27 Jun Everyone Knows the Name of Miami Developer Carlos Rosso From His Tenure at Related. This Is His Latest Act.

After 20 years, people get used to things; industries get used to things, especially when there’s a consistent cast of characters and a story of staggering success. Carlos Rosso has been a leading player. Born in Buenos Aires, he notched degrees at the University of Buenos Aires and M.I.T. He joined the Related Group in 2002 and became a fixture there as a vice president, then as president of the condominium division and a minority partner. The dapper exec with the enviable coiffure was the driving force behind SLS Lux, SLS Brickell and Brickell Heights in Miami; Residences by Armani/Casa in Sunny Isles Beach; the Paraiso complex in Edgewater; and Hyde Midtown in Miami, as well as Hollywood’s Hyde Beach House and Hyde Resort & Residences. That’s not an exhaustive list, and it doesn’t even count developments in Mexico and Argentina. (Rosso has been responsible for the development of 16,000 units over the course of his career.) For years, the word was, if you couldn’t get to Related’s billionaire founder, chairman and CEO Jorge Perez, call Carlos. THINGS CHANGE In 2020, Rosso left Related—a seismic change in the South Florida real estate world. “The reality is that everyone reassessed their lives because of COVID-19,” he reflects. “I am at the stage in my life where my kids are starting college, my parents are aging, and I realized that I wanted to have more control over my time. I wanted to visit my parents in Argentina more and be closer to my kids, and, at the same time, Jorge had always told me, ‘Very soon I think it’s time for you to start something on your own. If you ever need my help—whatever you need, I’m here to support you.’” And then there were Perez’s sons. Jorge had been telling Bloomberg as early as 2016 that it was his hope that Jon Paul and Nicholas would eventually take charge of the business. JP became president of Related in 2020. Nick is senior vice president. “There was a changing of the guard when Jorge’s kids were coming in,” Rosso says. “And all of us who were in these senior management positions had a long time to think. I decided to take the plunge. I’m still a very young 55-year-old man and I wanted to try it on my own.” Perez was the man who’d sponsored Rosso for his visa when he hired him at Related so many years ago, and once again, Perez immediately positioned Rosso for success: “Jorge was very gracious. When I left Related, I did a self-assessment of the things that I’m good at, and where I needed some help in the market if I wanted to do development. I know how to put deals together, I know the design and construction side, and the marketing side. What did I need? I needed sites and equity.” Rosso had two names in mind, big names who happened to be married: Craig Robins and Jackie Soffer. Robins is perhaps best known as the co-founder and co-owner of Design Miami and the developer of the Miami Design District; Soffer is the chairman and CEO of Turnberry Associates, which boasts a portfolio that includes Aventura Mall and an 800-key hotel connected to the Miami Beach Convention Center, currently being developed in partnership with the Terra Group. “The two people who I had as No. 1 and No. 2 on my list to call—who had both equity and sites—gave me a call,” Rosso recalls. “They told me that they’d spoken with Jorge, and said, ‘Jorge told us that you left, and he’s spoken very highly of you, so we want to invite you to dinner at our home.’ That’s how it started.” Soffer and Rosso decided to put together a deal: the North Miami residential project One Park Tower at SoLé Mia.