up on LNG at PortMiami for its inaugural sailing to Honduras and Guatemala. Local officials celebrated the move as part of the seaport’s push for sustainability.

“Together with our shore-to-power project [which lets cruise ships plug into electricity on land, reducing emissions], “these investments continue to position PortMiami as an industry leader and help to ensure our community becomes future-ready,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

In late 2024, the carrier began receiving the first of six large LNG-powered containerships due for delivery by 2026. Designed in Germany and built in China, each can hold roughly 3,500 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units, i.e. containers of 20-feet each). That’s more than triple the capacity of its 1,000-TEU Seaboard Blue. Industry reports estimate the price for the three ships will top $180 million. Seaboard Marine also expects delivery this year of two smaller LNG-powered vessels, each with a capacity of 1,450 TEUs, bringing its new LNG-powered fleet to eight, says Eddie Gonzalez, chief executive since 2005 and an

High Seas Sustainability

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

employee with the line since 1992.

“LNG-fueled vessels significantly reduce emissions, offering a cleaner alternative to traditional fuels and exceeding international emissions regulations that govern vessel usage,” Gonzalez told Global Miami. “This gives us a competitive advantage when offering our customers speed-to-market.”

Studies show that ships burning LNG cut carbon-dioxide emissions by about 25% and stop nearly all emissions of particulate matter, compared to using diesel or other conventional fuels. Cruise lines also are keen on LNG. More than half of the 40-plus new cruise vessels on order through 2028 are

to be powered by the fuel, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. Still, LNG is widely seen as a bridge fuel to even cleaner sources of energy yet to be developed in financially viable ways at industry scale. Environmentalists cite concerns over LNG, including leakage as methane, a gas considered more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. While sustainability was hardly a consideration when Seaboard Marine began in the 1980s, it is now key to its development. Beyond LNG-fueled ships, Gonzalez says, the carrier is installing solar panels at six of its support facilities in Latin America. l

SEABOARD MARINE PIONEERS THE USE OF LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS

REDUCING HARMFUL EMISSIONS: MIAMI-BASED SEABOARD MARINE'S FLEET OF LNG POWERED SHIPS

A Palm BeachBroward Platform

THE RESEARCH PARK AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC CELEBRATES 40 YEARS SPURRING TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

BY JOSEPH A. MANN JR.

In 1981 IBM launched the IBM PC from its massive complex in Boca Raton, creating the global standard for personal computers and spawning a revolution in the industry. Four years later, Palm Beach and Broward counties created the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University with a $100,000 grant. The idea was to attract high-tech start-ups, develop new technologies, and foster economic development in the region.

By the end of the decade, IBM began moving thousands of its employees from Boca to North Carolina and Texas, finally closing the facility in 1996. But the Research Park – which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year – has grown steadily and today is home to more than 50 evolving companies creating an array of impressive new technologies.

Now called the Research Park at Florida Atlantic, the institution’s recently released 2024 annual report details an overall economic impact of $708 million in South Florida and the creation of more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs. Today the Research Park occupies 70 acres of FAU’s 800-acre campus in Boca Raton and is home to a variety of technology companies and research organizations, including the FAU Tech Runway, an incubator for startups that was launched in 2014, and Global Ventures, an incubator for second-stage tech companies added in 2020.

With the addition of some 160 new jobs last year (along with 34 internships at FAU) firms located in the Research Park itself now support close to 1,000 employees. (The broader job creation number includes those generated throughout the area by Research Park companies.)

“This analysis clearly demonstrates the significant impact of the Research Park’s activities on the economy of South Florida,” says Andrew S. Duffel, president of The Florida Atlantic Research and Development Authority, a special organization governed by Palm Beach and Broward counties that operates the Research Park independently of FAU. “For 40 years, the cutting-edge technology developed and deployed here has added knowledge and job opportunities to our region.”

The park added its Global Ventures incubator five years ago to attract second-stage tech companies globally and domestically, providing them with a tech-friendly university environment and access to FAU faculty and students. (Second-stage companies typically have at least $1 million in annual sales and six or more employees.) Currently it houses 34 companies from 12 countries, providing them with offices, lab space, and shared facilities. Companies currently in the Global Venture incubator include: Triangulate Labs, Salus Water, InfraSite, DNA Labs, and Hawkeye MedTech.

In addition to the Global Ventures firms, another 20 companies are based at the park, including: Aerospace Technologies Group, 4Ocean, People’s Trust Insurance Co., University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and the FAU Tech Runway, which is run by the university. As for FAU Research Park alumni, Inc. Magazine

EXAMPLES OF CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY AT THE RESEARCH PARK:

TRIANGULATE LABS, set up in 2022, invented Skinmap, a revolutionary system that allows dermatologists to use iPhone photos for mapping patients’ skin and identifying early stage cancers.

FLOSPINE, founded in 2011, makes KeyLift, a unique device inserted into the spinal column that relieves spinal stenosis, a painful condition that affects around 100 million people globally.

XERIANT INC., established in 2009, discovers, develops, and commercializes disruptive technologies in aerospace and advanced materials, including NEXBOARD, a flame-resistant green alternative to the gypsum drywall used in construction.

included three in its 2024 list of the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing firms: ModMed (managing electronic health records); Silverlogic (software engineering) and Shipmonk (third-party logistics). “Our hope is that, once companies graduate from our incubators, they stay in the research park or somewhere close by in South Florida” says Duffel, fulfilling the Park’s economic mission. l

LAUNCHING NEW VENTURES: ANDREW S. DUFFEL, PRESIDENT OF THE FLORIDA ATLANTIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Photo by Rodolfo Benitez

Moving East

HOW MIAMI’S THRIVING TECH SCENE PROMPTED A RELOCATION FOR LEVERX

BY DREW LIMSKY

Victor Lozinski doesn’t need to say he was swept up in the COVID-era Great Migration to South Florida. He doesn’t have to. He exemplifies it. Originally from Latvia, and armed with a PhD in robotics, the cofounder and chairman of the board at LeverX is a tech exile, most recently from Palo Alto, where he spent over two decades. “Three years in Silicon Valley turned out to be 23,” he says.

Lozinski’s resume includes an advantageous run at SAP – the world’s largest vendor of enterprise planning software, founded in 1972. Lozinski spent the mid-nineties working in Germany, where SAP is based. (SAP stands for Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing.) In 2003, with the founding of LeverX, the resourceful techie went from being on the inside of SAP to being a strategic supplier of technical services to SAP one of only 14 worldwide.

LeverX is best described as a system integrator, providing IT services to support organizations through their digital transformations. LeverX implements SAP products providing corresponding IT services and engineers software, using the latest technology from solution and infrastructure providers like Microsoft, AWS, Google, and Databricks. The company now has 1,800 employees, $400 million in annual revenue, and offices in 13 countries; this year it’s looking to open two more.

The move to Miami has required some rebalancing. Historically, LeverX’s clients have included manufacturers of components, consumer products, and medical equipment, as well as logistics and retail firms; the company’s client roster has included 3M, DHL, and BMW Group. Now, given that Miami is cultivating a knowledge-based economy, Lozinski is itching for a pivot.

“In Miami, it’s not so much about manufacturing – it’s services,” he observes. “Financial services, banking, insurance, legal –this is what we’re trying to do more and more. In the service space, we began to realize that maybe we need to readjust our positioning within the market. It will take time. We’re learning new industries, trying to understand what kind of value we can provide.”

As for his moving his HQ from Silicon Valley to Miami, Lozinski is uncommonly candid. “Silicon Valley is a great place to start a company, a great place to build a company in the beginning,” he allows. “There’s a lot of smart people around, a lot of mentors, very motivating. But if you want to scale up the company – particularly if you do a lot of business in Europe, and even in the United States – assuming the majority of your customers are somewhere in the northeast – I would argue that [Silicon Valley] is not good at all.” With most of his domestic customers in places like Boston, Minneapolis, and North Carolina – let alone Europe – a flight to California is a big ask.

While Lozinski considered redoubling his footprint in a northeastern city such as Philadelphia, in the end, “the logical choice was Miami,” he says. “It fit the bill from every perspective: great airport, easy to get in, great infrastructure, a lot of hotels and restaurants. Florida, and Miami in particular, is very pro-business.

In Miami, it’s not so much about manufacturing — it’s services. Financial services, banking, insurance, legal — this is what we’re trying to do more and more ...

by

We were embraced by the local community, and the rest is history.” LeverX headquarters at 801 Brickell is enviably positioned on the 19th floor, with water views. Overseas visitors are awestruck, says Lozinski. “They say, ‘Is this really your office?’ I’ve never met a single person who said, ‘No, I don’t want to come to Miami.’” The only sticking point for clients is gaining approval to attend a LeverX event. The higher-ups assume they’re making the trip for “fun.” Lozinski’s solution: “Ask your boss to pack a bag and come, because we’ll be working together – and having fun together.” l

VICTOR LOZINSKI, COFOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AT LEVERX, WHICH HE MOVED FROM SILICON VALLEY TO MIAMI

Photo

Rodolfo Benitez

It’s All About the Turnaround

SYNAPTIC AVIATION’S AI TECH IS TRANSFORMING AIRPORT EFFICIENCY, A FEW MINUTES AT A TIME

BY OSCAR MUSIBY

In the complex world of aviation, where time counts and environmental sustainability is becoming paramount, one Miami-based technology company is reshaping how airports and airlines approach ground operations. Synaptic Aviation, led by industry veterans, is applying artificial intelligence to video and audio feeds to solve some of the most persistent challenges in airport efficiency.

Synaptic Aviation’s approach goes beyond simple data collection. Their system uses what they call computer vision – AI-analyzed video feeds – to capture real-time operational data, providing airlines with information that can be acted upon in real time. Information once tracked by people on clipboards can now be automated and available to airport and airline staff to make a difference on the fly.

Think of the ground crew at an airport gate like the pit crew in a car race. Instead of calling it “turnaround time” or “pitstop

time,” however, it’s called “block time” – the taxi-in time to the arrival gate combined with the taxi-out time to the runway.

Synaptic Aviation’s technology can track every detail that contributes to an efficient turnaround, including baggage loading. Listening devices on the tarmac and at gates send alerts to staff about the performance of key equipment including engines, landing gear and ground power units (GPU), which supply electrical power to an aircraft while it’s on the ground. The AI-powered data collection can even detect if the sound made by engines and other equipment are an indication of damage and the need to repair or replace parts.

Recently, Synaptic Aviation implemented its technology via a partnership with British Airways parent company IAG, through their xBridge innovation program at Pittsburgh International Airport. The focus was on advancing tech solutions in categories that included customer experi-

ences and safety. According to Synaptic, that real-world implementation will help them engineer a more secure environment for all airport stakeholders, at a time when safety routines on the ground are under stress from factors like labor shortages and the retirement of experienced crews.

“Our goal is to deliver critical data and real-time alerts that help mitigate delays, increase safety, reduce fuel burn, and optimize gate utilization,” says Sal Salman, Synaptic Aviation’s president and a pioneer in AI and computer vision, who has developed enterprise-level applications for numerous Fortune 500 companies.

PRECISION IN MOTION: THE TAXI-IN TIME CHALLENGE

Synaptic Aviation recently conducted a detailed five-month study exploring the operational performance of Spirit Airlines at a major U.S. airport. Its analysis captured 46

Our goal is to deliver critical data and real-time alerts that help mitigate delays...

service activities per flight, uncovering that the taxi-in time for most arrivals was 4-7 minutes, with 14% of arrivals experiencing unexpectedly long taxi-in times.

By acting on the data in real time –using AI sensors to notify the ground crew, for example, that the plane has landed and is taxiing to the gate – the airline was able in one case to reduce to 9 minutes a taxi-in time that would have otherwise taken more than 20 minutes. On average, the airline achieved a remarkable 21% reduction in taxi-in times.

The financial and environmental implications of this are substantive: an estimated $43,600 in annual fuel savings per gate, with the potential to save more than $1.5 million when expanded to 35 gates. Most major carriers operate at more than 50 gates worldwide, increasing the potential cost savings to more than $2 million.

The business of aviation-related AI

(GPUs), uncovering the potential of substantial savings. The data was eye-opening: 12.5% of flights weren’t effectively using ground power, with airlines typically connecting to GPUs for less than 10 minutes. By growing GPU connection time to more than 80%, an airline could save more than $23,000 per gate annually. Again, when scaled to 50 gates, that means $1.15 million in annual fuel cost reductions.

These innovations are not just about cost savings. With the aviation industry committed to reducing carbon emissions, Synaptic Aviation’s technologies can directly contribute to sustainability efforts. By optimizing taxi times and reducing gas usage and engine emissions, the company is helping airlines minimize their environmental footprint.

Moreover, the benefits impact crew efficiency, maintenance scheduling, and overall operational safety, says David Neithardt, Synaptic Aviation’s CFO, chairman of the board and an investor in the company, with 30 years of experience in finance and private equity. “Airlines have a large number of aircraft, which are fixed assets,” he says. “We help them utilize those fixed assets more efficiently.”

As the industry moves toward the In-

technology is projected to boom. The global market for aviation-related artificial intelligence was estimated at $223 million in 2022 and forecast to grow to $914 million by 2028, according to Intellect Insight Journal.

OPTIMIZING POWER: GPU USAGE REVOLUTION

Another Synaptic study analyzed the connection times of ground power units

ternational Air Transport Association’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, companies like Synaptic Aviation are proving that AI technology can be a powerful catalyst, transforming raw data into actionable intelligence. In a world where every minute and every drop of fuel contributes to the bottom line, Synaptic is showing that the future of aviation can be smarter. l

SAL SALMAN (LEFT), PRESIDENT, SYNAPTIC AVIATION WITH DAVID NEITHARDT, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

The Italian Job

NICOLO FABBRIZIO BRINGS HIS SPECIAL SAUCE TO CPA FIRM GERSON PRESTON

BY DREW LIMSKY

When Nicolo Fabbrizio joined the South Florida CPA firm of

Gerson, Preston, Klein, Lips, Eisenberg & Gelber, he was well aware it was a go-to firm for foreign businesses that needed help navigating local, state, and federal tax regulations. The 65-year-old firm was equally aware that Fabbrizio’s background and expertise would let him play a singular role within Miami’s Italian expat community – and therefore, a valued role within Gerson Preston.

Fabbrizio was born and raised in Genoa, the port city of more than half a million people that’s been a historic center for global trade and deal making. The city divides the two wings of the Italian Riviera – Riviera di Ponente (“coast of the setting sun”) to the west, and Riviera di Levante (“coast of the rising sun”) to the east— an optimal breeding ground for someone with a passion for sea trade and the multinational movement of goods and services.

“During the Middle Ages, Genoa was a powerful naval and commercial force in the Mediterranean,” says Fabbrizio. “This tradition contributed to the city’s development and is part of Genoa’s DNA.”

After attaining his laurea in economia (equivalent to a master’s in economics) from the University of Genoa in 2004, Fabbrizio remained in Italy, joining the powerhouse accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers the next year. In 2009, he relocated to Miami to become an assurance manager with the firm, becoming an expert in international tax matters, particularly for Italian investors and business owners seeking to expand into the U.S.

In 2016 Fabbrizio met Gerson Preston’s managing director, Steven F. Klein, and the two clicked; the following year the firm snapped up the genial Genoese. Early in 2025 Fabbrizio became a partner, providing consulting assistance with tax planning, compliance, strategy, and establishing U.S. structures for Italian companies. As he sees it, clients are drawn to him because he’s “the Italian in an American firm,” which trumps Italian CPAs and wins Italian clients. “Being an American firm is a marketing story that clients like,” he says. “The added value is being able to bridge the gap that represents such a challenge for foreigners, Italians in particular.”

“Nico brings a valuable background,” says Gerson Preston partner Alan A. Lips, “and he hit the ground running from day one, with a constant flow of Italian-based clients searching for sophisticated U.S. tax consulting and compliance support.” Moving between the cruise industry, yachting, hospitality, and real estate, Fabbrizio facilitates the entry of Italian (and other international) businesses, and their expansion once here.

