Marc Roberts

Roberts threw his early punches as a sports agent and boxing promoter, representing a world championship-winning boxer when he was just 21 years old.

The early 2000s found him shifting careers to real estate by converting more than 10,000 apartments across the country into condo units. He then moved into assembling condo development sites in downtown Miami. 

He played a key role in transforming Miami’s Park West district, assembling prime commercial properties and co-founding Miami Worldcenter, the second-largest mixed-use development in the U.S. 

His holdings include the luxury E11even nightclub, an enterprise he parlayed into co-developing E11even-branded luxury high-rises on development sites he co-owns.

Roberts took blows after the 2008 financial crash, which almost knocked him out of the market. 

He had invested $100 million in downtown Miami projects by then, including Miami Worldcenter, but the crash resulted in $50 million lost equity and $100 million owed to banks. 

He also went toe-to-toe with a longtime mentor, who allegedly saddled Roberts with delinquent mortgages that added to his financial struggles. The duo’s falling out was marked by lawsuits and countersuits that lasted several years. 

Roberts managed to restructure, and by 2011 he’d partnered with Michael Simkins to acquire 4.5 acres in Park West, kickstarting a redevelopment era that revived the gritty industrial neighborhood into an entertainment hub with projects like E11even and medical marijuana dispensary initiatives. 

His comeback coincided with Miami’s urban revitalization, and Roberts is still investing in prime sites and residential developments around Miami Worldcenter.

— Francisco Alvarado