South FloridaJeff Soffer
Soffer has stretched his reach from South Florida to Nevada as a developer working the high-end “lifestyle” niche since splitting the family business in 2019 with his sister, Jackie Soffer (see related entry), who leads Turnberry.
But he can’t seem to bring what he wants from Las Vegas back to Miami even after leading Aventura-based Fontainebleau Development in big, shiny lifestyle projects, mixing condominiums into resorts with luxury dining and retail trappings. His redevelopment of the famed Fontainebleau Miami Beach gave him a brand name to take to Las Vegas, where a resort and casino that carries the name opened in 2023.
He’s been advancing several projects in Palm Beach County lately, including a $62 million oceanfront luxury condo development called Tequesta, and has partnered with Starwood Capital Group on 1 Homes Jupiter Island, a project comprising 26 oceanfront estate residences.
He’s hit a stumbling block on his efforts to add gambling to his Miami Beach resort, an effort that has repeatedly failed amid strong local opposition and legislative setbacks. Despite strategic donations exceeding $300,000 to political action committees and advocacy for bills to permit transferring a Broward County casino license to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, city residents and officials have consistently blocked the initiative, citing a constitutional amendment requiring voter approval of new casinos and a citywide gambling ban. Soffer is also facing stiff opposition from city elected officials and residents against his plan to add waterslides to the hotel’s pool amenities.