TRD insider interview: Craig Robins on transforming the Design District VIDEO

Following a lively panel of top developers at The Real Deal’s second annual South Florida Forum & Showcase at the Moore Building last week, TRD’s New York managing web editor Hiten Samtani sat down with with Craig Robins, CEO and President of Dacra, to talk about achieving his vision of Miami’s Design District.

Robins touched on what it takes to make a neighborhood thrive — and keep it that way — as well as the challenges he faced along the way.

“When I started here, I was a South Beach developer,” he said. “And it was clear that what was happening in South Beach needed to come over the bridge and come into the city of Miami.”

TRD’s forum was held at the Moore building on Oct. 15. More than 4,000 real estate professionals packed the building to check out South Florida’s latest developments showcased across four floors. The event featured three panels: industry insiders weighed in on their outlook of Miami’s development market, New York brokers talked shop about why they’re smitten with Miami, and key developers discussed the challenges involved with transforming some of the city’s hottest neighborhoods. — Sean Stewart-Muniz