Though he is adroit in the high-flying world of public companies – his tenure at PwC focused on Carnival and its Italian brand Costa Cruises – Fabbrizio made the move to Gerson Preston so he could also manage “human-sized companies.” Miami Beach’s Italian restaurant Via Emilia, known for the handmade pasta of client Chef Wendy Cacciatori, is a good example of the type of boutique business he finds appealing.

Still, Fabbrizio feels most comfortable with the maritime industry, something his Genoa hometown and Miami have in common. “I’ve been exposed to the maritime industry all my life,” he says, “from working at the Genoa boat shows every year during my years in college, to having many friends in the industry as ship owners, ship brokers, yacht brokers, to working for clients now.”

At sea or on land, however, for the global business world “culture and language have become two very relevant factors,” says Fabbrizio. The lesson for service-based Miami firms: Recruit someone who speaks a different language, both literally and figuratively. l

ECONOMIST & ACCOUNTANT NICOLO FABBRIZIO (LEFT) FINDS TIME TO HELP BOUTIQUE BUSINESSES LIKE RESTAURANT VIA EMILIA. BELOW: OWNERS VALENTINA IMBRENDA AND CHEF WENDY CACCIATORI

It’s Complicated

OF ALL OF FIBA’S OFFERINGS, IT WAS THE CRYPTO SESSION THAT PROVED THE MOST RELEVANT TO MIAMI

BY DREW LIMSKY

What a difference four years makes. In 2021, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez sought to make the Magic City the cryptocurrency capital of the world, going so far as to suggest paying municipal workers and accepting tax payments in bitcoin. (Bitcoin, the original decentralized digital currency, was invented in 2008 – by an unknown individual.)

The city’s American Airlines Arena became the FTX Arena that year, named for one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Suddenly, Miami was infused with crypto fever. For example, in crypto’s 2022 heyday, a new Miami real estate project – E11even Hotel & Residences – boasted that it was the first pre-construction condominium in the country to accept crypto as a deposit, through its first-ever real estate partnership with FTX.

We all know how that turned out. FTX spectacularly imploded, going bankrupt; its cofounder Samuel Bankman-Fried is currently in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being convicted and sentenced, in 2023, to 25 years in prison for securities fraud and other financial crimes. The coveted naming rights to Miami’s premier stadium – which FTX paid $135 million for – were transferred to IT software management company Kaseya in 2023. Once FTX collapsed, E11even Hotel & Residences ceased crypto transactions. The mayor doesn’t talk about crypto much these days.

But with crypto such a notorious piece of Miami’s recent financial past, it was not surprising that the Miami-based Financial & International Business Association (FIBA) would feature a session on crypto compliance and enforcement as part of its March 2025

AML Conference at the Intercontinental Miami Hotel. When moderator Richard Weber, a partner at the law firm of Winston & Strawn specializing in financial crimes compliance, asked for a show of hands, a minimal number of audience members shared that they had worked with cryptocurrency. When Weber asked for crypto owners to reveal themselves, more hands shot up.

Panelist Sam Nazzaro, chief compliance officer and regulatory counsel at Athena Bitcoin, was quick to take credit for spreading crypto around the globe, including getting El Salvador’s crypto program up and running. “We are primarily a Bitcoin ATM company, and we have almost 4,000 kiosks around the world, including 3,500 in the U.S.,” he said. “We helped implement El Salvador’s Chivo crypto wallets and their Bitcoin experience. We’re very proud of that.”

Closer to home, it was inevitable that the Trump administration’s embrace of crypto would come up. (“We are going to use digital assets to pound forward, and Donald Trump is leading the way,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in March.) David Schwartz, president and CEO of FIBA, had one word for crypto assets – “Uncertainty” – pointing out that “We don’t have regulation in the U.S., or even a regulator.” In a glass half-full remark, he told the audience of mainly bankers and financial advisors, “It’s a risk, like any risk you’re managing for any of your other clients.”

Panelist Les Borsai, cofounder of Wave Digital Assets, was interested in the risk of prosecution, describing crypto assets seized in connection with criminal cases as “near and dear to [my] heart.” He said he was fascinated by the concept of seized assets becoming “repurposed” as part of a federal reserve or stockpile. (In one 2024 Miami case, an unlicensed digital exchanger was ordered to forfeit more than $5 million in crypto – plus serve 57 months in federal prison.)

With so many people, from politicians to investors, out of their depth when it comes to digital currency, the need for such educational events as FIBA becomes clear. People are intrigued, even while crypto remains opaque to them. As another panelist said, “It’s complicated.” l

MIAMI MAYOR FRANCIS SUAREZ UNVEILS THE MIAMI BULL AT BITCOIN 2022

Emerge Encore

THE RETURN OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S INTERNATIONAL EVENT TO MATCH VC WITH ENTREPRENEURS

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

More international and more diverse. That’s how to sum up the latest edition of South Florida’s premier tech conference, eMerge Americas, held March 27-28 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

This year, participants came from more nations than ever: 60plus, with central Europe’s Hungary exhibiting for the first time. A record 230-plus speakers discussed a wider range of topics than before, with a greater focus on defense tech and even a workshop helping military veterans with skills to transition to civilian careers in defense-tech and other areas.

The annual eMerge conference and expo was launched in 2014, part of a push by tech promoter and entrepreneur Manny Medina to develop Southeast Florida as an international tech hub. This year, the event again attracted some 20,000 people from the Americas, Europe and beyond. The prize for its startup pitch competition went to a venture in agriculture tech, SmArT, pitched by a co-founder from India who is pursuing her PhD at the University of Miami.

“It’s Florida’s moment to lead,” said Melissa Medina, CEO of eMerge Americas, in announcing a new partnership at the conference to boost South Florida business and the state’s economy. eMerge is joining with real estate heavyweight Stephen Ross, and nonprofit business group Florida Council of 100, to expand innovation, tech, and investment in the metro area spanning Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach countries.

The conference followed a strong year for startup funding in greater Miami and Florida. South Florida startups raised $2.77 billion last year, up 15%; ventures across all of Florida raised $4.13 billion, up 18% from their 2023 totals, according to the 2024

eMerge Insights research report. By deal value, Florida ranked 6th among states and Miami 9th among U.S. metro areas for venture capital, with fintech (27% of funding) and medtech (20% of funding) leading the way.

Here are some highlights from eMerge’s 11th annual event, which featured 126 sessions:

SPEAKERS: Headliners included Daymond John, founder of urban clothing line FUBU and known for his role on TV show Shark Tank, who advised entrepreneurs not to seek funding too early, but instead to invest time to prove that their concept truly meets market needs. Other top speakers included Martine Rothblatt, founder of Sirius Satellite Radio and health-tech venture United Therapeutics; “El Presidente” Dave Portnoy, founder of digital-media venture Barstool Sports; Palmer Luckey, founder of defense-tech company Anduril Industries and Oculus VR; and Miami’s own Mr. 305, entertainer Armando Christian Perez, better known as Pitbull, who talked about what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur.

EXHIBITORS: A record 330-plus exhibitors took part in this year’s expo, including the first booth from Hungary’s new innovation agency, featuring several Hungarian startups. South America’s tech powerhouse Chile showcased 17 startups at its top-notch pavilion, while Israel boosted its presence to kick off the first Israel Tech Week in Miami concurrent with the eMerge event. This year’s expo also included a new small business section; Finance giant JP Morgan Chase and tech funding group Tech Equity Miami teamed up to launch SMB Growth Lab, a six-week accelerator program that helped some 30 small businesses prepare for eMerge.

FOCUS AREAS: Artificial intelligence, health-tech and defense-tech commanded broader attention this year. Speakers saw opportunity for AI in applications ranging from early detection of Parkinson’s and movement disorders to predictive maintenance in real-estate projects.

The 12th edition of the annual eMerge conference and expo is set for April 23–24, 2026, with topics to include AI+quantum computing. l

LEFT: MIAMI-DADE COUNTY MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA. TOP: FOUNDER MANNY MEDINA. ABOVE: MELISSA MEDINA & ARMANDO C. PÉREZ (PITBULL)

H. Frances Reaves, Esq.

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Real Estate

A REVIEW FROM THE GLOBAL CITY

NEW DIGS IN DORAL

THE ST. REGIS RISES

INVASION OF THE CEOS

CANADIAN PERSPECTIVES

UGO COLOMBO’S ICONS

As Manuel Grosskopf tells it, Château Group has always had a knack for anticipating what consumers want—even before they know it themselves. Manuel’s father Sergio, who founded the development company in Buenos Aires, debuted the city’s first modern shopping malls, including the Alto Palermo shopping center, located in the coveted Palermo neighborhood.

Manuel explains that sophisticated malls were unheard of in Argentina until Château Group introduced them in the 1990s. “We were the ones that brought in the concept,” he says. “Back then, there was only the main street, but not malls with all the benefits of security, climate control, dining, amusement parks, and other amenities.”

With local offices in Aventura, just north of Miami, Château Group began building in South Florida decades later. The Grosskopfs’ marquee properties include its namesake Château Beach Residences in Sunny Isles Beach, and, more importantly, the Fendi Château Residences in Surfside. The firm considers that project, branded with a global fashion company, another showcase of Château Group’s groundbreaking spirit – both for the project’s unlikely location and for the prestigious nature of the Fendi/Château Group partnership.

“We consider ourselves the pioneers in Surfside in 2011 and 2012,” Manuel says. “When we bought property in Surfside, there was no major development going on at that time. After what we accomplished, Four Seasons and others came into the picture.” (The Four Seasons opened its Surfside hotel at the historic Surf Club in 2017.) Now the Château Group is developing another Fendi residence – this time, in the resort city of Punta del Este, Uruguay, which Manuel calls “the St. Tropez of South America.”

Now Manuel Grosskopf is launching a joint development with fellow Argentine Edgardo Defortuna, the prolific CEO of Fortune International Group, riding further the branded-residence trend. “We believe in adapting to what the buyers are looking for: branded projects, and very high-end architects and interior designers,” says Grosskopf. This time it will be The St. Regis Residences, Sunny Isles Beach, the latest in a veritable parade of branded luxury condos, like The Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles Beach (completed in 2017) and the Aston Martin Residences in downtown (completed 2024).

For the Argentine duo this is not new territory. The two formerly developed and sold out The Ritz-Carlton Residences, also on Sunny Isles Beach. But the St. Regis

Take Two in Sunny Isles

THE ARGENTINE TOUCH CONVERGES WITH AN ICONIC NEW YORK BRAND

BY DREW LIMSKY

Residences aims to attain new heights. The two-tower oceanfront condominium, once complete, will rank as the tallest in Sunny Isles Beach. Construction on the South Tower is underway, and nearly 90% sold, including the duplex penthouse purchased for $55 million by an undisclosed Brazilian buyer. The North Tower is 30% sold, with the dual towers’ combined sell-out expected to approach $3 billion.

St. Regis is a heady and historic brand, to say the least. The original 18-story Beaux

Arts landmark hotel was developed on a conspicuous corner of Fifth Avenue by John Jacob Astor IV just after the turn of the twentieth century. Astor, one of the wealthiest men in the world, went down with the Titanic in 1912, when he was just 47 years old. But he left behind, in what was arguably Manhattan’s first luxury hotel, the St. Regis’ signature amenities: its renowned butler service and iconic afternoon tea. Both traditions will carry on at The St. Regis Residences, Sunny Isles Beach. l

MANUEL GROSSKOPF (LEFT) OF CHÂTEAU GROUP, WITH EDGARDO DEFORTUNA OF FORTUNE INTERNATIONAL GROUP, WITH RENDERINGS OF THE ST. REGIS RESIDENCES

Another Piece of the Doral Puzzle

TWO VENEZUELAN ENTREPRENEURS ADD TO THE MIX OF THE NEW DORAL

BY YOUSRA BENKIRANE

With its proximity to Miami International Airport, and its relatively inexpensive land, the city of Doral has long been known as a logistics hub for Miami-Dade County. Over the last decade and a half, however, the city has striven to create a new identity for itself, and Doral’s evolution from a sprawl of warehouses to a dense, master-planned city has been one of the more dramatic urban shifts in South Florida. “We took an area in the western part of Dade County where there wasn’t anything and built a community,” says Juan Carlos Bermudez, Doral’s founding mayor.

Now, with an exploding population –rising from 25,000 in 2019 to 80,000 today – real estate costs are steadily rising, and developers are racing to secure what little land remains. Among them is Coral Gables-based MG Developer, which has partnered with Venezuelan entrepreneur Ernesto De Lucas to build Doral Parc: Midtown Doral Phase IV, V & VI – a 552-unit residential develop-

ment with 22,740 square feet of retail. The three-building project recently broke ground.

“This project is an important step in helping Doral become a more dynamic and livable community,” says MG Developer CEO Alirio Torrealba, also a native of Venezuela, who made his name first as a developer of luxury townhouses in tony Coral Gables. “Doral is evolving, and so are we.” For Torrealba, whose first U.S. office was in Doral, the project “is a full-circle moment,” he says. “We feel very proud and very committed to adding value to a city that is deeply rooted in the Latin American community.”

While Doral is associated with international commerce – it is home to more than 2,600 trade and logistics companies and over 100 multinational firms – the city has shifted significantly in recent years toward mixed-use development. The most visible example is Codina Partners’ Downtown Doral, a $1 billion, 250-acre master-planned project with office towers, retail, schools,

ABOVE: ALIRIO TORREALBA, OF MG DEVELOPER & DORAL PARC, A 552-UNIT RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT BOTTOM LEFT: CODINA PARTNERS’ DOWNTOWN DORAL

and parks. Mayor Christi Fraga described it as “a new quality of life – totally walkable, connected, and artfully designed.”

MG Developer’s project is smaller in scope but still aims to contribute to that vision. “We’re going to help shift the perception of Doral from being sort of very industrial to a more residential, very urban area,” explains Torrealba. “Apart from the residential component, there’s also going to be a commercial aspect. With that, we’re going to really help create a very urban feel to Doral.”

As land in Doral becomes scarcer and more expensive, infill projects like Doral Parc are needed to continue the city’s growth. Adding to the housing stock, the Trump Organization recently secured approval for Doral International Towers, a 1,400-unit project planned near the Trump National Doral Golf Club. Meanwhile, UHealth is constructing a six-story, 160,000-square-foot ambulatory care center in the heart of Downtown Doral.

Torrealba said MG’s approach promotes “a strong emphasis on community building, which we feel sets us apart from some of the other projects.” While Doral’s development has drawn mostly newcomers from Latin America, the city is also trying to draw in a newer type of crowd. “We’ll continue to see residents coming from different countries in South America and Central America,” says Torrealba. “But we’re also interested in the young professional looking for that urban lifestyle, in a less expensive environment than downtown Miami.” l

Most real estate pundits mark the COVID pandemic as the trigger for the tsunami of wealth that has poured into South Florida. Led by billionaires like Ken Griffin, who famously relocated his $63 billion Chicago-based hedge fund to Miami in 2022, the region stretching from Miami to Palm Beach has seen a veritable flood of CEOs looking to relocate from the Northeast and Midwest. Altogether, more than $2.5 trillion in managed assets have relocated to the region, along with their executives – not to mention myriad leaders of tech and VC firms.

The result has been a dramatic rise in prices across the board, but none as dramatic as at the high end, where houses and condos now routinely sell for $10 to $15 million, with outliers spiking to $45 million and more. According to Analytics Miami, the median price for single-family homes in Miami-Dade County increased 78 percent from December 2019 to December 2024. Over the same time, sales of homes priced over $10 million increased by 248.4 percent.

“We were probably one of the greatest cities in the country that was the most undervalued,” says Judy Zeder, one of the area’s top realtors. “I think COVID brought Miami to a new level of what a lot of the property [prices] should be.” Zeder points to the eternal law of supply and demand, with South Florida’s limited supply of land adding huge pressure to prices.

“We’re not like other places in the United States, where you have hundreds or thousands of acres of land available. In Miami, an acre and a half is an estate property,” she says. One client told her that an estate to him meant 75 acres. “I told him that if you had 75 acres, you would be on the other side of the state… I mean, we have just 18 miles between the bay and the Everglades.”

