Jay Roberts, CEO of the Miami-based Prosper Group, is currently attracting attention with his projects in South Florida. He recently completed the acquisition of a USD 50 million plot of land on the Miami River in the city's Brickell district. The one-acre site includes the addresses 66 Southwest Sixth Street and 625 Southwest First Avenue, as well as approximately 300 feet of river frontage.
Before Roberts began a career as a property developer, he worked on Wall Street. Significant transactions he was involved in included the USD 2.6 billion IPO of Paramount Group Real Estate Investment Trust. In addition to building his property portfolio, Roberts makes extensive use of social media, hosts 'The Long Game' podcast, and has 175,000 followers on Instagram.
Asked about his current projects in South Florida, Jay Roberts stated that Prosper Group currently has a pipeline of USD 2.8 billion, with three projects in Miami and one in Tampa. The company focuses on prime waterfront properties. Roberts emphasised the intention to concentrate on implementing the current projects. The USD 50 million plot on the Miami River is designated for the construction of a luxury high-rise. A second commercial building, which has not yet been made public, is also part of a two-phase project. He explained that his background in investment banking and finance at Bank of America Merrill Lynch largely shapes his ability to raise capital, identify locations, structure joint ventures, and close deals.
Roberts explained his move from Wall Street to property development by the intense development activity in Miami. In 2019, he met developer Dan Kodsi, who recognised the need for someone with New York financial expertise to raise capital. These relationships and experiences proved valuable in Miami. In 2022, Roberts moved to Tampa, inspired by investments such as those by Bill Gates and Jeff Vinik in Downtown Tampa. There he developed the first city block near Water Street and, together with a co-developer, initiated Tampa's first condo-hotel, before returning to Miami in 2023 to focus on waterfront locations.
Regarding the USD 50 million plot on the Miami River, a luxury residential high-rise of approximately 60 storeys and 181 units is planned directly on the Miami River, near the Brickell City Centre. Roberts announced that further details would follow, but pricing information could not yet be disclosed. More than 80 consultants are involved in this project, including design architects, civil engineers, structural engineers, MEP consultants, sales teams, and development partners.
Roberts strategically uses social media and his podcast to achieve his development goals. He started in March 2025 with 5,000 followers and has increased that number to 186,000, with his content registering over 32 million views. His content strategy is based on three principles: avoiding embarrassing content, no self-promotion or attention-seeking through ostentatious cars, and providing education and added value to the audience. This approach has led to a great response and is used to inform the market, create transparency, build trust, and nurture relationships. This strategy enables partnerships with investors, which previously would have primarily arisen through word-of-mouth or industry conferences. He sees this as the new way of doing business in the digital age, as people of all ages spend a lot of time on social media, which represents an effective and free marketing opportunity to offer value and leverage platforms.
