What Swerdlow Group does

Swerdlow Group is a privately held, full-service real estate development company headquartered in Coconut Grove, Florida, operating across every major asset class — retail, office, industrial and telecommunications facilities, master-planned communities, and multi-family and single-family residential. Over a 50-plus-year operating history the firm has delivered more than 30 million square feet of projects valued at over $10 billion, including landmark assets such as Dolphin Mall (1.7 million SF), Great Mall of the Bay Area (1.2 million SF), Beacon Tradeport (4 million SF industrial), Triangle Plaza (700,000 SF Class A office in Chicago), and Marina Grande on the Halifax (486 luxury waterfront units). In recent years the firm has sharpened its focus on mixed-use and affordable housing developments, most notably Block 55 at Sawyer's Walk — a 1.4 million SF project in Overtown, Miami containing 578 affordable senior housing units, 250,000 SF of retail, and MSC Group's North American cruise headquarters — completed in 2024 and widely recognized as the largest affordable senior housing project built in the US in the past decade.

The company's core technology is deep domain expertise spanning acquisition, zoning, environmental permitting, land development, construction, sales, leasing, property management, and finance, supported by proprietary capabilities such as creating Miami-Dade County's first Community Development District (CDD) for tax-exempt infrastructure financing and Category 5 hurricane-resistant telecommunications facility design. Swerdlow earns revenue through four streams: development fees from managing projects end-to-end, property sales (residential units, commercial space, outparcels), leasing commissions on anchor tenant placements, and managed property services. The firm operates almost exclusively through direct enterprise relationships — government land-lease negotiations with Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami, joint-venture co-development with SJM Partners, Alben Duffie, Westbrooke Communities, and Pinnacle, and direct leasing to national retail anchors such as Target, Ross Dress for Less, Burlington, Aldi, and Five Below. Its forward pipeline is dominated by the $3 billion, 63-acre Little River District master-planned community approved in April 2025 and a proposed $335 million RAD program portfolio for six Miami-Dade public housing complexes.

Name

Swerdlow Group

Legal name

Swerdlow Group

Website

https://swerdlow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Swerdlow Group is a privately held, Florida-based real estate developer that has delivered $10 billion and 30 million+ square feet of mixed-use, affordable housing, retail, office, and industrial projects over 50-plus years, serving government, institutional, and national retail clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Development Fees: Earns development fees from managing large-scale mixed-use projects from conception through completion
2. Property Sales: Generates revenue from sale of residential units, commercial spaces, and outparcels to national retailers
3. Leasing Commissions: Earns leasing commissions from securing major retail and office tenants for commercial spaces
4. Property Management: Provides property management services for owned and partner developments including sales, leasing, and comprehensive property oversight

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Swerdlow Group is a privately held real estate development company that delivers end-to-end development services spanning acquisition, zoning, environmental permitting, land development, construction, leasing, sales, property management, and finance across commercial, residential, retail, industrial, and mixed-use asset classes. Its portfolio includes mixed-use communities, regional mega-malls, Class A office towers, industrial/telecom facilities, luxury waterfront condominiums, and master-planned affordable housing districts, with development fee, leasing commission, property sale, and management revenue streams.