In other parts of South Florida, such as Palm Beach County – where there is more land – it’s all about waterfront property, which is also limited in supply. The high-end buying spree is also being driven by stock market concerns, says Zeder, a founding member of the Jill Zeder Group, Coldwell Banker’s luxury property specialists. (Last year, ranked by Coldwell as its No. 1 top-performing team nationally, they closed sales totaling $1.85 billion.) “We have a percentage of our clients that are very nervous about the movement in the stock market and are looking at [real estate] as a great opportunity, because they feel like it’s something that’s going to hold its value.”

“Since COVID, everything’s changed,” says Gaetano Caltagirone, a partner in the Miami-based spec-home builder Calta

(ABOVE) JUDY ZEDER, WHOSE REAL ESTATE TEAM CLOSED ON SALES OF $1.85 BILLION IN MIAMI-DADE LAST YEAR (BELOW) GAETANO CALTAGIRONE, WITH BROTHER/PARTNER IGNAZIO, IN A $15 MILLION SPEC HOUSE IN CORAL GABLES

Invasion of the CEOs

RESIDENTIAL PRICES ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA HAVE RISEN SHARPLY, BUT NOTHING LIKE THE SPIKES AT THE HIGH END OF THE SPECTRUM

BY J.P. FABER

Group. “Homes that we used to sell at like two and a half million pre-Covid? Today they’re selling at six or seven million.” Calta currently has three homes under construction priced between $15 million and $18 million, located in the coveted Miami suburbs of Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, and Pinecrest.

“These areas are surrounded by all the greatest schools in Miami, as well as the

University of Miami,” says Caltagirone. “So, anybody who relocates from Chicago or New York or California – wherever they’re coming from – they want to get their kids into one of these schools, and then once they do that, they’re looking for homes. And even if the prices today sound outrageous, I think compared to what they would get in the cities like New York there’s still value, especially considering the quality of life we can offer here.”

Whatever is driving the market, the list of purchases this year alone is stunning. Here are just a few:

DANIEL KRIZEK, a top biotech investment fund manager at Citadel, paid $19.5 million for the top-floor penthouse at the new Five Park condo in Miami Beach. At 5,369 square feet, the unit sold $3,632 per square foot.

KENNETH M. GRUNLEY, the CEO of Rockville, Maryland-based Grunley Construction Co., paid $15.25 million for a mansion in the Admirals Cove country club in Jupiter. At 6,448-square-feet, the home sold for $2,365 per square foot.

RICHARD SKELHORN, an entrepreneur with online gaming companies Metawin, Mandaly and Atemi Group, bought a waterfront mansion on Miami Beach’s Palm Island for $45 million. The 14,930-square-foot home sold for $3,014 per square foot.

Beyond the high valuations, the purchases represent huge gains for sellers. The Skelhorn buy was among the most dramatic, having sold for $37.96 million in May 2024. Other examples of gains:

A COMPANY LED BY entrepreneur Andres Isaias paid $17 million for a Miami Beach home on Biscayne Bay that last sold for $4.7 million in 2000.

ARA COHEN, CO-FOUNDER of hedge fund Knighthead Capital Management, sold his Palm Beach mansion for $15.59 million to a buyer from Philadelphia. The home last sold for $9.22 million in 2020.

KAYAK CEO STEVE HAFNER purchased the penthouse in the Ocean House South Beach condominium for $24 million from Sun Capital Partners co-CEO Marc Leder. Leder paid $15 million for it in 2013.

A TRUST FOR KAREEM ZAKI, partner at NYC venture capital firm Thrive Capital, and wife Raquel Zaki, owner of Mirador LLC, paid $26.8 million for a waterfront mansion in Miami Beach. The home last sold for $3.3 million in 2003.

PATRICK MCMAHON, founder and chief investment officer at hedge fund MKP Capital Management, sold his condo at the Four Seasons Residences in Surfside for $27.5 million. He bought the condo for $14.75 million in 2017.

RYAN D. MCKILLEN, a co-founder of Uber, paid $22.5 million for a penthouse at One Park Grove in Miami’s Coconut Grove. The condo last sold for $10.22 million in 2020.

TOP TO BOTTOM:

4725 DAVIS RD., MIAMI, LISTED AT $25 MILLION

9261 SCHOOL HOUSE RD., LISTED AT $16.5 MILLION

3976 LITTLE AVE. MIAMI, LISTED AT $13.7 MILLION

The

Canadian Shift

MANY CONDO OWNERS FLEE WHILE DEVELOPERS ARE STILL MAKING BIG BETS ON LUXURY PROJECTS

Canadians have long comprised a substantial slice of snowbird tourism in South Florida, and thousands have purchased condos in the area, especially in Broward County. In recent years, however, it’s been the Canadian commercial investors who have made huge investments in luxury properties. Case in point: Canadian investors are partnering with PMG (Property Markets Group) of Miami in developing one of the most distinctive buildings in the U.S.: the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Residences Miami. This spectacular building is slated to be the city’s tallest and the highest residential tower south of New York City. Toronto-based Greybrook Realty

BY JOSEPH A. MANN JR.

Partners and PMG joined forces to develop the iconic hotel and residential tower at 300 Biscayne Blvd. With an estimated completion date of 2028, the 100-story tower will consist of nine unevenly stacked, massive cubes of glass, concrete, and metal reaching 1,049 ft. above sea level (1,040 above ground level), the maximum allowable height for Miami. The $668 million construction loan was the biggest for a residential condo project in Florida’s history.

Sasha Cucuz, CEO of Greybrook Securities and Partner in Greybrook Capital, says that despite the Trump administration’s recent tariffs on Canadian imports (as well as suggestions that Canada should become

our 50th state), “We’re very bullish on continuing to invest in Miami and in Florida. It’s a business-friendly jurisdiction and has a nice cultural mix. There is a particular excitement about the Miami market.”

As for future investments in the U.S., “I would say that for the moment, we have no plans to stop investing or change our investment strategy. We believe the U.S. market is an important one, notwithstanding that we’d like to see relations between Canada and the U.S. get back on the right track.”

Greybrook, with real estate projects worth $40 billion in Canada and the U.S., has partnered with PMG on two other

WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL AND RESIDENCES IN MIAMI, ABOVE AND LEFT, WILL BE THE CITY’S TALLEST – AND THE HIGHEST RESIDENTIAL TOWER SOUTH OF NEW YORK CITY

completed luxury projects in Miami: The Elser Hotel & Residences in the downtown, and the X Wynwood, a mixed-use property with rental apartments in Wynwood. In downtown Fort Lauderdale, the two partners also developed Society Las Olas, two multi-residential rental towers. Greybrook estimates the completion value of their South Florida projects with PMG at more than $2.3 billion.

Greybrook is just one of the Canadian developers that have invested – and continue to invest – in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Ottawa-based Claridge Homes is building three new projects in Pompano Beach in Broward County. Claridge, a major builder of homes, condos and retirement properties in Canada, is developing 3000 Waterside, a 19-story luxury tower with 129 condos on the Intracoastal Waterway. It also plans to erect a 15-story luxury hotel (Courtyard by Marriott) and a 10-story mixed-use condo tower.

Bill Malhotra, founder and CEO of Claridge, says that he and his family began coming to Florida in the late 1980s, bought some properties in Broward and began developing condos here “as a hobby” while he continued to manage major projects in Canada. One of those was the 16-story

Sonata Beach Club in Pompano Beach, finished in 2008.

A regular on Forbes’ annual list of billionaires, Malhotra divides his year by spending six months in Ottawa and six months in Pompano Beach. While Malhotra did not provide a firm figure on Claridge’s current capital outlays, he says it runs into the tens of millions of dollars. “We use our own capital, 100%,” he says. “No financing.”

Other Canadian companies active in the South Florida real estate market include:

H&R REIT OF TORONTO, which is partnering with Coral Gables-based Urban-X to develop a $452 million mixed-use project at River Landing along the Miami River. The first phase of the project, a retail section, is already operating.

THE JESTA GROUP OF MONTREAL acquired Shuckers Waterfront Bar & Grill and the abutting Best Western in North Bay Village in 2016 for $16 million, and earlier this year sold the properties to the Continuum Company of New York for $75 million.

BROOKFIELD ASSET MANAGEMENT of Toronto bought the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel in 2018 for $170.6 million and last year sold the 1,000-room Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood for a reported $850 million.

Canadians have been buying condos and homes in Broward since the 1950s ...

BILL MALHOTRA, BELOW, THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF CLARIDGE HOMES, DEVELOPERS OF 3000 WATERSIDE, A 19-STORY LUXURY TOWER ON THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY IN FORT LAUDERDALE , SHOWN LEFT

EFSTATHIOS TSATAS AND NICOLAS TSATAS, Montreal developers who own a group that paid $9.5 million for a site in Pompano Beach to build a 21-story condo-hotel. This is their second project in the city.

Lisa Colon, an attorney and expert in real estate development and construction, says that the current tariffs on construction inputs from Canada will have little impact on the luxury side of the spectrum. While the National Association of Home Builders estimates that the cost of building a single-family home could rise by $7,500 to $10,000, “High-end developments often have larger budgets and profit margins, allowing them to absorb increased material costs more effectively than mid-range projects,” says Colon, a partner at Saul Ewing LLP in Miami.

WHAT ABOUT CANADIAN HOME BUYERS?

In terms of home purchases, Canada continues to rank as one of the top three sources. It is not clear, however, if it will continue to play a key role in purchasing residential properties for seasonal living, retirement, and rentals – for economic reasons as much as the cooling of U.S./Canada relations.

In its 2024 profile of international buyers of residential real estate in South Florida, the Miami Association of Realtors® and Florida Realtors® reported that overall sales exceeded $3.1 billion from buyers in 49 countries (Miami-Dade County $2.3 billion; Broward $584 million; Palm Beach $94 million).

The 2024 profile, which was carried out prior to Trump tariffs on Canada, and showed that Canadians – from both French- and English-speaking provinces – invested $303 million in existing South Florida residences (mostly condos), accounting for 8% of all foreign buyers. They were in third place, following Argentina (#1) and Colombia (#2).

But with soaring increases in condo fees following the 2021 collapse of the Surfside condominium, plus a weak Canadian dollar and surging costs for homeowner insurance, condo assessments, and property taxes, South Florida real estate agents report

that more Canadians are now selling condos than buying them.

“The two [previous] years [2022 and 2023] were super, with people buying and selling condos,” says Manon Nadeau, a real estate agent based in Coral Springs who works with many Canadians, mostly French-speaking. “But 2024 [was] different people were mostly selling,” says the Quebec native who works with CENTURY 21 Tenace Realty and covers Broward County. “Condo fees, taxes and insurance are going up and this is affecting many retirees. Some people have to sell and try to rent if they want to stay, or they have to go somewhere else.” Nadeau mostly handles properties in the $100,000 to $400,000 range.

Linda S. Hoyt, another bilingual realtor who works with Canadian clients, has seen a major change in the condo market. “With higher reserves mandated after the Surfside condo collapse, plus rising property taxes and insurance premiums, the condo market has definitely taken a hit,” says Hoyt, who works with ONE Sotheby’s International Realty in Fort Lauderdale; she handles properties from $100,000 to $3.5 million. “The current situation is pricing a lot of people out of the market, especially

The two previous years [2022 and 2023] were super, with people buying and selling condos, but 2024 was different.

MANON NADEAU, ABOVE, A CORAL SPRINGS REAL ESTATE AGENT

ABOVE LEFT: SOCIETY LAS OLAS IN DOWNTOWN FORT LAUDERDALE BY THE CANADIAN DEVELOPER GREYBROOK

older people on fixed incomes.”

While Florida remains a highly attractive place for Canadians seeking residences, vacation homes, or rental properties, it is not clear how they will react to the unfriendly climate created by the Trump administration. Many may decide to go elsewhere – or stay at home.

Following the announcement of the tariff hikes, Canadian airlines serving U.S. destinations cut their seating capacity. According to a study by Visual Approach Analytics, by the beginning of April, flights to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International were down 20% from January, to Fort Myers by 30%, and to Palm Beach by 43%.

“Canadians have been buying condos and homes in Broward since the 1950s and 1960s,” Malhotra says. “It has become a tradition to be around other Canadian friends here.” Under the current chill in U.S-Canadian relations, it remains to be seen if this tradition continues. l

Ugo’s Icons

FEW SOUTH FLORIDA DEVELOPERS HAVE LEFT BEHIND A COMPARABLE LEGACY OF DESIGN

LEFT: A RENDERING OF THE PANORAMIC BAY

VIEWS FROM THE BALCONY AT THE FOUR SEASONS RESIDENCES IN COCONUT GROVE

“The straight line belongs to man, the curved line belongs to god.”

Antoni Gaudi, Spanish architect

BY J.P. FABER

No U.S. city has seen the kind of vertical explosion that Miami has witnessed in the last two decades. A time lapse film would show a city springing up like a cluster of mushrooms. Since 2005, some 15,000 vertical residential units have been built in a downtown area that would hardly qualify as a neighborhood in Manhattan.

With few exceptions, however, the buildings themselves have been underwhelming. Most follow a rectangular pattern designed to maximize utility and keep costs trimmed. There have been exceptions, of course, and several of the most architecturally noteworthy have been built by developer Ugo Colombo. While not the most prolific of South Florida’s builders, his 30-year career has been marked by a succession of high rises that are not only well built, but well designed. What they all have in common is the curved line, buildings with rounded shapes. In a city of cereal boxes, they stand out.

Colombo began his foray into Miami real estate when he arrived from Milan, Italy, as a University of Miami student. At the time there was a slump in the market, and with some investment dollars assembled from friends and family he was able to buy condominiums in distress sales, which he later flipped for outsized profits.

After that he formed the CMC Group and embarked on creating what, at the time, was arguably the first truly luxury condominium in Miami – Bristol Tower – though it was not the first condo high-rise on Miami’s Brickell Avenue. That accolade belonged to The Atlantis, a 20-story building by Arquitectonica with a hole in the middle and a red triangle on top, which appeared in the opening credits of TV’s Miami Vice. Colombo’s tower was, at 40-stories, twice that height, and came with the kind of amenities that became luxury condo standards – private elevators, large units, expansive balconies, concierge service, security. Bristol Tower was a blue glass, white trimmed rocket ship, a cylindrical tube that remains a unique part of the Miami skyline today. And while it was a challenge to build – Colombo says he met with 450 lenders before finding a Japanese bank to finance it – it set the tone for his buildings to come.

Completed in 1993, Bristol Tower was designed by fellow UM alumni Luis Revuelta, the beginning of a partnership that saw the design of the Santa Maria on Brickell Avenue (1997), Porto Vita in Aventura (2004), Grovenor House in Coconut Grove

UGO COLOMBO BESIDE THE MODEL FOR VITA RESIDENCES ON GROVE ISLE (ABOVE). NEARING COMPLETION, THIS IS TRADEMARK COLOMBO, WITH A CIRCULAR - ELLIPTICAL DESIGN

COLOMBO'S MAIDEN PROJECT WAS BRISTOL TOWER ON BRICKELL AVENUE (RIGHT), THE FIRST TRULY LUXURY CONDOMINIUM IN MIAMI

(2006), Epic Residences & Hotel on the Miami River (2008), the Flat Iron building on Brickell Plaza (2019), and, most recently, the new Four Seasons residences in Coconut Grove, due for completion in 2027. With the exception of Grovenor House, which is uniquely angular, all the towers are curvilinear.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Ugo for much of my career, and many of the most iconic buildings I’ve been a part of have been his developments,” says Revuelta.

“As an architect, it’s incredibly rewarding to collaborate with someone who not only values quality and timeless design but consistently delivers on those ideals. Ugo is a true visionary… In a city full of glass towers, the buildings we have created together stand out.”

As for which of the projects is his favorite, says Colombo: “Bristol was the first one, but my favorite is Santa Maria. That’s a building that, you know, you couldn’t duplicate today, because on the same of five acres of land today you would build three buildings there instead of one. You would

have to build three buildings instead of one.” Among other things, Colombo left the original mansion from the 1920s standing on the property, turning it into a clubhouse for residents.

