Jeff Berkowitz

Jeff Berkowitz came for a law degree, but took a very Miami turn when he determined that development was more lucrative and gave him the chance to scratch another itch. “It was more fun,” he says. “I got to hire lawyers and not be one.” 

His first development was a shopping center in Kendall, and it marked the launch of Berkowitz Development Group in the 1980s. The Coconut Grove-based firm went on to build South Beach’s Fifth & Alton, Aventura Commons in Aventura, and Kendall’s Dadeland Station, Kendall Village Center and Kendallgate. 

The firm has a retail leasing arm for its 2 million-square-foot portfolio, and made its industrial debut with the 282,000-square-foot Homestead Commerce Park. Its investors include auto tycoon Alan Potamkin. Berkowitz’s in-house team now includes his sons, Andrew and Michael, who hold executive posts as the firm gears up for its first multifamily projects, planning to add more than 500 units at some of its shopping centers. 

Yet, there’s another itch that Berkowitz’ can’t quite shake: His proposed 1,000-foot entertainment and observation SkyRise Miami tower. After over a decade of planning, opposition and lawsuits, Berkowitz nixed the project during the pandemic. He’s still looking to scratch it off his list, though. “The greatest disappointment in my career,” Berkowitz says. “I will never give up trying to figure out some way or have somebody work with me to develop it.”