Jorge M. Pérez

Jorge Pérez
Jorge Pérez standing in a suit outside.
Born (1949-10-17) October 17, 1949
Buenos Aires, Argentina
EducationLong Island University, Post (BA)
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (MUP)
Occupation(s)Businessman, investor, philanthropist, writer, economic development director
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDarlene Pérez
Children4

Jorge M. Pérez (born 17 October 1949) is an Argentine-American businessman, philanthropist, and art collector.[1] He is the chairman and CEO of The Related Group, a Miami-based real estate development company,[2] which he founded in 1979. The company develops and manages apartments across the United States and internationally. In October 2018, he was ranked 316th place on the Forbes 400 list, with a net worth of US$2.6 billion, and 1,468th on the Forbes list of billionaires, with his net worth estimated at $2.6 billion as of August 2025.[3]

Early life

Pérez was born on 17 October 1949, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Cuban parents of Spanish descent.[4][5] Before relocating to Miami in 1968, he spent several years in Bogotá, Colombia, where his parents, who were originally from Cuba, emigrated in 1959.[6] Before the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and the subsequent nationalization of the country's private businesses, his father had served as the head of a Cuban pharmaceutical company.[7]

In 1972, Pérez graduated from LIU Post (bachelor's degree in economics), while in 1976, he obtained a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan.[8][9]

Career

Pérez began his career as an Economic Development Director with the city of Miami.[10][11]

In 1979, he founded the Related Group in partnership with New York real estate developer Stephen M. Ross. He initially focused on building and operating low-income multi-family apartments in Miami. By the mid-1980s, the company had become the largest affordable housing builder in Florida.[10]

He later expanded into rental apartments and high-rise condo developments in the Southern United States. Pérez has developed or owned 50 condo towers in South Florida, Fort Myers, and Las Vegas.[12] During his career, he has developed or managed more than 90,000 residential units, primarily in South Florida.[13] He has collaborated with designers, architects, and firms, including Philippe Starck, Cesar Pelli, Arquitectonica, David Rockwell, Rem Koolhaas, and Karim Rashid.[14][15][16]

According to the Hispanic Business 500, the Related Group had $2.1 billion in revenue in 2004.[17]

Pérez has been a long-time member and supporter of the Democratic Party. Among his political activities, he participated in the Democratic Party's fundraising, advised the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, on Cuba, and contributed to the fundraising campaigns of two Democratic Party presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.[18]

During the 2008 financial crisis, some of the Related Group's projects experienced financial difficulties as buyers defaulted or banks restricted lending.[19] Pérez established a hedge fund to acquire distressed real estate.[20] Forbes estimated his wealth at $1.3 billion before the 2008 financial crisis. As of March 2013, his wealth was estimated at $1.2 billion, coinciding with a resurgence in Florida real estate prices.[1]

His firm has developed projects in Argentina, Brazil, Panama, Uruguay, and Mexico.[21] Completed skyscraper condo projects include 50 Biscayne, Icon Brickell, Icon South Beach, Murano at Portofino, and Paraiso Bay.

In 2019, the company completed a 400-unit luxury apartment project in Tampa, Florida,[22] while announcing plans for the construction of over 700 units in West Florida.[23] In 2017, The Related Group opened an office in Dallas with plans for apartment development in Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and major Texas markets.[21] In 2018, The Related Group and Block Capital Group broke ground on the Bradley, a 175-unit apartment building in Miami featuring interior design by Kravitz Design.[24] In 2018, The Related Group completed Icon Midtown, a high-rise apartment building in Atlanta, marking Pérez's first completed development in the state of Georgia.[25] Wynwood 25, a partnership between Pérez and East End Capital, was scheduled for completion in 2019 and includes 289 rental apartments, ranging from 400 to 1,200 square feet.[26]

Art collecting and philanthropy

In December 2011, Pérez donated $35 million in cash and art to the Miami Art Museum to support the construction of its Herzog & de Meuron-designed building.[27] The museum was subsequently renamed the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM).[28][29] In 2016, Pérez donated 200 works of Cuban contemporary art valued at $5 million from his collection to the museum, while pledging an additional $10 million donation to support the acquisition of works by Cuban and Latin American artists, as well as to grow the museum’s endowment.[30] Furthermore, he has pledged to donate his entire collection to the museum after his death.[31]

In 2019, Pérez opened El Espacio 23, a contemporary art space in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami. The space exhibits curated shows from the Pérez Collection, is open to the public with free admission, and includes apartments for artist and curator residency programs.[32][33]

In September 2021, Pérez donated $33 million to the Miami Foundation, an organization supporting arts, culture, education, and social justice in Miami. The donation came from the proceeds of the sale of his waterfront estate, Villa Cristina.[34]

In April 2025, Pérez and his wife, Darlene, donated Joan Mitchell’s triptych Iva to the Tate Modern in London.[35] The couple also endowed a curatorial post at Tate for African art,[36][37] and plan future donations of works by African and Latin American artists from their collection.[38]

Personal life

Pérez resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife, Darlene Pérez. The couple has four children.[39][40][41]

US President and real estate entrepreneur Donald Trump wrote the foreword for Pérez's 2008 book, Powerhouse Principles.[42] Despite collaborating with Trump on his book, Pérez later publicly criticized his presidency and policies.[43]

Selected works

  • Powerhouse Principles: The Ultimate Blueprint for Real Estate Success in an Ever-Changing Market. New York: New American Library. 2008. ISBN 0-451-22705-0