A MATTER OF LIFESTYLE

One of the first things you realize in talking with Colombo is that he is not driven by the pursuit of profits. He is rather a person who works to enjoy life. He is a family man, married to Sara Colombo (who owns the interior design shop NEST in Miami), with whom he has three children. He loves to travel, and to pursue his hobbies. For years he was an avid motorcyclist until South Florida traffic and the decision to have a family moved him in the direction of exotic cars – one reason he invested in the Collection, a luxury automobile dealership he acquired in 1994 after it was seized by U.S. marshals during a drug prosecution case. The Coral Gables-based dealership specializes in elite brands such as McLaren, Land Rover, Maserati, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Porsche. Since then, he has opened a Jaguar dealership, an Audi dealership, and a Lamborghini dealership, the first in Coral Gables

something concrete, to a building... making money is ancillary to happiness in life.”

Today Colombo is finishing the buildout of his Vita project on Grove Isle in Coconut Grove. Previously the only good view of this island was from the island itself, where developer Marty Margolies had constructed four identical Wheaties-box high rise condos, about as attractive as slabs of Soviet worker housing. Now, instead, there will be a huge, curved semi-circle of condos, sheathed in the blue glass and metal that Colombo uses, for aesthetic reasons, instead of concrete (he was a founder of Glasswall, a company which produces impact-resistant glass for use in high-rises).

I could say I like to live being on vacation, and playing, but I could not live being only on vacation, just as I could not live only working. It’s fifty-fifty ...

COLOMBO

and the other two in South Miami-Dade’s Palmetto Bay.

All of this keeps Colombo busy on the job but does not mean he finds work a burden. On the contrary, “I enjoy what I do,” he says. “Yeah, I could say I like to live being on vacation, and playing, but I could not live being only on vacation, just as I could not live only working. It’s fifty-fifty. I couldn’t wake up in the morning thinking, ‘What I’m going to do today is go the beach.’ The driver is not the money, per se, it’s that I enjoy seeing a concept go from being a concept to

On the day we got a tour of Vita by Colombo he was pleased with the progress and the look of the place, which is nearly complete, but slightly annoyed that he had to depart for Italy the next day to fill in for an executive who quit, and who was supposed to oversee the purchasing of interior furnishings. With no one he could immediately trust to make the right choices, he decided to go himself.

But that is Colombo’s forte, to focus on detail, which is only possible when you are doing one building at a time, every few

PURCHASED THE COLLECTION, A LUXURY AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIP WHERE HE CAN PURSUE HIS LOVE FOR EXOTIC CARS.

years. For Colombo, part of the satisfaction is “knowing that people are glad about what they purchase.”

Asked what the secret to business success is, Colombo replies: “First you’ve got to be lucky, to be in the right place at the right time. But then, when the door opens, when the opportunity presents itself, you need to get it, because you can’t just let the opportunity pass in front of you. You need the initiative to seize the opportunity.”

For Colombo that next opportunity is his upcoming project, the branded Four Seasons residences, following the latest lifestyle trend of linking buildings with luxury brands.

“This is my first branded building,” he says. “I’ve always been interested in doing that. I’ve always wanted to have something that really correlates to lifestyle, to be branded. I think I’m the last developer in line to do that, but I thought the marriage with the Four Seasons was a perfect combination.” For this round, Colombo is collaborating with Fort Partners, which previously developed four other Four Seasons properties in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Surfside and Miami.

In some ways the latest project goes back to Colombo’s first foray into luxury condominiums, but this time on steroids.

“They have a whole service team,” he says. “When you’re a Four Seasons owner, you’re part of a concierge system where, whatever you need in the world, you have priority reservations…. If you want to go to Budapest, and you need something in Budapest, there is a Four Seasons there. They have this whole network that provides all the services worldwide. And in the building they manage the building they have very strict rules about what services are provided, and they have trained personnel, which is another big advantage, that the concierge is not coming from wherever but is going to be a Four Seasons-trained concierge.”

While he will probably not live there, the amplified lifestyle aspect of the Four Seasons, including its global travel network, was one of its appeals.

“You know, I like to enjoy my life,” he says, “I like bowling, I like doing things with my wife and friends, maybe too much. I don’t have any vices. I think travel and being with friends and going to events and stuff like that is maybe my guilty pleasure.” l

BRICKELL FLATIRON, LUXURY CONDOMINIUMS (ABOVE), AND FOUR SEASONS PRIVATE RESIDENCES IN COCONUT GROVE (LEFT).

A SPECIAL REPORT BY

GLOBAL MIAMI

HIGH TECH Ties

The Technology Connections Between Miami and Israel

Ties that Bind

Israel Tech Week Highlights the Miami-Israel Connection

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

Momentum is really picking up. It used to be a challenge to attract Israeli companies to Florida. Now, it’s not ...

RAKEFET BACHUR-PHILLIPS, ABOVE, FLORIDA-ISRAEL BUSINESS ACCELERATOR

OPPOSITE: THE MIAMI 2025 TECH & INVEST CONFERENCE HOSTED BY CALCALIST

Alive band entertaining at breakfast. Gorgeous fresh flowers. Cocktails at a swanky club. Speakers from leading startups and finance groups. When Israel’s largest financial publication Calcalist held its first-ever conference in Miami in November, the organizers went all out, eager to celebrate Israel’s technology ties to Miami.

Cut to one month later: Israel’s English-language newspaper Jerusalem Post held its first Miami event. Then in January, the powerful Israel Advanced Technologies Industries association IATI offered the first mini-version in Miami of its acclaimed MIXiii conference, underscoring how South Florida is becoming a key hub for Israel’s prodigious technology.

Now, with critical mass building, a highly motivated Miami group organized the inaugural Israel Tech Week 2025 in Miami. The seven-day event drew 2,500 people and included a robust

Israeli presence at South Florida’s premier tech conference eMerge Americas. Israel Tech Week features dozens of Israeli founders and funders in healthcare, finance, energy, and hospitality, to name a few key sectors.

“Momentum is really picking up,” says Rakefet Bachur-Phillips, who co-leads the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) started in 2016. The group has helped nearly 40 Israeli companies launch in the state so far, mainly in Greater Miami. “It used to be a challenge to attract Israeli companies to Florida,” she says. “Now, it’s not. Companies are approaching us, whether they’re coming directly from Israel or from other markets in the U.S.”

WHY ISRAEL IS FORGING STRONGER TECH TIES NOW Known as the “Startup Nation” for its innovation and ample government support for tech enterprises, Israel has been forging business

with Miami for decades, thanks partly to South Florida’s role as a gateway to the U.S. and Latin America, warm weather similar to Israel’s, and its strong Jewish community.

Those links multiplied starting in the mid-2010s, as Miami raced to become a global tech hub. Since COVID-19, more Israeli startups are opening not only U.S. sales offices in Miami but their Americas headquarters as well, with CEOS relocating from Israel. More finance groups in Miami are providing cash.

After Israel was attacked on Oct. 7, 2023, and travel to Tel Aviv became more challenging, Israeli firms reached out more overseas, partly through conferences. Miami is seen as a secure place to gather and live, less contentious over Middle East politics and more welcoming to Israelis than many U.S. cities. “We pitch safety among the reasons for Israeli companies to set up in Florida – specifically Miami,” says FIBA’s Bachur-Phillips.

DECADES OF FLORIDA BUSINESS DELEGATIONS HEADING TO ISRAEL

The sense of safety nowadays stems from Florida's longstanding support for Israel and its businesses, as demonstrated by numerous visits by Florida government officials over the decades, says Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, Israel’s consul in Miami. In 2019, for instance, Gov. Ron DeSantis led 100-plus people to Israel in one of the largest delegations helmed by a Florida governor.

That trip produced some 20 cooperation agreements between universities, companies, and public entities. In 2022, Daniella Levine-Cava, Miami-Dade County’s first Jewish mayor, and Francis Suarez, Miami’s city mayor, each led separate groups to Israel, with a focus on tech. Support continues now, with the DeSantis administration last year inviting some 30 Israeli ventures to tout their tech to state agencies in Tallahassee at “Pitch Day at the Capital.”

“Florida was among the first to emerge from COVID-19 because of the governor’s policies, and not only did the state become a mecca to live in but [became attractive] businesswise too,” says Elbaz-Starinsky. “Combine that with direct flights to Israel; the area’s business-friendly

policies, with Mayor Suarez tweeting ‘How can I help?’; the tax incentives; the growing Jewish and Israeli community; and it all contributes to strengthening our close ties. Even Israel Tech Week is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Israeli tech has to offer.”

WHY ISRAEL IS A WORLD LEADER IN INNOVATION

A small country about the size of New Jersey, with roughly 9.5 million people – less than half the population of Florida – Israel ranks as the nation with the most startups per capita in the world. It has the highest number of companies on the tech-heavy NASDAQ exchange after the U.S., China, and India, all far larger nations. Israel’s cybersecurity titan Check Point Software Technologies alone has a NASDAQ market value exceeding $24 billion. Israeli tech is widely used in South Florida, from drip irrigation in agriculture to the road traffic app Waze and the freelancer platform Fiverr.

Experts credit Israel’s prowess partly to the pioneering spirit of immigrants, including scientists who came from the former Soviet Union. Also key: mandatory military service for both men and women, which builds skills and responsibility, forges community bonds, and requires out-of-the-box thinking to solve problems. What’s more, the government prioritizes education and provides ample support to universities, research labs, and accelerators to foster innovation.

ABOVE: ISRAELI DELEGATION IN TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA

RIGHT: MIAMI MAYOR SUAREZ (CENTER LEFT) AT THE IATI - MIXIII CONFERENCE

The tax incentives; the growing Jewish and Israeli community; and it all contributes to strengthening our close ties ...

MAOR ELBAZ-STARINSKY, ABOVE, ISRAEL’S CONSUL GENERAL IN MIAMI, DISCUSSING TIES BETWEEN MIAMI AND ISRAEL

RIGHT: PHYSICIAN MAURICE R. FERRE, OF ISRAEL’S INSIGHTEC, CO-HEADQUARTERED IN MIAMI, WHICH EMPLOYS 400 PEOPLE

Even during the war, Israel’s economy grew in 2024, and its tech sector raised some $12 billion, up 27% from 2023 levels, according to nonprofit Startup Nation Central. Investors, many from the U.S., pumped billions into later-stage Israeli ventures expanding globally. New York-based Blackstone, for instance, invested $800 million into Priority Software, in its biggest deal in Israel yet.

“I’ve never been as bullish on Israel as I am today,” former U.S. ambassador to Israel and now Blackstone vice-chair Thomas R. Nides told the IATI conference in Miami in January. He lauds Israel’s resilience. “We at Blackstone,” says Nides, “are putting our money where our mouth is.”

Google’s parent company Alphabet upped the ante March 18, agreeing to the largest acquisition in Israeli tech history: a $32 billion deal to buy Israel-founded cybersecurity unicorn Wiz. That tops US chipmaker Intel Corp’s purchase of Israel’s Mobileye, the computer-vision tech used in vehicles, for $15.3 billion in 2017. For Alphabet, it’s the largest purchase of any company, anywhere.

MEDTECH: STRONG LINKS AND HUGE OPPORTUNITIES

Miami is forging tech ties with Israel across sectors, but one stands out for already hefty bonds and vast potential: healthcare and medical technology. That’s why Israel’s IATI devoted its inaugural Miami event to medtech, showcasing 18 Israeli startups.

At the gathering, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez explained the allure of the U.S. healthcare market with hard numbers. The U.S., he says, spends about 16% of its economic output on healthcare, or more than $4 trillion yearly. That represents about half of all spending on healthcare worldwide. Per person, it’s also about twice the global average. South Florida carries special weight, thanks to its many retirees, Latin Americans coming for care, and fast-growing hospital systems, including the University of Miami Health System and Baptist Health.

“The opportunities are huge to disrupt [U.S. healthcare],” Suarez told the conference, reminding attendees that Miami City Hall flew the Israeli flag at half-mast after the Oct. 7 attacks.

Credit Maurice R. Ferre, the physician and serial medtech entrepreneur, for deepening those bonds. The son of six-term Miami mayor, Ferre co-founded South Florida’s robotic surgery pioneer Mako Surgical, which sold for $1.65 billion in 2013. Impressed by Israeli innovation, he now leads Israel’s Insightec, co-headquartered in Miami. Insightec uses focused ultrasound to treat tremors and other disorders, with no incisions. It employs 400 people, and some years the company has topped $100 million in annual revenue.

Ferre is so determined to position Miami as a global tech hub that he served as a founding board member of accelerator Endeavor Miami a decade ago. To build Miami-Israel ties, he chaired IATI’s event at The LAB Miami, encouraging participants to make IATI conferences in Miami one day “as big as in Jerusalem.”

MORE CAPITAL IN FLORIDA NOW FOR ISRAELI BUSINESS

Tech expansion requires capital, and today’s Miami-Israel momentum also stems from greater availability of funding in South Florida, says lawyer Meital Stavinsky, who co-directs the Israel practice for law firm Holland & Knight in Miami. She’s been helping Israeli businesses establish themselves in the U.S. for more than 20 years.

“Since COVID, many big venture-capital (VC) groups, private-equity firms and family offices have moved here, and that may be a reflection of the political and legal landscape in Florida,” says Israeli-born Stavinsky. “Israeli growth-stage companies are always looking for capital.”

Among the finance newcomers: Ceros Capital Markets, led by Zimbabwe-born CEO Mark “Goldie” Goldwasser, who moved from New York to Miami Beach in 2020. Ceros now has some $8.5 billion in assets under management. It invests globally, with roughly $300 million in medtech ventures, especially from Israel. That includes stakes in Momentis Surgical, among other Israeli firms active in South Florida, “and we’re looking to do more,” he says.

Goldwasser sees Israeli innovation surging, because the Mideast country is so small and full of immigrants. “A nation of immigrants is a nation of entrepreneurs,” says Goldwasser. “And Israeli entrepreneurs have to think globally, because they have such a tiny market. They have to be disruptive.”

Not all those funding Israeli tech from South Florida are Jewish or big businesses, of course. Angel-investor Bo Megginson moved from Alabama to Florida in 2019 to build a network for individuals to fund early-stage ventures. He sought a niche and saw opportunity in Israel “pumping out unicorns once a month” and South Florida growing both as tech hub and home to Jewish and Israeli communities.

Israeli growth-stage companies are always looking for capital ...

MEITAL STAVINSKY, ABOVE, LAWYER FOR ISRAEL PRACTICE AT HOLLAND & KNIGHT IN MIAMI

LEFT: EDOUARD CUKIERMAN, A VENTURE-CAPITALIST

BUILDING THE CATALYST INVESTORS CLUB

“There’s no better brand on the planet than Israeli tech, independent of industry. So why not affiliate with the best?,” Megginson thought. He reached out to Israel’s venture-capital powerhouse Sarona Partners and began bringing Israeli founders to Florida events. Since 2023, the firm he co-founded, Nova Gersher Ventures, has helped at least 20 Israeli companies to do business in Florida and helped raise more than $2 million in funding for some of those ventures, Megginson says.

Financiers from Israel also are reaching out more to Florida since Oct. 7, 2023. They include Edouard Cukierman, the noted venture capitalist who moved from France to Israel in the 1990s. He spoke at the Jerusalem Post conference and will present at Israel Tech Week in Miami.

Cukierman is building Catalyst Investors Club (CIC), a platform aimed at accredited investors. CIC lets the individuals join funding rounds led by VC groups, investing as little as $25,000 each. More than 300 later-stage tech ventures are listed on the platform, mainly from Israel and Europe. Cukierman wants to expand CIC to more startups and investors across the Americas, and hopefully open an office in Miami. Says Cukierman: “Miami is a strategic gateway to the Latin American market.”

THE PEOPLE BEHIND ISRAELI TECH WEEK

As the Israeli presence has grown in Florida and Miami has emerged as a tech hub, so too have the organizations working to bring people in the ecosystem together – founders, funders, government officials, software engineers, designers, and more.

That’s where Israeli-born marketer Lior Halabi comes in. In mid-2023, he co-founded the Miami_Israel Collective with tech entrepreneur Ayal Stern, curating events to unite tech players. He’s gotten Israel Tech Week off the ground in Miami with tech entrepreneur Ayal Stern (also a co-founder of Miami_Israel Collective), partnering with dozens of other groups from South Florida and Israel, including the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority, FIBA, the American Jewish Committee, and Israel’s Export Institute.

