Ken Griffin

Founder and Chief Executive Officer; Founder, Citadel, Citadel Securities 

Hedge fund manager Ken Griffin may be the most influential billionaire in South Florida. 

Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of the hedge fund’s sister firm, Citadel Securities, moved the headquarters for both companies to Miami from Chicago after the pandemic. Griffin has spent more than $1 billion assembling land from Miami to Palm Beach, buying waterfront estates, land and commercial real estate. 

The Daytona Beach native is developing a $1 billion headquarters for Citadel and Citadel Securities in Brickell on a bayfront property he acquired for a record price ($363 million in 2022). The supertall will also include a hotel. 

He’s also started to invest in Miami’s Wynwood, joining Goldman Properties on a recent office building purchase, and he bought a megayacht marina on Terminal Island in Miami Beach. 

Griffin wields influence over local politicians through land use lawyers, consultants and lobbyists that facilitate his development plans. He has also leveraged his civic influence to help bring a prestigious New York charter school to Miami, further reinforcing his role as a transformative force in the region’s social and economic landscape. 

Griffin’s moves helped spur a wave of high-end financial firm relocations, though some have criticized the “Citadel effect” that has helped push locals out. 

— Francisco Alvarado