Miami’s skyline constantly evolves with exciting buildings that transform the landscape and become icons on their own; think One Thousand Museum by the legendary Zaha Hadid! And even though architects are often the visible name, condo developers are the ones that make all of these masterpieces possible. They have the vision, form stellar teams, and take risks to make everything possible.

In our latest video, Sep Niakan, founder of Blackbook Properties and veteran Miami real estate broker, examines the top five condo developers in Miami responsible for transforming our city over time and why you should care about them. Curious to see who they are?

When looking for a Miami condo for sale, you as a buyer should definitely look into who the developer is. Developers create the vision for the project and are responsible for bringing that vision to life by building something that meets your expectations, will stand the test of time, and protects their brand. They’re committed to fulfilling the promise they made when you decided to put your hard-earned money in their hands.

In our video on the best condo developers in Miami, we included the developers who have been around for decades, delivering amazing projects year after year, and helping make Miami what it is today. These include:

— Ugo Colombo & The CMC Group

Known for bringing the first luxury condo towers to Brickell in the 90s, like the Santa Maria, CMC Group is in the league of South Florida’s premier developers. The Miami-based group was established in 1986 by Italian Ugo Colombo, with the Epic Residences & Hotel being one of its most prominent developments, as well as Grovenor House, completed in 2006 in Coconut Grove.

The fully integrated real estate company is driven by the pursuit of perfection and typically only develops only one or two projects at a time. This means that every one of their condo developments is built with extreme attention to detail, using only the finest of materials and tight quality control measures. 

One of their most recent buildings is the coveted Onda Residences at Bay Harbor Islands and the Brickell Flatiron. Their pre-construction catalog includes Vita at Grove Isle and a planned Four Seasons-branded tower in Coconut Grove in collaboration with Fort Partners.

— David Martin & The Terra Group

Known for uniting dream teams for its condo projects, the highly acclaimed Terra Group has collaborated with the likes of Rem Koolhaas, Bjarke Ingels, West 8, Ruben, and Isabel Toledo, among others. Recently, the development firm completed the anticipated Mr. C Residences in Coconut Grove and has under development The Well in Bay Harbor Islands and the highly expected Five Park in South Beach, among a few. Watch the video for more details of their work. 

Founded in 2001, the Miami-based firm focuses on integrating green spaces, renewable energy, and transit connectivity through intelligent planning into its design-oriented living spaces, wherever possible.

— Jorge Pérez & Related Group

Perhaps the most well-known Miami development company, the Related Group, was established in 1979 by Jorge Pérez and has since become synonymous with luxury residential condo development in South Florida, as well as turning Miami into a top-10 city and giving it its first major art museum, the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM).

Always striving to deliver extraordinary designs, poised for generations to come, Related is known to rope in starchitects, world-famous designers, and renowned artists such as Philippe Starck, Carlos Ott, Yabu Pushelberg, Piero Lissoni, and others to bring their spectacular visions of home to life.

— Swire Properties

This Hong Kong-based development company founded in 1972 but with a local presence since 1980 is responsible for almost every condo building you see on Brickell Key, from Brickell Key One to Asia. Its latest development on the island is the renovation of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the construction of the new Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami.

The group is also the mastermind behind Brickell’s mixed-use landmark Brickell City Centre, its largest development to date in Miami. Standing testimony to the design and sustainability practices of the global firm, both condo towers on the complex, Reach and Rise, are LEED Gold-certified condo buildings.

— Edgar Defortuna & Fortune International Group

The Fortune International Group is best known for its outstanding Jade line of residences, of which there are four: Jade Brickell, Jade Beach, Jade Ocean, and Jade Signature, the first one in Brickell and the last three on Sunny Isles Beach. They’ve also taken the Ritz Carlton brand to the condo realm with Ritz Carlton Residences Sunny Isles.

Starting as a brokerage company in 1983, the group diversified into luxury real estate development in 1998. In its projects, the prominent South Florida development firm boasts of working with a global roster of architects and designers, and their current projects include branded partnerships like ORA by Casa Tua and St. Regis Sunny Isles.

This rounds up our list of the top five but there are many more Miami condo developers worth noting. For the full list, you can read our guide on the top 10 developers in Miami where we go in-depth about other firms, their projects, and accomplishments.

If you’re interested in learning more about any of them or their condos, don’t hesitate to reach out and we’ll be happy to give you all the information or show you available listings. In the meantime, follow us on our YouTube channel for more videos covering all Miami real estate topics!