“Miami is a good place for Israeli companies to find first clients and enter the U.S. market. It’s not like New York or California with an established ecosystem,” says Halabi, who came to South Florida a decade ago. “Here, new companies have a better chance to position themselves.”

He aims to hold Israel Tech Week in Miami yearly and spin off smaller versions in U.S. tech hubs like Austin to help bring more participants to the larger Miami events later.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO GROWTH

Of course, building tech links across oceans brings challenges. One common problem: how to structure international operations. Some Israeli companies silo their research and development activities in Israel and their sales in the U.S., but would benefit from better inte-

grating both to scale-up, suggests Dvir Cohen, CEO of Momentis Surgical, who has been in South Florida since 2021. That means U.S. teams need to know the technology well and give feedback from customers about how they use it and their concerns.

“You need R&D boots on the ground in the U.S., as well as the right sales and marketing team in Israel, to build a strong foundation and really have a global business,” says Cohen, who has been in South Florida since 2021.

Then there’s the issue of new entrants finding partners in Florida. More major companies in Florida are now lending their expertise, including Mana Tech, part of the group led by Israeli-born, Miami-based real-estate developer Moishe Mana. The Mana group owns 72 buildings in downtown Miami and is creating an innovation district there to include offices, coworking spaces, research labs, and more.

For years, Mana Tech has assisted founders in Latin America expand their businesses through Miami, organizing courses, workshops and meetings. Now, it has launched Miami-Tel Aviv 2025 to extend those efforts to Israeli ventures, building bridges to Miami and across the Americas. “We have the partnerships to make this happen,” says Mana Group executive vice president Yossi Harel.

To further strengthen the growing ties between Israel and South Florida, expect more conferences – in the vein of Israel Tech Week in Miami, which featured more than 15 events and 50-plus speakers. A

ABOVE: PART OF THE TEAM AT MANA TECH LEFT: LIOR HALABI AND AYAL STERN

Israel-linked Tech Ventures in Greater Miami

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

Biobeat: Wearable, non-invasive devices and platform to monitor blood pressure, pulse rate and other health conditions. Works with hospitals and healthcare providers. Has US FDA and European CE approvals. Founded in 2014, based in Petah Tikvah, Israel. CEO Arik Ben Ishay moved to Miami in 2024. About 35 employees globally. Has raised some $20 millio, with funders including Best Buy Health.

Lendai: US mortgages for foreign investors. Based in Tel Aviv. Set up in South Florida in 2021. Has offices in Miami and Aventura in the US, and in Canada, Argentina, Israel, and India. More than 30 employees worldwide. Has handled more than $150 million in transactions to date.

Reeco: AI-driven platform digitizing procurement, inventory and accounts payable for hotels. Founded in Israel in 2021. Set up US headquarters in Miami in 2022. Raised $15 million in January, led by Aleph VC, bringing total funding to $25 million.

Spinframe:AI-powered camera systems to scan vehicles. Based in Yokne’am Illit, Israel. Opened in Miami in Oct. 2024, seeking clients among ports, car-rentals, automakers, others. Employs 30 people worldwide. More than $10 million in funding to date, some from Zim Integrated Shipping.

ThriveDX: Cybersecurity training for individuals, universities, and companies. Based in Israel, set up US headquarters in Coral Gables in 2016. Employs more than 2,000 people globally. More than $200 million in funding to date.

ABOVE:

Wix: Website builder. Based in Tel Aviv, with a Miami Beach office since 2015. Employs hundreds in Miami Beach, including multilingual, customer service staff. Global revenues topped $1.7 billion in 2024 and are forecast to near $2 billion this year. Trades on the Nasdaq exchange.

OTHER ISRAEL-LINKED COMPANIES IN GREATER MIAMI

Branja restaurant: The first US venture of Israeli chef Tom Aviv, winner of Masterchef Israel 2016 and other awards. Opened in Miami’s Upper Buena Vista neighborhood in 2023. The chef also has eateries in Israel and Morocco.

El Al Airlines: Israel’s national airline. Founded in 1948. El Al operates direct Miami-Tel Aviv flights since 2017 and Fort Lauderdale-Tel Aviv flights since 2023. It moved its U.S. headquarters from New York to South Florida in 2022, partly to lower costs.

Israel Discount Bank: Commercial bank. Founded in 1935. Has a U.S. unit now called IDB Bank of New York, which started in 1949. Israel Discount has an office on Brickell and IDB Bank a branch in Aventura. The bank is known for a focus on digital banking and fin-techs.

Zim Integrated Shipping Services: International cargo shipping. Based in Haifa. Started in 1945 and trades on the New York Stock Exchange since 2021. Office at PortMiami. A

Source: Company reports; Global Miami research.

LEFT: SPINFRAME TECHNOLOGIES AT WORK IN A PORT

TEL AVIV BASED WIX, WHICH OPENED A MIAMI BEACH OFFICE IN 2015, HAS REVENUES APPROACHING $2 BILLION

Refining robotic surgery

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

Robot-assisted surgery often involves a large, expensive system using mechanical arms that make angular movements. Israel’s Momentis Surgical is changing that model. It offers a compact, more affordable system for many common procedures. The arms of the machine have flexible, human-like joints that can work in a wider scope within the patient.

“With our Momentis system, when you enter the body, you can reach every organ inside,” says Michael Conditt, Momentis’s senior vice president. “Doing procedures less invasively, with fewer incisions, means less trauma and faster recovery. Our movements are inside the body, instead of working through portals with straightstick motions.”

In October, Momentis earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to use its patented Anovo system for a second application: to repair hernias in the abdomen. It already had approval to perform gynecological procedures. Now, the company will seek the FDA’s nod for more uses: bariatric and colorectal surgery, among them, Conditt says.

CEO Dvir Cohen, who formerly worked for Israel’s government in robotics, co-founded the venture with Professor Nir Shvalb in 2013. The duo dreamed of making a robotic-surgery platform with human-like fingers. But they found that surgeons preferred the idea of a tiny human-like arm that could hold different tools, such as graspers, hooks, and needle drivers. Their latest platform features a mini-humanoid arm that contains shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints with 360-degree articulation, it can reach deeper into the body and reduce the number of incisions needed.

Millions of ambulatory procedures are done annually in the US, and we feel that’s our opportunity: to add robotics to those surgeries.

MICHAEL CONDITT, VICE PRESIDENT OF MOMENTIS

With research and production in Israel, the venture set up its U.S. hub in South Florida in 2021, lured by the area’s strength in robotic surgery and eager to tap the vast U.S. market. Miami physician Maurice R. Ferre, former CEO of Mako Surgical, serves as Momentis’s chairman.

The hub started out in Fort Lauderdale, but moved to Miami to be closer to a key customer, Kendall Regional Medical Center. Its South Florida location helps attract potential US users: “If you’re asking a surgeon in Minneapolis to come to Miami for a visit in February, they all get in line,” Conditt jokes.

Investors have been impressed by Momentis’s equipment, already used in 500-plus surgeries. They’ve poured $140 million into the company so far, including $96 million in 2021, and see the potential for the platform in simpler, outpatient surgeries. Momentis’s Anovo system weighs about 14 pounds, is the size of a large loaf of bread, and costs less than $1 million. Other platforms, used in more complex surgeries, often weigh a ton or more, stand eight feet tall, and cost $3 million.

“Millions of ambulatory procedures are done annually in the US,” Conditt says, “and we feel that’s our opportunity: to add robotics to those surgeries.”

Experience

Revolutionizing solar energy

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

Forget bulky solar panels that can only be installed on top of strong buildings. How about making energy instead from thin, flexible solar sheets that can be placed anywhere, even atop buses and trucks?

Israeli scale-up Apollo Power is doing just that, in a business that already earns millions of dollars in revenue yearly, says Noam Mulla, general manager for the Americas. Active in Israel and Europe, the company now is in the permitting stages for its first major U.S. projects and is pitching its solar sheets for public transport in Miami-Dade County, Mulla says.

The venture began in 2014 when two pals sought to develop a solar paint. They wanted to replace traditional solar panels, which require a considerable amount of heavy, durable glass outside to protect fragile, breakable silicon cells inside. The partners came up with a thin, bendable solar sheet that won’t crack and is so light that it can sit on vehicles and on curved rooftops. The solar sheet can make “portable energy, a perfect fit for transport, defense or disaster-relief operations,” Mulla explains.

Automakers have been early adopters. Volkswagen has signed a multi-year contract, while Audi and Hyundai have embedded Apollo’s technology in car parts to help charge batteries in both conventional and electric vehicles, Mulla says. Charging vehicle batteries with solar energy cuts fuel consumption and carbon emissions, and it also limits battery discharge and maintenance, Mulla says. Those benefits helped Apollo Power earn an E-mobility Award at Europe’s Intersolar conference last year. The awards team called the technology “an easy, practical, and clean charging solution for commercial transport.”

Apollo Power is so keen on deploying the technology that it has built a $50 million factory in Israel that can churn out 2,000 of its solar sheets daily; each measuring two square meters. Funding has come mainly from Israeli groups, with some $10 million raised last year alone through the Tel Aviv stock exchange.

The company established a U.S. presence in late 2023, bringing on Mulla, an Israeli attorney with experience in renewable energy in Israel and the Americas. He works from Cooper City and is building a distribution network to extend into Latin America and the Caribbean.

He's keen to supply homes and businesses in areas where electricity costs are high and distribution grids sometimes fail. He also sees potential after natural disasters to outfit temporary shelters, emergency-relief vehicles, and community centers, among countless uses across the diverse Americas. Mulla likes to tell the story of a colleague who had installed Apollo Power sheets on her home in North Carolina. When a hurricane knocked out the area’s electric grid, “she had solar energy,” Mulla says, “so the neighbors came to shower at her house.”

APOLLO POWER SOLAR PANELS ARE ALREADY POWERING COMMERCIAL TRUCKS AND SPORTS ARENAS.

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Waltzing to Buy U.S. Real Estate Remotely

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

Buying U.S. real estate can be a massive headache for international investors – full of paperwork and sometimes surprises that can delay closings and boost costs. A Miami-based startup aims to make the investment process as easy as a waltz across the dance floor.

Israeli entrepreneur Yuval Golan dreamed up Waltz during the Covid-19 pandemic to offer remote buyers the ease of “an Amazon-style checkout, plus installment plan.” He knows the travails investors face, having spent two decades working around the globe in cross-border finance.

The Waltz platform lets non-U.S. citizens purchase U.S. properties online, in a brisk step-by-step process. Buyers quickly create a U.S. Limited Liability Company (LLC), obtain a U.S. Employer Identification Number (EIN), open a U.S. bank account, wire foreign exchange, obtain a U.S. loan, get U.S. insurance, and perform other tasks – with some steps completed in seconds.

“We close the deal as quickly as in 14 days, and they don’t need to touch U.S. soil,” Golan told Global Miami.

The startup works with more than 4,000 U.S. lenders, plus hundreds of insurance companies and property-related firms. It charges clients a fee for each service provided, such as wiring money or obtaining a mortgage. So far, it’s processed more than $150 million in transactions, with demand rising and a strong referral and

We close the deal as quickly as in 14 days, and they don’t need to touch U.S. soil ...

YUVAL GOLAN, ABOVE, OF MIAMI-BASED STARTUP, WALTZ

repeat rate, Golan says.

“We’re not competing to be the cheapest. We’re competing to be the fastest and most efficient,” explains the CEO, who worked in Israel, Europe, Asia, and South America before moving to South Florida. He says many buyers seek out U.S. homes, offices, or warehouses as investments to generate income.

To grow, Waltz has raised more than $24 million to date, with funders including Israel’s TLV Partners and Aleph. It now employs some 30 people, with offices in Miami, Tel Aviv, and Madrid.

Miami was the logical choice to base operations for three key reasons, Golan says. First, Florida accounts for roughly 25% of all foreign investment in U.S. real estate. Within the state, much of that foreign investment comes to Greater Miami, including Broward and Palm Beach counties. In addition, Miami is emerging as a global tech hub, offering support for startups from capital to conferences.

Personally, Golan also enjoys the convenience of living in Miami’s Brickell district—“the Manhattanized part of Miami,” as he calls it—where he can easily walk from home to meetings, shops, and restaurants. Brickell is also convenient to Miami International Airport, so it’s easy to take off to check in with Waltz’s growing roster of clients, partners, and staff worldwide. A

GLOBAL

South Florida's Matrix of Logistics

PORT EVERGLADES IS A LEADING SEAPORT FOR CONTAINERIZED CARGO, HANDLING OVER ONE MILLION (TEU) CONTAINERS IN 2024. THE PORT IS ALSO HOME TO FLORIDA'S LARGEST FOREIGNTRADE ZONE

South Florida Moves the World

BY YOUSRA BENKIRANE

At sunrise on a spring morning at Port Everglades, dozens of logistics executives, freight forwarders, legal advisors, and port officials filed into the Celebrity cruises terminal for a summit that felt less like a meeting and more like a mission. The message: South Florida isn’t just a trade gateway. It’s the control center of the Western Hemisphere’s logistics network — and Greater Miami is redefining what that means in an era of nearshoring, e-commerce, climate challenges, and tumultuous tariffs.

“This is exactly what we need,” said vice president of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce Diego Morones. “We’re in a moment of global chaos, but also opportunity. We need spaces to reassess and have real conversations about what the future holds.”

The future, as it turns out, is already arriving in South Florida.

UNLOCK YOUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY IN THE

JOIN THE LEADING INTERNATIONAL TRADE ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO FOSTERING BILATERAL TRADE.

BECOME

South Florida is critical for exports to the Caribbean and Central America, especially for perishables ...

MICHELLE FAJARDO, FIRST VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FLORIDA CUSTOMS BROKERS AND FORWARDERS ASSOCIATION (FCBF) AND PRESIDENT OF CARGO INTERNATIONAL CONSOLIDATORS

BOTTOM: THE $437 MILLION PORT EVERGLADES SOUTHPORT TURNING NOTCH EXTENSION ADDS 1,500 FEET OF BERTH SPACE

SOUTH FLORIDA, LOGISTICS LEADER

South Florida’s rise as a logistics powerhouse didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of decades of planning, investment, and a drive to stay one step ahead of global trade trends. From the days of container ships arriving with textiles and fruit to today’s interconnected network of ports, rail lines, air cargo hubs, and digitally optimized warehouses, the region has transformed itself into the linchpin of commerce between the Americas – and increasingly, the world.

“South Florida is critical for exports to the Caribbean and Central America, especially for perishables,” says the first vice president of the Florida Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association (FCBF) and president of Cargo International Consolidators, Michelle Fajardo. “A lot of my clients buy their produce here because we’re a major importer and re-exporter. There’s a whole fast-turnover economy that relies on South Florida’s logistics.” (See sidebar.)

At the heart of this dynamism are the region’s three logistics pillars: PortMiami, Port Everglades, and Miami International Airport. Together, these hubs handle hundreds of billions in trade annually, fueling everything from fast fashion to pharmaceuticals. Yet it’s not just the volume that’s impressive – it’s the intelligence

of the system. Data integration, trade expertise, and policy agility allow South Florida to serve not only as a conduit for goods, but as a decision-making core for global supply chains.

Infrastructure is the skeleton of any logistics operation. The expansion of Port Everglades is one of the most visible signs of this evolution. With its $471 million Southport Turning Notch Extension, the port adds 1,500 feet of berth space and features Super Post-Panamax cranes that can handle the larger vessels. The project is part of a master vision plan that spans decades and includes not only physical upgrades, but also deeper community partnerships and environmental mitigations.

PortMiami, for its part, has recently seen new shipping services that are making it a first-in call from both South America and Europe – a strategic advantage that reduces delays and ensures cargo gets to inland destinations faster. “We started new services from the east and west coasts of South America, and a few from Europe. It’s the first time in over a decade that we’re seeing Miami as the first port of call from these regions,” says PortMiami director Hydi Webb.

Photo by Alexia Fodere

TRADE WATCHDOGS

Behind every container cleared and every export shipment tracked from Miami to Managua is a tight-knit but influential group of professionals that form the Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association (FCBF) — the largest regional trade association of its kind in the United States.

