Jorge M. Pérez

Jorge M. Pérez (born 17 October 1949) is an Argentine-American businessman, investor, philanthropist, writer, and art collector. He is the chairman and CEO of the Related Group, a Miami-based real estate development company."Real Estate Billionaire Jorge Perez's Immigrant Roots Are Helping Him In A Slowing Miami Market,"
''Forbes''. Retrieved 15 January 2017 The Related Group has developed and managed affordable and luxury multi-family apartments across the United States and internationally. He is ranked 316th on the Forbes 400 list with a net worth of US$2.6 billion as of October 2018 and 1,833rd on Forbes Billionaires list with US$1.7 billion as of April 2025.

Early life and education

Pérez was born on 17 October 1949, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Cuban parents of Spanish descent. He lived in Colombia before relocating to Miami in 1968. His father had been the head of a pharmaceutical company in Cuba, which was later nationalized by the Cuban government. Pérez holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Long Island University C.W. Post Campus and a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan.

Career

Pérez began his career as an economic development director with the city of Miami."Related's Jorge Pérez puts his stamp on the skyline".
The Real Deal. Retrieved 15 January 2017. In 1979, he founded The Related Group in partnership with New York real estate developer Stephen M. Ross. Pérez initially focused on building and operating low-income multi-family apartments in Miami. By the mid-1980s, the company had become the largest affordable housing builder in Florida. He later expanded into rental apartments and high-rise condo developments in the Southern United States. Pérez has developed or owned 50 condo towers in South Florida, Fort Myers, and Las Vegas. During his career, Pérez has developed or managed more than 90,000 residential units, primarily in South Florida. He has collaborated with designers, architects, and firms, including Philippe Starck, Cesar Pelli, Arquitectonica, David Rockwell, Rem Koolhaas, and Karim Rashid.

According to the Hispanic Business 500, The Related Group had $2.1 billion in revenue in 2004. He has been involved in Democratic fundraising, advising Bill Clinton on Cuba during his presidency and raising funds for the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

On November 18, 2007, The Related Group demolished the Sheraton at Bal Harbour to make way for a new project.

During the 2008 financial crisis, some of the Related Group's projects experienced financial difficulties as buyers defaulted or banks restricted lending. Pérez established a hedge fund to acquire distressed real estate. ''Forbes'' estimated his wealth at $1.3 billion before the 2008 financial crisis. As of March 2013, his wealth was estimated at $1.2 billion, coinciding with a resurgence in Florida real estate prices.

His firm has developed projects in Argentina, Brazil, Panama, Uruguay, and Mexico. Completed skyscraper condo projects include 50 Biscayne, Icon Brickell, Icon South Beach, Murano at Portofino, and Paraiso Bay.

In 2017, the company began construction on a 400-unit luxury apartment project in Tampa, Florida, and announced plans for over 700 units in West Florida. The Related Group opened an office in Dallas in 2017 with plans for apartment development in Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and major Texas markets. In 2018, The Related Group and Block Capital Group broke ground on the Bradley, a 175-unit apartment building in Miami featuring interior design by Kravitz Design. The Related Group completed Icon Midtown, a high-rise apartment building in Atlanta, in 2018, marking Pérez's first completed development in Georgia. Wynwood 25, a partnership between Pérez and East End Capital, was scheduled for completion in 2019 and includes 289 rental apartments ranging from 400 to 1,200 square feet.

Personal life

Pérez resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife, Darlene Pérez. He has four children. Donald Trump wrote the foreword for Pérez's 2008 book, ''Powerhouse Principles.'' Despite collaborating with Trump on his book, Pérez later publicly criticized his presidency and policies.

In December 2011, he donated $35 million in cash and art to the Miami Art Museum to support the construction of its Herzog & de Meuron designed building. The museum was subsequently renamed the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). In 2016, he donated an additional $15 million to the museum, including $5 million in Cuban contemporary art. He has pledged to donate his entire collection to the museum after his death.

In 2019, Pérez opened El Espacio 23, a contemporary art space in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood. The space exhibits curated shows from the Pérez Collection, is open to the public with free admission, and includes apartments for artist and curator residency programs.

In September 2021, Pérez donated $33 million to The Miami Foundation, an organization supporting arts, culture, education, and social justice in Miami. The donation came from the proceeds of the sale of his waterfront estate, Villa Cristina.

In April 2025, Pérez and his wife Darlene donated Joan Mitchell’s triptych ''Iva'' to Tate in London, also endowing a curatorial post for African art. The couple also endowed a curatorial post at Tate for African art and plan future donations of works by African and Latin American artists from their collection.

Selected works

* ''Powerhouse Principles: The Ultimate Blueprint for Real Estate Success in an Ever-Changing Market''. New York: New American Library. 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Jorge M.
1950 births
21st-century American philanthropists
Living people
American billionaires
American business writers
American investors
American people of Cuban descent
American political fundraisers
American businesspeople in real estate
Argentine emigrants to the United States
Argentine people of Cuban descent
Businesspeople from Miami
Florida Democrats
Long Island University alumni
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning alumni
Writers from Miami