Niesen Kasdin

Kasdin established his real estate bonafides striking a balance between historic preservation and commercial redevelopment on the Miami Beach City Commission for more than a decade, including a four-year stint as mayor between 1997 and 2001. 

Kasdin and his colleagues oversaw a wave of condo development, including construction of the first phase of Bruce Eichner’s Continuum on South Beach condo complex in the city’s South of Fifth neighborhood. 

He’s spent a quarter century since building one of the most formidable land use practices in South Florida. The region’s biggest developers count on Kasdin to find ways for projects to overcome community opposition. He spearheaded passage of site plans for billion dollar projects across Miami on behalf of Swire Properties and Craig Robins’ Dacra. Recently, billionaire Citadel founder Ken Griffin tapped Kasdin and his team to run point on securing Miami-Dade approval in December 2025 for the hedge fund’s planned 54-story headquarters in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood. 

He’s taken some lumps, including developer Don Peebles’ public accusation that Kasdin offered support for projects in exchange for political contributions — a turn that came when the then-mayor refused to back an upzoning requested by the developer. He’s also lost a few major battles, including unsuccessful efforts on behalf of Steve Ross’ plan to redevelop the city’s historic Deauville Beach Resort site. Voters rejected a referendum that would have increased the density of any project built on the property.  

— Francisco Alvarado