Founded in 1960, FCBF represents more than 400 member firms involved in international trade, including customs brokers, freight forwarders, logistics providers, and trade attorneys. The organization serves as a bridge between the private sector and regulatory bodies like U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“Our job is to stay ahead of policy changes, inform our members, and make sure South Florida’s voice is heard in Washington,” said the association’s First Vice President, Michelle Fajardo, who also leads Cargo International Consolidators, a freight forwarding firm focused on exports to the Caribbean and Central America. “We’re constantly in communication with Customs, USDA, FDA — you name it. That’s how we keep goods moving, even when policy throws a curveball.”

That local-to-national dynamic matters more than ever as policies shift under the new Trump administration. Proposed tariffs, increased port fees, and the threat of a $1.5 million levy on Chinese-built ships have triggered concern across the logistics sector. For exporters shipping to the Caribbean and Central America — many of whom rely on Miami’s speed — these changes could prompt realignment. “Some of my clients are already bypassing U.S. ports altogether and sourcing directly from Brazil or China,” she says. “They’re watching the policy environment closely.”

Still, she sees South Florida’s infrastructure as an advantage. The region’s connectivity, warehousing ecosystem, and seasoned logistics talent give it an edge — especially when speed is critical. “Clients choose Miami because they can get goods to the Caribbean in five days. From other U.S. ports, it might take 30 to 40.”

Asked what she’d fix with a magic wand, her answer was simple: visibility. “Everyone wants to know where their goods are in real time — whether it’s a flower shipment or hotel furniture,” she said. “That’s the future of logistics.”

Those first-in calls matter. They reduce dwell times, improve container velocity, and attract more shippers looking for quicker service to inland markets. PortMiami’s intermodal rail and its downtown tunnel – diverting 80% of container truck traffic – are key assets. The expansion from three to five rail tracks will allow for more frequent and larger train volumes, improving connectivity to distribution centers across the state and beyond.

“Miami-Dade County is one of the top trading destinations of the Americas, thanks to the world-class infrastructure and operations that run our record-breaking airport and seaport every day. PortMiami has not only transformed our iconic skyline and bolstered our economy, but its ongoing commitment to bringing innovation and technology will allow the seaport to work more efficiently, create local jobs, and serve our global customers better,”

PORTMIAMI'S LOCATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE ALLOWS IT TO BE THE GLOBAL GATEWAY TO THE CARIBBEAN AND SOUTH AMERICA

MICHELLE FAJARDO OF CARGO INTERNATIONAL CONSOLIDATORS

Photo by Alexia Fodere

says Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Miami International Airport (MIA) is also moving mountains – by air. Ranked the number one U.S. airport for international air freight, MIA processes goods from perishables to electronics with growing speed and efficiency. The airport is developing a Vertically Integrated Cargo Community (VICC), a new facility that will expand capacity by 50% and include multi-level warehousing, sustainable design, and space for e-commerce operators.

“It will be more integrated and efficient than existing facilities at MIA and is designed to be completely sustainable,” said MIA Director and CEO Ralph Cutié. “Until this facility is built, MIA is working towards providing its airport partners with access to a cargo community system (CCS), an app-based technology for streamlining the movement of cargo by connecting the different players in the supply chain on a single platform. The CCS will provide MIA tenants with greater speed, efficiency, and transparency in the movement of cargo, and MIA will gain efficiencies in its overall cargo operations.”

The numbers speak volumes. De minimis shipments – those valued under $800, largely driven by e-commerce – rose from 1.6 million in 2021 to a staggering 75 million in 2023. That’s a 4,587% increase in two years. “What makes the process of moving goods at MIA unique compared to peer airports is the exceptional infrastructure it has in place – both in its facilities and its human resources –for maximizing throughput and efficiency,” says Cutié.

This momentum has drawn global names. UPS operates an in-

After five consecutive years of recordbreaking cargo growth, MIA continues taking care of business as they move up the ranks among cargo hubs in the U.S. and the world...

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA (ABOVE)

LEFT: RALPH CUTIÉ, LEFT, DIRECTOR AND CEO, MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MIA)

ternational gateway out of MIA, handling thousands of shipments daily for destinations across Latin America.

“After five consecutive years of record-breaking cargo growth, MIA continues taking care of business as they move up the ranks among cargo hubs in the U.S. and the world,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “With the construction of a new cutting-edge cargo facility in the works, the future looks brighter than ever for MIA as a global leader in air cargo. This project is also expected to generate thousands of jobs for our residents and bring new business opportunities to small companies in the construction and cargo logistics.”

THE PLANNED EXPANSION AT MIA WILL INCREASE WAREHOUSING BY OVER 50%

A SPRINT TO KEEP UP

South Florida’s warehouse developers are racing to keep up. Prologis, which owns more than 20 million square feet of logistics space in South Florida, has been at the forefront of smart warehouse development, deploying buildings equipped with robotics, cold storage, solar energy systems, and EV-charging docks. The sites are strategically located near Miami International Airport and the Palmetto Expressway, providing quick access for both imports and exports. In Doral, Bridge Industrial is converting former rail yards into high-tech facilities designed for faster turnaround times and cross-docking.

Cold chain logistics is one of the fastest-growing sectors, stirred by demand for fresh produce, pharmaceuticals, and temperature-sensitive goods. Lineage Logistics and Americold have significantly expanded their refrigerated storage footprints in South Florida, positioning themselves to serve both domestic and export markets.

Companies like Ryder System, headquartered in Miami, manage complex supply chain operations across the Americas. Their integrated services – from fleet management to contract logistics –make them a vital link in industries like retail, auto, and healthcare.

Ryder’s regional footprint includes major distribution hubs in Medley and Hialeah, locations selected for their multimodal access and proximity to key markets. These centers manage everything from temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals to seasonal retail inventories. Ryder’s investment in digital platforms also allows clients to track shipments in real time, making their operations more responsive to market volatility.

FedEx and UPS both operate expansive logistics campuses in the region, tied closely to MIA’s air cargo network. UPS’s international gateway facility at MIA handles thousands of express shipments daily, serving as a hub for Latin American deliveries. FedEx recently opened a new regional sorting facility in southwest Miami-Dade to speed up overnight deliveries across the Southeast.

Amazon, too, has delivery stations scattered throughout the

WITHERS WORLDWIDE

For Chip Withers, above, president of Miami-based Withers Worldwide, logistics is rarely straightforward. His firm manages complex hospitality projects across the globe, sourcing everything from custom furniture to FDA-cleared silverware and coordinating deliveries to resorts, casinos, and stadiums. That means navigating a tangled web of international suppliers, regulatory hurdles, and unpredictable conditions. “You’re only as good as your weakest link,” Withers said. “And in logistics, one missed connection can throw off the whole chain.”

Recent years have only heightened that fragility. Low water levels in the Panama Canal, supply imbalances from China, and new Trumpera tariffs are creating fresh layers of complexity. “The whole world is a lot smaller,” he says. “If a port in California or the Suez Canal has issues, it impacts everyone. We’ve seen how quickly a single disruption can ripple across the entire system.”

South Florida, he notes, has held up relatively well amid the turbulence. With its air and sea connectivity and dense network of freight forwarders, customs brokers, and warehousing firms, the region is built for adaptation. Still, the pressure is real. Warehouse space is increasingly dominated by e-commerce giants, pushing up costs. Customs classifications are shifting under new tariff policies, and every delay comes with downstream consequences.

Withers describes projects that involve as many as five or six international stops before final delivery — fabrics dyed in France, finished in the U.S., sewn into furniture in Asia, and finally installed at a hotel in Hawaii. “It’s not as simple as moving cargo from A to B,” he says. “We’re dealing with quotas, environmental approvals, duty drawbacks, and everything in between.”

The stakes, he adds, are higher now than ever. “You have to build flexibility into the system. That’s the only way to stay ahead of what’s coming next.”

tri-county area and a fulfillment center in Opa-locka. The company’s presence is reshaping last-mile logistics. These facilities support Miami’s role as a two-day shipping center for most of Latin America and a one-day service point for much of the U.S. Southeast.

But infrastructure alone doesn’t move goods people do. And South Florida’s workforce is increasingly seen as one of its most strategic assets. Gary Goldfarb, Chief Strategy Officer at Interport Logistics and Chair of the World Trade Center Miami, has been sounding the alarm about the need for continued investment in education and talent development.

“This region has knowledge that can’t be taught in a textbook,” said Goldfarb. “We’ve got people who understand the regulatory environment in Brazil, the freight quirks of Panama, the political climate in the Dominican Republic. That kind of insight is priceless.”

Florida International University (FIU) and Miami Dade College are trying to ensure that this expertise doesn’t retire with the most seasoned generation. Dr. Gregory Maloney, who leads FIU’s logistics master’s program, emphasizes real-world learning and systems thinking. “They were hiring a lot of engineering and tech-oriented people at first. But over time, they started to realize that these logistics businesses – at their core – are businesses. Their strength lies in increasing margins and lowering costs, and that’s a business function. That’s not necessarily how an engineer is trained to think,” he explained, “so when we were talking with them, they came to us and said, ‘Hey, these businesses are booming. We need people who understand how business works – how to run operations, how to manage customers.’ That’s what led us to develop the program within the College of Business. Our students graduate understanding the key logistics components, but they are also grounded in business management concepts.” (See sidebar.)

The result is a talent pipeline that feeds seamlessly into local employers. Amazon, FedEx, UPS, DHL, and third-party logistics firms routinely recruit from FIU and MDC. These graduates are becoming systems analysts, operations planners, and compliance officers. “That speaks to the current state of the industry. We’re

evolving – from a landscape filled with smaller, less complex transportation businesses to much more sophisticated operations that function more like large corporations,” says Dr. Maloney.

South Florida’s customs and compliance community is another pillar of its ecosystem. Deborah Stern, a trade attorney at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, helps clients navigate what she calls the “regulatory alphabet soup” of agencies – CBP, FDA, DOT, USDA. With the Trump administration’s sweeping 10% tariff reimposition on most imports, her phone has been ringing nonstop.

“Companies are trying to respond to daily changes in trade rules,” Stern said. “They’re reclassifying goods, re-sourcing suppliers, and recalculating pricing models. It’s chaotic, but if you’re compliant, you can be agile. That’s where Miami shines.”

The region’s Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) are another arrow

INTERPORT LOGISTICS FACILITIES OFFERING WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION ACROSS ALL MAJOR INDUSTRIES

We’re not a major manufacturing hub, but we’re central to movement. The knowledge economy of logistics is growing right here ...

GARY GOLDFARB, CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER AT INTERPORT LOGISTICS AND CHAIR OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER MIAMI

in the quiver. These federally designated zones allow companies to defer or reduce duties and simplify customs processes. Goldfarb has helped activate more than 900 FTZs in his career. “When trade gets turbulent,” he said, “FTZs are great.”

Nearshoring – the shift of production closer to consumer markets – is also reshaping supply routes. Miami and Port Everglades are both seeing increased traffic from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Colombia. Apparel, processed foods, and pharmaceuticals are increasingly sourced from the Western Hemisphere, reducing shipping times and improving resilience.

For perishables and fast-turnover goods, South Florida remains essential. “You can get goods from Miami to Santo Domingo or Nassau in under a week,” Fajardo said. “That time advantage is something you just can’t replicate from farther north.”

Miami’s trade diplomacy is also a growing force. The Beacon Council, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, and World Trade Center Miami regularly host delegations from Europe, Latin America, and Asia. These visits generate partnerships, secure foreign direct investment, and signal confidence in South Florida’s role as a trade leader. Public-private partnerships have been instrumental in advancing infrastructure, including port dredging, airport cargo modernization, and broadband expansion to support digital logistics platforms.

“We’re not a major manufacturing hub,” Goldfarb said. “But we’re central to movement. The knowledge economy of logistics is growing right here.” l

A LOGISTICS BRAINTRUST

Ten years ago, few universities treated logistics as a front-line discipline. Today, Florida International University (FIU) has responded by building one of South Florida’s most targeted academic pipelines for the sector.

Launched just over six years ago, FIU’s Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management was the first graduate-level logistics program in South Florida. It now boasts over 500 graduates, many of whom are working in warehousing, air cargo, ocean freight, and supply chain analytics across the region — and beyond. The program is housed in FIU’s College of Business and backed by key local industry partners, including Ryder and PayCargo.

“This industry hasn’t had a formal education track until recently,” says Dr. Gregory Maloney, the program’s director and a former VP of analytics at Bacardi. “Most of the veterans in logistics came into it from other fields. But with the pressure for real-time delivery, efficiency, and cost control, businesses now need people trained in both logistics and business.”

The curriculum blends core logistics functions — like inventory management, procurement, and forecasting — with business strategy, analytics, and emerging technologies such as AI and blockchain. “We’re not just producing operations managers,” says Dr. Maloney. “We’re training people who understand where logistics is headed and how to drive that transformation.”

FIU’s location in Miami also gives students a real-world edge. The university partners with companies across the Miami Customs District and beyond, in order to place students in internships and full-time roles. “We’re working to formalize more pipelines with local employers,” Dr. Maloney adds. “The demand is there — what we need now is continuity.”

YOU

In today’s fast-paced market, the only way to close the gap with your trading partners is to improve the supply chain. To do this, you will need a group of dedicated, hardworking professionals with over 40 years of experience in logistics and ocean transportation. You will need more than just excellent customer service. You will want to work with a company striving to be better and more innovative. At Seaboard Marine, your customers are closer because our customers are at the center of everything we do.

Opportunities and Challenges

As companies look to shorten supply chains and diversify away from Asia, countries such as Mexico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic are becoming increasingly attractive. Their proximity to the U.S. and deep trading relationships with South Florida make them prime partners. Already, Miami and Port Everglades are seeing new services emerge from these markets, reflecting a shifting geography of trade. For example, PortMiami’s officials noted a 12% increase in import volumes from Central America over the past year, largely due to nearshoring adjustments.

“We’re seeing some suppliers relocating operations from China to Guatemala and El Salvador – places that can reach our ports in under four days,” says PortMiami Director Hydi Webb. But with opportunity comes challenges. Real estate in Miami-Dade is increasingly scarce, pushing industrial development farther west.

Port Tampa Bay and Port Manatee are also building out capabilities, but South Florida’s unique position – both geographically and in its long-established trade relationships – continues to give it an edge.

We’re seeing some suppliers relocating operations from China to Guatemala and El Salvador — places that can reach our ports in under four days ...

Then there’s competition from outside the U.S. “Mexico will be the dominant player in this region if they continue to collaborate with the U.S.,” says Gary Goldfarb, chief strategy officer for Interport Logistics. “And Colombia isn’t far behind, especially in apparel and processed foods.”

In terms of sustainability, investors, customers, and regulators alike are pushing for greener operations. That means more electric trucks, more energy-efficient buildings, and more investment in carbon offsets and ESG reporting. At Port Everglades, a solar energy microgrid project is underway in partnership with Florida Power & Light, aimed at reducing emissions from terminal equipment.

Private developers are following suit. Prologis is piloting a new energy-efficient warehouse in Doral with solar roofing and EVcharging capacity for 40 delivery trucks. Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County has announced a green fleet program to electrify its county-owned cargo vehicles by 2028. “It’s no longer enough to be fast and efficient,” says Director Webb. “You’ve got to be clean, too.” l

HYDI WEBB, PORTMIAMI DIRECTOR (ABOVE)

Tariff Tradeoffs

In early April 2025, the stakes got even higher. President Donald Trump, newly returned to office, proposed a sweeping 10% tariff on nearly all imported goods, set to take effect later this year. A move that sent shockwaves through global markets and left logistics professionals in South Florida scrambling to understand what these aggressive tariffs would mean for the region’s trade lifelines. The tariffs, which apply broadly rather than targeting specific industries or countries, have been widely criticized as they could trigger a trade war, distort or even upend supply chains, and raise prices for consumers.

Trade attorney Deborah Stern emphasized the importance of preparedness: “We’re seeing clients hit with multiple overlapping tariffs – on steel, aluminum, and Chinese-origin products. Many are now rethinking sourcing and product classification.”

