Jay Roberts, CEO of the Miami-based Prosper Group, is significantly shaping the real estate landscape in South Florida. He recently completed the acquisition of a $50 million parcel of land on the Miami River in the city's Brickell district. The 1-acre site includes the addresses 66 Southwest Sixth Street and 625 Southwest First Avenue and boasts approximately 300 feet of waterfrontage.
Before his career as a real estate developer, Roberts worked on Wall Street. There, he was involved in the $2.6 billion initial public offering of the Paramount Group Real Estate Investment Trust, among other things. Parallel to building his real estate portfolio, Roberts also maintains his presence on social media through his podcast 'The Long Game' and his 175,000 followers on Instagram.
According to Roberts, Prosper Group currently has a project pipeline worth $2.8 billion, which includes three projects in Miami and one in Tampa. The company focuses on prime waterfront properties. Roberts emphasises the importance of concentrating on executing existing projects rather than overextending. Following the acquisition of the Miami River plot for $50 million for the development of a luxury high-rise, a second, as yet unannounced commercial building is planned as part of a two-phase project.
Roberts cites his expertise in investment banking and finance, acquired notably at Bank of America Merrill Lynch on Wall Street, as one of his strengths. This encompasses capital raising, site identification, joint venture structuring, and transaction processing. The transition to real estate development occurred after he observed intensive construction activity in Miami in 2019 and collaborated with developer Dan Kodsi, who valued his financial acumen. In 2022, he moved to Tampa, where he acquired the first city block for development amidst Bill Gates' and Jeff Vinnick's $4 billion investment in Downtown Tampa, subsequently bringing in a co-developer for Tampa's first condo-hotel. In 2023, he returned to Miami to focus on waterfront properties.
For the $50 million Miami River property, Prosper Group is planning a luxurious residential high-rise with approximately 60 storeys and 181 units, directly on the riverfront not far from the Brickell City Centre. Price details are to be announced at a later date. Over 80 consultants, including design architects, civil engineers, structural engineers, building services planners, sales teams, and development partners, are already working on this project.
Roberts actively uses social media and his podcast to support his development goals. He started in March 2025 with 5,000 followers and has since seen growth to 186,000 followers and over 32 million views. His strategy is based on three principles for content creation: avoiding embarrassing or egocentric content and instead focusing on education and adding value for the audience. This approach has led to wide reach and is used to inform the market, create transparency, build trust, and foster relationships. This also includes collaborations with investors, which in the past were more often established through word-of-mouth or industry events. He sees social media as a modern, effective marketing tool for conveying value.
