Alicia Cervera gets a day named after her: PHOTOS

It took fleeing from Cuba to Miami, founding her own real estate firm and spending decades growing her business, but Alicia Cervera has finally made it to the big leagues. Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado declared Oct. 18 “Alicia Cervera Day,” in honor of the Cervera Real Estate founder’s impact on the city’s development.

The inaugural event was held last Tuesday at a private cocktail party at the brokerage’s Brickell office, where Cervera also unveiled her new book, “Visionary: Reflections on a Lifetime of Real Estate.” About 200 guests showed up, including some of real estate’s biggest names: CMC Group’s Ugo Colombo and the Melo family came to pay homage, as did a crowd of Cervera agents.

Cervera, born in Peru, fled Havana with her husband Javier in 1961 amid an increasingly hostile political climate on the island nation, and founded her namesake real estate firm eight years later in 1969. The company has gone on to market more than 110 condominium projects in South Florida, and bring in high-profile brands like the Setai through its commercial division.

Regalado compared Cervera to Julia Tuttle, saying her role in the real estate industry has helped bring Miami to the global limelight. — Sean Stewart-Muniz and Katherine Kallergis