The landscape has become more complex, especially as companies must balance sourcing decisions with sudden shifts in tariff policy – for example, Mr. Trump’s 90-day tariff pause announced on April 9. “Some weren’t even taking USMCA exemptions because the tariff was already zero,” Stern said. “Now, they’re scrambling to get the paperwork done.”

Additionally concerning is the proposed $1.5 million fee on vessels built in China, which would raise costs dramatically for trade with the Caribbean and Central America, two of South Florida’s most critical markets. “During the pandemic, container rates from China spiked to $20,000 – and clients still paid. They need the product. But every policy shift creates uncertainty, and that affects everyone along the chain,” says Chip Withers, president of logistics company Withers Worldwide.

But while many regions would buckle under such pressures, South Florida adapts. Legal experts, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and consultants are working closely together to reroute cargo, adjust classification codes, and identify trade benefits. Companies are also leveraging Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs), which can defer or reduce duties; South Florida leads the nation in FTZ activations.

What sets South Florida apart is not just infrastructure, workforce, or legal know-how – but how these elements are integrated. The region functions as a living supply chain organism. Ports feed into rail. Rail feeds into warehouses. Airports connect to cold storage. Universities feed talent directly into freight and compliance firms. “Our ports are doing fabulously,” adds Michelle Fajardo of Florida Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association. “There’s a close relationship between local businesses, regulatory agencies, and port operators. That collaboration is what keeps the cargo moving.” She praised PortMiami, Port Everglades, and the surrounding logistics infrastructure for their ability to prevent major disruptions, even during national crises like the pandemic: “The savviness of our logistics industry here is unmatched.”

A critical piece of that integration is Florida East Coast Railway (FEC), which runs along the Atlantic coast and connects South Florida’s ports with major inland markets and distribution hubs. The FEC’s on-dock rail capabilities at PortMiami and Port Everglades allow containers to be loaded directly onto trains, reducing truck congestion and cutting down transit times to central Florida and beyond. Since its acquisition by Grupo México Transportes in 2017, FEC has continued investing in track modernization and intermodal connectivity.

Multimodal access is a key advantage. From South Florida, logistics firms can reach 70% of the U.S. population within two days and provide overnight service to major Latin American markets. l

DEBORAH STERN OF TRADE AND CUSTOMS LAW FIRM SANDLER, TRAVIS & ROSENBERG

Across the Americas, From Broward

DHL

Express Americas runs a massive logistics and transport operation from the city of Plantation

BY JOSEPH A. MANN JR.

From his third-floor office overlooking a lake west of Fort Lauderdale, Andrew Williams, CEO of DHL Express Americas, leads an impressive international enterprise. “I’m responsible for our business in 55 countries and territories from Canada, through the U.S., Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America,” says Williams, a Canadian who took over as chief executive of the international logistics and air shipping operation in the beginning of 2024.

Williams is quick to point out that his wide-ranging system works thanks to a complex web of customer service agents, trade and customs specialists, shippers, pilots, delivery personnel and other staff – 29,000 in all, of which 550 work in his Broward County campus. “We ship millions of items around the world every week thanks to the hard work and dedication of our employees,” Williams says, providing door-to-door express deliveries from Canada to the southern tip of Chile.

DHL Express Americas, which is one of the four international divisions of DHL Express, moved its regional headquarters from California to South Florida over a decade ago. “We have unmatched connectivity here with Latin America and the Caribbean,” Williams says. “You would be hard-pressed to find a better location.” Plantation, adjacent to Fort Lauderdale, won out because the area was not as crowded or expensive as Miami, just under 30 miles away.

DHL Express is the largest component of the DHL Group, a publicly-traded global logistics company based in Bonn, Germany; its Americas division specializes in rapidly transporting and tracking a wide range of items, including urgent business and personal documents, equipment parts, temperature-sensitive vaccines and medications, animals (ranging from chimpanzees to manatees), Formula 1 cars, designer collections for fashion shows, plus gifts and personal objects.

In order to reach its 600,000 customers in the hemisphere, DHL Express Americas uses 85 of its own aircraft (making about 540 daily flights) plus 11,100 pick-up and delivery vehicles, all dispatched from 1,400 offices and operating facilities, and 7,200 service points. The result is revenues of nearly $6.5 billion in 2024, or nearly a quarter of DHL Express’ global revenues. (DHL Group, the parent company, logged a net profit of $3.6 billion in 2024 on revenues of close to $91 billion.)

Competing with the international services of FedEx and UPS, as well as local and regional shipping companies, DHL Express Americas offers time-definite shipments to recipients all over the

We have unmatched connectivity here with Latin America and the Caribbean. You would be hard-pressed to find a better location ...

ANDREW

globe. “We compete by being the most international company in the world. If you want to ship from anywhere in the region to anywhere in the world, we can do it,” says Williams. Some of its clients are major corporations, but the company stresses service to small and mid-sized businesses, who account for most of its customer base. The company is also diversified across industry sectors that include e-commerce, SMEs, automotive, healthcare, engineering and technology.

DHL’s main product is Time-Definite International service, transport and delivery with pre-defined arrival times. For example, a business in Miami can send a package to Buenos Aires on Monday and specify a delivery time in Buenos Aires for the next day. The company provides clients with complete information on customs duties, taxes and any other shipping related topics in person or online. And for convenience, customers can drop off items for shipment at a DHL Express office or have DHL pick up shipments from homes and offices.

One commercial client, Plantation-based FocusPoint International, has been using DHL Express for over nine years. “I specifi-

WILLIAMS, CEO OF DHL EXPRESS AMERICAS

A PILOT TO USE LOW POWER ELECTRIC ASSIST E-CARGO CYCLES FOR DELIVERIES IN MIAMI.

cally use them for high-value and important documents,” says Peter Martin, executive chairman of the firm, which provides international emergency responses to individuals and organizations affected by natural disasters, security threats or medical issues – anything from kidnapping for ransom to emergencies during travel, available through one-touch assistance on smartphones. Martin says he chooses DHL Express because of its security, package tracking and reliability on a global scale. “I always use DHL if I need to positively ensure something is going to be delivered on time.”

INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC SERVICES & REGIONAL INVESTMENTS

DHL Express also offers industry-specific services, such as Medical Express, which supplies thermal packaging for temperature-sensitive shipments for medical research, healthcare and life sciences clients. While DHL Express mostly handles documents and small packages, it can ship individual pieces up to 30 kilograms and shipments up to 300 kilograms. (“Big or small, we ship it all,” is one of its advertising pitches.) It also arranges special shipments of endangered species and, thanks to partnership agreements, handles all cargo for Formula 1 and Formula E worldwide, as well as clothing collections for Fashion Week in different countries. “Our focus on international business has allowed us to capitalize on specific market niches,” Williams says Regional business for DHL Express Americas – in terms of shipment volume – has been growing by low to medium single digits in recent years; the company expects growth this year as well,

DHL WORLDWIDE

DHL was founded in 1969 by three men in San Francisco: Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn (DHL comes from the first initials of the founder’s last names). They started the business by carrying documents between California and Hawaii in person on commercial flights. This initiative was the first step in building a worldwide business providing rapid air transportation of documents, packages, and other freight.

DHL Group grew rapidly and in 2002 was taken over by Deutsche Post, originally Germany’s postal system. Today, Deutsche Post is a division of the DHL Group. In 2023, the corporation changed its name from Deutsche Post DHL Group to DHL Group.

DHL Express worldwide the largest division of DHL Group, which also includes DHL Global Forwarding/Freight, DHL Supply Chain, DHL eCommerce and, of course, Deutsche Post. Today DHL Express worldwide covers 229 countries and territories with a fleet of 300 aircraft operating out of 500 airports. It has about 3 million clients, 116,000 employees, and 115,000 service points.

OPENING THE MIAMI DHL HUB: MIA CEO RALPH CUTIÉ (LEFT), FORMER COUNTY COMMISSIONER AND CURRENT MAYOR OF SWEETWATER PEPE DIAZ (SECOND FROM LEFT), AND MAIMI-DADE MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA, WITH DHL OFFICIALS.

despite U.S tariffs. The biggest regional markets for DHL Express Americas are the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.

To meet growing demand, DHL Express Americas has invested more than $585 million in its regional operations over the last several years:

IN 2021, DHL EXPRESS AMERICAS invested $78 million to double the size and processing capacity at its Miami International Airport (MIA) hub. A key gateway to Central America, South America and the Caribbean, DHL facilities at MIA have a fully automated package sorting system, 206,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space (double the former capacity) and X-ray spectroscopy machines providing high-speed 3D CT images and automated explosives detection for its shipments.

IN 2024, DHL EXPRESS AMERICAS invested $84.5 million in a 100,000 sq. ft. regional hub at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The facility provides direct connections between 19 cities in the Southeast and key global markets.

THE COMPANY IS CURRENTLY INVESTING $292 million to build a new aircraft maintenance center at DHL Group’s global hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). The 305,000 sq. ft. facility is slated for completion in early 2026, to ensure less downtime for DHL Express’ expanding air fleet.

ANOTHER RECENT OUTLAY WAS $120 million to expand its operations at the Querétaro Airport in Mexico, converting it into a regional hub and increasing processing capacity to 41,000 pieces per hour. Capital outlays were also made for a service center in Miami Gardens, a mobile DHL store in Fort Lauderdale and other projects.

FOCUS ON CARBON REDUCTION

For years, DHL Express has also invested in planes, equipment and construction aimed at reducing its carbon footprint. The company’s goal is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 under it GoGreenPlus program.

In the Americas, DHL Express has implemented a variety of eco-friendly initiatives:

WORKING WITH WORLD FUEL SERVICES, the company will use about 60 million gallons of blended Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for its operations at MIA. This SAF, made from used cooking oil and food waste, can reduce carbon emissions by as much as 80%. The agreement represents one of the first regular deliveries of blended SAF in Florida.

THE DHL EXPRESS ATLANTA HUB generates up to half of its energy needs from 65,000 sq. ft. of rooftop solar panels. The rest of its energy consumption is supported by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).

SINCE 2021, DHL HAS PUT 100 FORD Lightning electric transit vans in service in New York and California. It is also using electric vans and motorbikes powered by lithium batteries in other markets. The company has also taken other steps across the region, such as sustainable packaging, LED lights, electric forklifts, solar panels, and climate-neutral buildings. l

ABOVE: DHL WORLDWIDE AIR FREIGHT AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ... MOVING CARGO QUICKLY, RELIABLY, AND ON-TIME

Pacific Rhythm

A MIAMI DEVELOPER CREATES A SURF HAVEN IN EL SALVADOR

BY YOUSRA BENKIRANE

The mornings in El Zonte begin with the sound of waves – not crashing violently, but curling in with that slow, steady Pacific rhythm that surfers chase around the world. From my balcony at Wave House, I sip tea and watch early risers paddle into the glassy lineup. There’s no need for an alarm clock in this part of El Salvador. The ocean keeps its own time.

El Zonte wasn’t on my radar until recently, but within hours of arriving, it feels like one of those places you stumble into and immediately want to stay longer. It’s the kind of place that quietly works its way into you. The energy is calm, the streets are still partly unpaved, and dogs nap in the shade outside surf shops, smoothie stands, and along the beach. But don’t let its size or simplicity fool you – this tiny town has become a magnet for surfers, travelers, and those seeking something a little slower and a lot more grounded. It’s also home to Wave House El Zonte.

Wave House is a 19-unit condo-hotel built into the cliffs above one of El Zonte’s most consistent point breaks. It was founded by Pedro Querejeta, a Miami developer and lifelong surfer who first came to El Zonte in the early ‘90s. Back then, the beach was quiet, the roads were dirt, and the waves were empty. Over two decades later, Pedro returned with a vision – and a little Miami flair.

Today, that influence is easy to spot. There’s a rooftop cocktail bar developed in partnership with MiniBar Miami, and a lounge area with design-forward furnishings by Miami-based TUUCI. It’s quietly sophisticated. “This was just a piece of rock when I bought it,” Pedro tells me, gesturing toward the sleek, minimalist structure.

A right-hand point break rolls in just in front of Wave House, offering long, smooth rides that draw both beginners and more advanced surfers. When I finally wade into the water for my first-ever lesson with

OPPOSITE TOP: EL ZONTE BEACH IS REVERED FOR ITS WORLD-CLASS SURF BREAKS WHILE RETAINING A LAID-BACK SLOW VIBE ATMOSPHERE

OPPOSITE BOTTOM: LUXURY AMENITIES INCLUDE SPACIOUS ROOMS WITH OCEAN VIEWS, ROOFTOP WELLNESS AREA, DINING AND A POOLSIDE BAR

WAVE HOUSE

EL ZONTE, EL SALVADOR MYWAVEHOUSE.COM

Puro Surf Academy, I’m a mix of nerves and excitement. The instructors are relaxed and encouraging, and even though I wipe out more than I stand up, I leave the water completely hooked. There’s something about the way the waves come in – predictable, rhythmic – that gives even a novice the confidence to try again.

There’s no gatekeeping here. Locals, tourists, and digital nomads share the waves. People cheer each other on, help each other carry boards back to the beach, and trade surf stories over beers at the end of the day.

If you prefer to stay dry, the infinity pool at Wave House offers a perfect frontrow seat. I spend more than one afternoon

ABOVE: WAVE HOUSE AT EL ZONTE, A LUXURY RESORT OVERLOOKING BREAKING WAVES AND BEACHES WITH SURFING AS THE FOCUS

lounging by the pool, watching as guests trickle in from the beach with boards under arms and sun on their faces.

WAVE HOUSE: A SURF RETREAT

Wave House is designed for people who want to live the surf lifestyle – without compromising on comfort. The rooms are spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows and custom wood furniture.

There’s a gym that focuses on biomechanics, a rooftop cold plunge and jacuzzi, and a rotating schedule of wellness offerings. But the surf is always the main event. Staff are quick to help organize lessons, link you with a local board shaper, or just tell you when the tide’s best for your skill level.

The crowd here is an interesting mix: Miami creatives, remote workers from Europe, Salvadoran expats reconnecting with their country, and even a few Bitcoin enthusiasts, drawn in by El Zonte’s earlier nickname, “Bitcoin Beach.” But while the economy of the town may be shifting, the vibe hasn’t lost its casual charm.

When I’m not surfing – or recovering from surfing – I explore the culinary scene in town. Dinner at Covana Kitchen is a standout: open-air seating, cold drinks, and an emphasis

on locally sourced ingredients. One night we had dinner at a pupusería tucked down a side street – plastic chairs, sizzling griddles, and pupusas (griddled flatbread) oozing with cheese and loroco. No frills, all flavor. Another favorite is Beto’s, a cliffside restaurant with sweeping views and grilled seafood.

On my last day, I wake up early for one final rooftop smoothie. The ocean is glassy, a few surfers already in the water. I think

about joining them, but instead just watch –grateful to have experienced El Zonte from both the shore and the lineup.

This isn’t a town built around tourism. It’s a town built around surf. The locals were here long before the new restaurants, new hotels, or the interest from abroad. And if you approach it with respect – board under your arm or not – you’ll find a place that welcomes you in. l

Gourmet Hideaway

TWO CHEFS RESTAURANT IS A SECRET PLACE –EXCEPT TO ITS FOLLOWERS

BY ANDREW GAYLE

Most of the chef-driven, haute-cuisine restaurants in Greater Miami occupy prime locations, and frequently showcase the food in dramatic settings. That is not the case with Chef Jan Jorgensen. A native of Denmark trained in classic European cuisine, he is the soft-spoken culinary wizard behind Two Chefs, a quiet, elegant hideaway in an otherwise unremarkable pocket mall on U.S. 1, about a mile south of Coral Gables.

Jorgensen has been running Two Chefs for just over three decades, cooking what he calls American food, albeit with his own unique spin. “We don’t have Japanese or Korean or Asian variations, we don’t do ceviche. We cook with the basic classic ingredients,” says Jorgensen, who updates the menu every few weeks to reflect whatever is fresh, available, or interesting to him at the moment.

“Of course, we keep certain things on the menu that are favorites for our customers,” says Jorgensen. Those staples include flat breads cooked with his wood burning oven, crab cakes, tuna tartar and above all his souffles – chocolate, pistachio, and Grand Marnier – which are among the hardest desserts to perfect. But for the rest of the time, the menu follows the ingredients.