References

  1. ^ a b "Jorge Perez - Forbes". Forbes. 2012-03-13.
  2. ^ "Real Estate Billionaire Jorge Perez's Immigrant Roots Are Helping Him In A Slowing Miami Market," Forbes. Retrieved 15 January 2017
  3. ^ "Jorge Perez". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  4. ^ "He built four Trump towers in South Florida, now billionaire Jorge M. Perez eyes Tampa Bay". tbo.com. 2017-08-24. Archived from the original on 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  5. ^ Redacción BBC Mundo. "Jorge Pérez: cómo un inmigrante cubano se convirtió en Miami en uno de los hombres más ricos de Estados Unidos - BBC Mundo". BBC News Mundo. Bbc.com. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  6. ^ DDC. "Jorge Pérez: De inmigrante cubano a uno de los hombres más ricos del mundo". Diario de Cuba. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  7. ^ Fusion TV: "Show Me Something - Miami developer Jorge Perez says he hasn't heard from Trump after rejecting the border wall" Archived 2017-07-29 at the Wayback Machine March 31, 2017
  8. ^ "Notable Alumni | Long Island University". liu.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  9. ^ "Jorge Pérez, MUP'76". Alumni Association of the University of Michigan. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  10. ^ a b "Related's Jorge Pérez puts his stamp on the skyline". The Real Deal. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  11. ^ Levinjlevin, Jordan (2016-04-15). "Jorge Pérez — building a cultural legacy". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  12. ^ “25 Most Influential Hispanics in America – Jorge Perez” Time, August 22, 2005
  13. ^ "Jorge Perez: Jorge Perez Net Worth, Biography, Age, Spouse, Children & More". Goodreturn. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  14. ^ “Jorge Perez to get SFBJ Lifetime Achievement Award” South Florida Business Journal, March 29, 2013
  15. ^ “Real-Estate Magnate Jorge Perez’s Beachfront Home in Florida” "Architectural Digest," December 22, 2016
  16. ^ “Cesar Pelli’s Nonchalant Architecture” "Surface," May 10, 2016
  17. ^ Morrissey, Siobhan (2005-08-22). "25 Most Influential Hispanics in America - TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  18. ^ "Bush Poaches a Longtime Clinton Backer", "Mother Jones", Aug. 17, 2015
  19. ^ News, JOHN GITTELSOHN, Bloomberg. "Jorge Perez, of the Related Group, is changing tactics after the crash -- but not his belief in the South Florida market". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2025-08-01. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Shaver, Les (2008-03-13). "Vulture Buyers Target Distressed Florida Properties". Multifamily Executive. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  21. ^ a b "Condo king goes west: Related's Jorge Perez opens office in Dallas". The Real Deal. 2017-12-17.
  22. ^ "Miami developer sells luxury complex for $225 million". Business Observer. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  23. ^ "He built four Trump towers in South Florida, now billionaire Jorge M. Perez eyes Tampa Bay" Archived 2017-10-01 at the Wayback Machine, "Tampa Bay Times", Aug. 24, 2017
  24. ^ "Related, partner to close $33M loan for Lenny Kravitz-designed Wynwood project", "The Real Deal", April 23, 2018
  25. ^ "The Related Group Unveils Atlanta High Rise", "Multi-Housing News", April 13, 2018
  26. ^ "How small can you go? These new Miami apartments want you to downsize and live large", "Miami Herald", April 23, 2018
  27. ^ "Family Affair". W Magazine. December 2014. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  28. ^ Cindy Y. Rodriguez (2014-02-08). "Meet the billionaire behind Miami's artistic rebirth". CNN. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  29. ^ "Want to Donate Your Collection to a Museum? Read This First". Observer. 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  30. ^ Frias, Carlos (November 29, 2016). "Art museum gets $15 million donation from a name you already know". The Miami Herald. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  31. ^ Levin, Jordan (April 6, 2016). "Jorge Pérez — building a cultural legacy". The Miami Herald. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  32. ^ Ogletree, Kelsey (2019-12-04). "Entrepreneur and Art-World Patron Jorge Pérez Will Showcase His Private Collection in a New Miami Museum". Robb Report. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  33. ^ Wooldridge, Jane (November 12, 2019). "At Jorge Pérez's new 'El Espacio,' art tells a troubling story of our times". The Miami Herald. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  34. ^ Wile, Rob (September 10, 2021). "Jorge Perez of Related Group donates $33M to Miami Foundation". The Miami Herald. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  35. ^ "Tate Modern Receives Epic Joan Mitchell Painting From Pérez Family". Artnet News. 2025-04-03. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  36. ^ "Tate receives 'transformational' gift from real estate mogul Jorge Pérez". ft.com. 2025-04-03. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  37. ^ Lawless, Jill (3 April 2025). "Miami philanthropists donate an American masterpiece to Britain's Tate Modern". apnews.com. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  38. ^ Addley, Esther (3 April 2025). "Tate Modern given Joan Mitchell work in biggest donation since 1969". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  39. ^ "Real-Estate Magnate Jorge Perez's Beachfront Home in Florida" Architectural Digest. Retrieved 15 January 2017
  40. ^ "Miami Condo King Perez Prepares to Hand Over Empire to Sons." Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  41. ^ "Jorge Pérez — building a cultural legacy," Miami Herald. Retrieved 15 January 2017
  42. ^ Mattei, Selena (Dec 21, 2023). "Jorge and Darlene Pérez: a significant contributions to the Miami art scene". Artmajeur Online Art Gallery. pp. Art News.
  43. ^ "Miami Billionaire Perez Rejects His Friend Trump's Wall Overture". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. 31 January 2017.
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