Aventura Magazine February 2022

Page 58

COURTESY OFFICE OF MAYOR JOCK FISTICK

ot many of us will, in our lifetimes, experience a trillion of anything. So let’s put the number in perspective. A trillion is a 1 married to a dozen zeros. It’s a million millions. It’s a thousand billions. A trillion is a number so big it’s borderline unfathomable. So, now that we better understand the magnitude of a trillion, consider this: Since early 2020, South Florida has reportedly seen $1 trillion in new assets come to town. There are lots of reasons for this massive, unprecedented increase in such a short time—lax pandemic rules compared to other states, relatively low taxes, and heck, maybe even the likability of 56

DID SOUTH FLORIDA’S ASCENSION TO TECHNOLOGY HUB REALLY START WITH ONE FOUR-WORD TWEET?

the Miami Heat. But there’s one reason that stands out among all others: South Florida is in the midst of a tech boom. How did we somehow end up with a trilliondollar increase in just 16 months? The answer is both obvious and ambiguous, sometimes credited to one man or nobody at all. We do, however, know exactly when the world started watching. And it all began with four words.

The Tweet that (Sort of) Started it All Midmorning on October 26, 2021, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez took a seat in one of three director’s

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