Jorgensen is constantly cooking new things, almost restlessly, simply because he loves to cook. He will prepare some dish for a couple of weeks – a pan roasted chicken breast “au poivre” with mushroom dumplings, for instance – and then go on to the next. “Recently I threw a whole leg of lamb in my wood burning oven – it stayed there 24 hours - to make lamb shepherd’s pie,” he says. “But I won’t do it again. We have our staples [but] the menu goes back and forth.”

The prices at Two Chefs are also surprisingly moderate for the quality of the cuisine, something he manages also by ingredient selection. “[The dish] doesn’t have to be hand-picked scallops from Martha’s Vineyard at $50 a pound. I mean, you can totally do a nice dish with something else and have fun with it,” he says.

The night we ate at Two Chefs we tried his flatbread, his ever-so-crisp crab cakes, and a dish of escargot sauteed with cremini mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, garlic, croutons, and feta cheese, an amazing combination of tastes that balanced and bounced off each other. The same for a dish of raw tuna with caviar, feta, a drizzle of

TOP: CHEF JAN JORGENSEN KEEPS THE MENU FRESH, COOKING WITH THE BASIC CLASSIC INGREDIENTS

TOP LEFT: EXECUTIVE CHEF JOE GUERRERO

ABOVE: THE WARM INTERIOR IS LOW KEY ELEGANCE

OPPOSITE PAGE:

TOP LEFT: FLAT BREADS FROM A WOOD BURNING OVEN

MIDDLE LEFT: CRAB CAKES, COOKED EVER-SO-CRISP

BOTTOM LEFT: SAUTEED ESCARGOT WITH CROUTONS

TOP RIGHT: DOUBLE CUT PORK CHOP WITH DATE REL-

ISH AND FRENCH FRIES WRAPPED IN A BACON TIE

MIDDLE RIGHT: WARM RAW TUNA WITH BABY PEAS

BOTTOM RIGHT: WHITE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

olive oil and a sprig of basil – salty and savory, soft and chewy. The evening’s standout was the double cut pork chop with date relish, whimsically topped with shoelace fries wrapped in bacon.

The interior of Two Chefs has a deep, golden glow, created by alabaster saucer chandeliers overhead and lamps at every table. A long curvilinear bar is separated from the dining room by glass panels, which gives it a protected feeling, a good place to duck in for a Manhattan. The kitchen is partly open, but also dimly lit and bracketed by a brick oven with a glowing fire that adds warmth to the space.

The oven is where Jorgensen makes his popular flatbread appetizers, ranging from one with caviar and salmon (which he gets only from Denmark’s Faroe Islands) and caviar to one with shitake mushrooms, goat cheese, caramelized onions, and truffle oil. We tried the latter. Delicious. By the time you read this, the menu will have changed several times. A recent one we saw had appetizers of escargot “pot pie” and

ginger rubbed baby back ribs, and a ‘chicken thigh chop’ entrée with mushroom risotto. Two Chefs also has an excellent selection of wines, which Jorgensen is expert at pairing with food.

The name Two Chefs stems from an erstwhile colleague long gone, but it’s once again apt with the addition of executive chef Joe Guerrero. Addition may be the wrong word, since Guerrero started working at Two Chefs some 23 years ago when he was a teenager. He has learned well from the master, serving as an old-world apprentice, something we have lost in our modern life. Chef Guerrero has learned so well that he is also a teacher in Two Chefs’ adjacent cooking school.

So, if you like low key elegance in a restaurant that is wonderfully subdued and ultimately romantic, with astonishingly good food cooked with great creative flair, then a visit to Two Chefs should be on your menu. l

Better Together

CHEF JAN JORGENSEN’S NEW COOKBOOK IS THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PAIRING FINE FOOD AND FINE WINE

BY J.P. FABER

Jan Jorgensen has quietly plied the art of haute cuisine at his Two Chefs restaurant and cooking school for three decades now. Located in a modest strip mall in South Miami, he has earned a reputation in the adjacent Coral Gables and Pinecrest communities as a master chef. And it was there, some years ago, that a group of his regular diners began asking him to prepare special multi-course menus, in which the special wines they brought in were matched to the dishes.

Sometime after that the staff of the Wine News – a national publication based in Miami - would bring in wine producers from all over the world. They came from Germany, France, South America, and California, and spoke the language of the vine as they dined. “Right then I realized what wine is really all about in [fine dining],” says Chef Jorgensen.

That was decades ago, and ever since Jorgensen has been keeping notes about wines and how they match with his dishes – and though he is a native of Denmark, he has become imbued with the French obsession that no fine meal is complete without a fine wine.

Then came COVID, and the downtime it forced on most restaurateurs. Jorgensen re-connected with Todd Wernstrom, the former editor of Wine News, and together they put together “A Cook’s Table – Food and Wine Together,” now available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.

What makes “A Cook’s Table” special is how it is organized – around the wines, and not the dishes. “The recipes are based on individual grapes that serve as chapters,” says Jorgensen. There are 15 recipes that go with champagne, for example, and 16 that go nicely with Sauvignon Blanc. And so on, for Chardonnay, Riesling, Pino Noir, Shiraz, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Dessert Wines.

Each chapter begins with a deep dive into the nature and history of each wine, so you can learn things like how the Riesling grapes of Alsace are bigger than their cousins found to the east and the north, thanks to how the Vosges Mountains keep the cooling Atlantic breezes at bay. But the real charm comes from the recipes, and the ‘Kitchen Wisdom’ notations the veteran chef adds to each.

The recipes themselves – more than 125 from Jorgensen’s arsenal – are refreshingly classic, with mostly northern European touches (think France, Germany, and Scandinavia). Some are simple comfort foods, like his butter and mushroom-rich Chicken Pot Pie (pairs well with a Chardonnay from the Côte de Beaune), and others more creative and complex, like his glazed sea scallops in hazelnut custard (pairs with Champagne). Flipping through the pages is saliva-generating. Who wouldn’t want to try the curried oyster stew, or the steamed asparagus with shallots and best scrambled eggs?

And then there are the “Kitchen Wisdom” tips, like how letting your white beans cool off in their cooking water will keep them

I have dreamed of collecting my favorite recipes into a book for years, and it took time to make it a reality ...

CHEF JAN JORGENSEN, TWO CHEFS RESTAURANT

juicy and flavorful, or how you can recycle your salmon sabayon sauce as a topping for sweetened berries.

“I have dreamed of collecting my favorite recipes into a book for years, and it took time to make it a reality,’ says Jorgensen. As for the pairings, co-author and wine aficionado Todd Wernstrom puts it simply: “The harmony of wine and food has been instrumental in Two Chefs’ and Jan’s success.” l

"A COOK’S TABLE" – FOOD AND WINE TOGETHER BY JAN JORGENSEN AND TODD WERNSTROM

A Tale of Three Omakases

A TASTE OF MIAMI’S ELEVATED SUSHI SCENE

BY YOUSRA BENKIRANE

Miami’s dining landscape is brimming with omakase experiences, each offering a unique interpretation of this revered Japanese tradition. Whether you seek the refinement of a classic Tokyo-style omakase or a contemporary take, infused with Miami’s cultural vibrancy, the city’s sushi scene has something for every aficionado. Here’s where to go for the best omakase in town.

Inoshin: The Art of True Omakase

For those seeking a purist’s approach, Inoshin offers a traditional omakase experience. The brainchild of Chef Shinichi Inoue, this 16seat experience has taken up residence at the historic Hemingway Tower within the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club. Typically a members-only enclave, this extended residency – running through August 2025 – offers a rare opportunity for the public to dine in one of Miami’s most exclusive settings.

Shinichi Inoue, a seasoned sushi master with three decades of experience, has dedicated his career to the artistry of omakase. Having honed his craft in Tokyo and later in New York at his acclaimed Sushi Inoue and at New York’s Michelin-starred Kosaka, Inoshin embodies a dedication to the purity of sushi. The multicourse experience, priced at $200 per guest, features an exquisite selection of small plates, sashimi, and nigiri, with fish flown in daily from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market. Each piece is prepared with reverence – minimal intervention, maximum flavor, and a devotion to the traditions that define Japanese sushi.

Set within an intimate space with only six coveted counter seats, Inoshin is a meditation on perfection, where the interplay of temperature, texture, and taste is carefully orchestrated to highlight the pristine quality of each ingredient. It is omakase in its most authentic form – a quiet, deeply immersive experience that transports diners straight to Japan.

In August 2025, Inoshin will transition from its temporary home into a permanent space within the newly constructed Seaway at The Surf Club.

INOSHIN

9011 COLLINS AVE, SURFSIDE (443) 670-2291

Kissaki: A Miami Take on Omakase

At the other end of the spectrum, Kissaki Miami takes a more contemporary, boundary-pushing approach to omakase. Located in South of Fifth, this modern interpretation of the Japanese tradition brings innovation and artistry together under the expertise of sushi chef Derek Rosales, previously of Wynwood’s acclaimed Uchi. Here, the experience is dynamic, vibrant, and deeply inspired by Miami’s diverse culinary influences, particularly its strong Latin fusion.

Unlike the whisper-quiet solemnity of a traditional omakase, Kissaki embraces bold flavors, unexpected pairings, and a $150 15-course tasting menu that evolves with the seasons. From Hokkaido uni and fatty toro to delicate akami and handrolls layered with creative textures, each course is an exploration of both technique and imagination. Latin-inspired ingredients like citrusy yuzu,

TOP: INOSHIN, NAMED AFTER THE CHEF SHINICHI INOUE, IS IN THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL AT THE SURF CLUB.

ABOVE: A TRADITIONAL OMAKASE EXPERIENCE: THIS IS THE INOSHIN SHRIMP NIGIRI.

OPPOSITE PAGE:

TOP LEFT: KISSAKI MIAMI IS AN INTIMATE DINING EXPERIENCE WITH AN ADJACENT SISTER BAR

BELOW LEFT: THE KISSAKI SIGNATURE PLATTER WITH A SELECTION OF NIGIRI AND HOKKAIDO UNI

TOP RIGHT: THE REFINED SETTING OF SHINGO OFFERS TRADITIONAL OMAKASE BY CHEF SHINGO AKIKUNI

BOTTOM LEFT: THE SHINGO UNAGI KABAYAKI, TOPPED WITH KALUGA CAVIAR

BOTTOM RIGHT: THE SHINGO UNI RISOTTO OFFERS A LUXURIOUS NOD TO FUSION

spicy rocoto, and rich avocado play a key role in the menu, creating a unique fusion that pays homage to Miami’s cultural melting pot.

With an in-house fishery and wildlife license, Kissaki guarantees its sushi-grade selections arrive fresh from Japan within 24 hours.

The restaurant’s sleek dining room, inspired by Japan’s hidden drinking dens, offers an intimate yet energetic setting. And for those looking to extend the night, Kiss, Kissaki’s stylish sister bar next door, provides the perfect nightcap—whether it’s a glass of sake, a finely tuned Japanese-inspired cocktail, or a post-dinner unwind with an artisanal craft drink.

KISSAKI

500 SOUTH POINTE DR SUITE 160, MIAMI BEACH (305) 701-1320

Shingo: Elegant, Elevated, and Artfully Precise

For those who desire a traditional omakase in a more accessible (but still refined) setting, Shingo in Coral Gables offers a stellar middle ground. Led by Chef Shingo Akikuni, a Tokyo native and former executive chef of Michelin-starred Hiden, this Coral Gables newcomer delivers a masterfully executed 18-course omakase within an elegant, 14-seat space.

Chef Shingo’s philosophy centers around simplicity, precision, and seasonality. Each dish highlights top-tier ingredients sourced directly from Japan, including bluefin tuna from Kyushu and uni from Hokkaido. The experience is rooted in Edomae tradition, yet offers enough approachability to welcome curious first timers.

The $275 tasting menu is a progression through cooked and raw preparations, beginning with a Beau Soleil oyster touched with passionfruit cucumber mignonette and a whisper of Japanese

whisky ponzu. From there, it dances through the delicate textures of kue and tako, and the richness of unagi kabayaki, topped with Kaluga caviar. A warm, silky madai chawanmushi with white asparagus makes a comforting interlude before the next sequence begins.

Highlights of the experience include Kasugodai, Kinmedai, and Sayori, each fish brushed lightly with soy or a touch of citrus to enhance their natural umami. There’s a graceful trio of bluefin –akami, chutoro, and otoro – showcasing depth of flavor and fattiness in perfect harmony. A uni risotto offers a luxurious nod to fusion, while the meal concludes with a house-made corn ice cream, topped with fennel meringue and vibrant Florida strawberries. Shingo has received a Michelin star within its first year of opening. l

SHINGO

112 ALHAMBRA CIR, CORAL GABLES INFO@SHINGOMIAMI.COM

Trade Disruptions: the Next Normal

BY ALICE ANCONA

Alice Ancona, COO, World Trade Center Miami

No doubt that the current U.S. trade policy rollout is changing the global trade landscape. But is it the beginning of a new normal in trade – or a continuation of ongoing international trade and supply chain shifts? I believe the year 2022 marked the beginning of the “next normal” in global trade. The signs were there: Once the pandemic began to loosen its grip, the global economy was still left grappling with strained supply chains, the war in Ukraine, inflationary pressures, and geopolitical fragmentation.

Yet, if there’s one constant in global trade, it is disruption. It’s a fallacy to think that there won’t be any more. There will always be disruptions or, better said, transformations. Preparing for those transformations is what we need to continue to do. Remember: During the pandemic, Miami didn’t just hold steady – it delivered record performance. Miami will always rise to the occasion – and thrive.

As highlighted by Wally Adeyemo and Joshua Zoffer in The Economist, the global trading system needs new rules. From the McKinsey Global Institute to Boston Consulting Group, and from the U.S. Census Bureau to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the world of available data reveals that supply chains are becoming more regionalized, digitized, and fragmented, with countries and companies seeking new partners and reduced risk. (Expect to hear more about nearshoring and reshoring.)

We should recognize these shifts, address challenges, and stress the need for improved trade facilitation in a comprehensive and strategic manner – not through fragmented efforts. This means focusing on core issues like market access, actively and efficiently reducing trade barriers, and enforcing trade rules to ensure that bad

actors are not permitted to engage in unfair practices with impunity.

Digital and services trade were not part of the international trade conversation when the World Trade Organization was established in 1995. Yet today, they are a vital part of how, what, and why we trade. There will be more transformations to come as AI will likely reshape international trade even further.

In some ways, services exports are the invisible trade engine because they are not tangible, like athletic shoes or smart phones. If you can’t make it, mine it, or grow it, it’s a service, and services are the mark of an advanced economy with high-wage jobs. The U.S. is the largest services exporter in the world, having consistently maintained a trade surplus in this sector since 1992.

And while services trade is notoriously hard to measure and often undercounted, we do know that services include logistics, finance, education, health services, software development, and consulting. Crucially, you can’t export a product without services – in many cases, the services involved in producing, shipping, and supporting a product are actually more valuable than the product itself.

As Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish wisely said in Game of Thrones, “Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder.” Miami is that ladder – a city that transforms disruption into opportunity and uncertainty into success. In a world where trade rules are being rewritten and supply chains are being reimagined, Miami, which has long been a global nexus of commerce, is increasingly evolving into a high-wage, highly educated service economy, offering the strategic advantages that businesses need.

From traditional goods to digital services, from hemispheric trade to global geopolitics, Miami is the future for those who understand that in global trade, resilience, adaptability, and connection mean everything.

At World Trade Center Miami, we believe that every successful trade journey begins with a conversation. By cultivating networks, promoting regional collaboration and investing in both infrastructure and knowledge, we empower businesses to break down barriers and seize new opportunities. Those opportunities have arrived. l

Timeless Luxury. Memorable Moments.

A true icon surrounded by 150 acres of tropical landscape. We invite you to soak in our rich history, world-class golf, European spa, decadent dining, including our internationally recognized Signature Sunday Brunch or Afternoon Tea and more.

The Biltmore, where luxury and good taste never go out of style.

THE BILTMORE HOTEL

1200 Anastasia Avenue | Coral Gables, Florida 33134

Reservations: 305-445-1926 | www.biltmorehotel.com