Movers & Shakers: JLL, Empira bulk up in South Florida 

Commercial real estate giants and brokerages, alike, are beefing up their South Florida teams. 

JLL’s Capital Markets team announced Nick Lavin is joining the Miami team as a director, after six years with the firm in Los Angeles, according to a press release. In his new role, Lavin will focus on multifamily investment sales with Matthew Lawton, Maurice Habif and Simon Banke, the release shows. 

Lavin’s move is the latest addition to JLL’s South Florida operations this year. In September, the firm added Kevin Probel and Kevin McCarthy as senior managing directors in West Palm Beach. It hired Jonathan Rosen as a senior vice president and Zach Wendelin as a managing director in the Miami office in May and March, respectively. The firm also promoted Andrew Dickey to lead the Southeast division of its Hotels & Hospitality Group in January. 

Switzerland-based real estate investment firm Empira Group named Michael Bennett as its director of client solutions, according to a press release. Bennett will be working out of the firm’s Miami office, a spokesperson for the company confirmed. 

Bennett’s prior experience includes raising capital with Hodes Weill, Round Hill Capital and Tribeca Investment Group, the release shows. He specializes in structuring capital partnerships.

Empira Group recently made its entrance to the South Florida market. The firm bought a Brickell site for a planned 26-story, 310-unit apartment tower for $21.5 million in April. 

The Agency is bringing in agent Sharon Beck to its Miami office, a press release shows. Beck moved to the Mauricio Umansky-led brokerage from Luxuri International Real Estate Miami, and has closed more than $200 million in deals since 2021, the release says. 

Longtime Keller Williams agent Kim Rodstein jumped to Douglas Elliman, according to a press release. Rodstein spent more than 12 years with Keller Williams and works in the Miami Beach, Surfside, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Brickell and Fort Lauderdale markets, the release shows. She has closed $70 million in deals since 2022. 

Last month, Swire tapped Fortune Development Sales to head sales for the Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami , a planned condo and hotel development on Brickell Key. The project’s team now includes Vice President of Development Sales Harvey Daniels, Sales Director Fadia Bassi and agents Eduardo Cofressi, Rafael Gonzalez, Adrian Gonzalez and Michelle Nunez, according to a release. Corcoran Group agents Eloy Carmenate and Mick Duchon will also be marketing the Mandarin. 

In other Fortune Development Sales news, longtime agent Hernan Golod left the brokerage after 18 years to launch Golod Group Real Estate, he confirmed. Sebastian Golod and Gabriella Garcia Veiga are joining Hernan Golod in the new firm, which will be based in Miami’s Brickell.

Golod said the group will focus on international clients from Latin America and Spain, as well as local buyers. He hopes to expand operations to Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Wellington.