Product overview

Swerdlow Group is a real estate development company offering a diverse portfolio of properties and comprehensive development services. The company operates across multiple asset classes including retail (malls and shopping centers), industrial and telecom facilities, office buildings, master plan developments, multi-family residential, and single-family communities. Key products include mixed-use developments like Block 55 at Sawyer's Walk (retail, office, and affordable housing), regional mega-malls (Dolphin Mall, Great Mall of the Bay Area), industrial facilities (Beacon Tradeport), office properties (Triangle Plaza), luxury waterfront condominiums (Marina Grande on the Halifax), and the upcoming Little River District master-planned community. The company provides end-to-end services from acquisition through property management and finance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Block 55 at Sawyer's Walk A 1.4 million square foot mixed-use property in Downtown Miami's Overtown neighborhood featuring 250,000 SF of retail space, 135,000 SF corporate office, 1,000 parking spaces, and 578 affordable senior apartment units. Anchor tenants include MSC Group (North American cruise headquarters), Target, Ross Dress for Less, Burlington, and Aldi. Built for mixed-income residents, national retail tenants, and corporate office users.
• Dolphin Mall A 1.7 million gross square foot (1.4 million GLA) super-regional outlet mega-mall and entertainment complex in Miami, Florida, part of a 320-acre mixed-use commercial development. Targeted at outlet shoppers and entertainment visitors across South Florida.
• Great Mall of The Bay Area Northern California's largest outlet mega-mall and entertainment complex comprising 1,246,000 square feet of anchor and in-line retail tenants in Milpitas, California. Targeted at outlet shoppers and entertainment visitors in the San Francisco Bay Area region.
• Beacon Tradeport A 4-million-square-foot warehouse/distribution center and technologically advanced telecommunications facilities campus in Miami, FL comprising 29 buildings ranging from 60,000 to 200,000 square feet. Facilities include Category 5 hurricane resistance, 100 watts per square foot power, emergency power generation, and multiple fiber optic carriers. Recognized as Best Real Estate Deal of the Year for Best New Development. Targeted at logistics, distribution, and telecommunications tenants.
• Triangle Plaza Two twin 14-story towers providing 700,000 gross square feet of luxury Class A office space on nine acres in Chicago, IL. Served as international headquarters for American National Can Company and Gorman Publishing, along with other nationally recognized tenants. Targeted at corporate office tenants.
• Marina Grande on the Halifax A gated 18-acre luxury waterfront community on the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway and Halifax River in Holly Hill, FL featuring 486 condo units, 3 clubhouses, 3 heated pools, and a private marina. Targeted at individual luxury waterfront home buyers and second-home owners in the Daytona Beach area.
• Little River District A $3 billion, 63-acre mixed-use master-planned development in Miami's Little River and Little Haiti neighborhoods featuring approximately 7,500 residential units (5,700+ affordable and workforce housing), 602,562 SF of retail space, 205,076 SF of outdoor green space, a new Tri-Rail station, and community amenities. Targeted at affordable and workforce housing residents, retail tenants, and the surrounding community.
• Real Estate Development Services Comprehensive end-to-end real estate development services spanning acquisition, zoning, environmental permitting, land development, construction, sales, leasing, property management, and finance across commercial, retail, industrial, office, residential, and mixed-use sectors. Targeted at public agencies, institutional investors, national retailers, corporate tenants, and joint venture development partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered 30+ million square feet valued at $10B+
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• SJM PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015In 2015, Swerdlow Group partnered with SJM Partners to co-develop projects including Block 55 at Sawyer's Walk. SJM Principals Stephen J. Garchik and Steve McBride have 40+ years of real estate financing, construction and development experience. Notable projects include regional campuses for Mobil Oil and SAIC, national headquarters for NSF, Booz Hamilton, US Postal Service, and Army Corps of Engineers.
• Alben DuffiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSG Holdings is a partnership with Alben Duffie, who leveraged his experience with Miami-Dade County to develop significant public/private projects including Martin Luther King Jr. Station, Biscayne Landing ($1B+ mixed-use complex), and Cityview ($33M mixed-use project).
• Westbrooke CommunitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner on Westfork & Spring Valley (1,800 single-family homes) and West Lake Village (770 single-family homes) residential developments in Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, FL.
• Coastal ConstructionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilder for Block 55 at Sawyer's Walk, a transformative 1.4 million square foot mixed-use development in Downtown Miami.
• The LeFrak OrganizationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner on Biscayne Landing, a $1 billion mixed-use residential community on 190 acres in North Miami. Swerdlow sold its interest to LeFrak in 2016.
• PinnaclemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partner with Swerdlow Group on Miami-Dade County public housing redevelopment proposal for six complexes under RAD program, valued at approximately $335 million.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The LeFrak Organization: Large, family-owned diversified real estate developer; an actual historical JV partner with Swerdlow on the $1B+ Biscayne Landing project, indicating directly comparable scale, mixed-use playbook, and partnership-driven model.
• The Related Group: Largest multifamily and mixed-use developer in Florida with a major affordable housing division; competes head-to-head with Swerdlow for Miami-Dade affordable and workforce housing deals and the same pool of institutional capital. Swerdlow's VP Development previously led affordable housing at Related Group, underscoring direct overlap.
• Pinnacle Housing Group: Affordable and workforce housing developer that is itself Swerdlow's current co-development partner on Miami-Dade's six-complex RAD proposal; competes for and shares the same RAD pipeline.
• Atlantic Pacific Communities: Florida-based multifamily and affordable housing developer active in Miami-Dade's RAD-style public housing redevelopments; directly comparable in product mix (mixed-income, mixed-use) and government-relationship-driven GTM motion.
• Housing Trust Group: Florida-based affordable housing developer competing for the same RAD and LIHTC-financed projects in Miami-Dade; Swerdlow's current CFO previously served as COO of Housing Trust Group, evidencing overlapping talent pool and product focus.

Broad incumbents

• Toll Brothers: National luxury and mixed-income residential developer; Swerdlow's Westbrooke JV partner on 1,800- and 770-unit for-sale communities, evidencing direct product overlap in large single-family and townhome developments.
• Forest City Realty Trust: Large diversified real estate developer (now part of Brookfield) known for large-scale, mixed-use, public-private partnership urban developments — directly comparable in master-planned community execution and institutional capital model.

Regional players

• The Peebles Corporation: Miami-based real estate developer focused on luxury mixed-use, hotel, and residential projects; competes for similar South Florida urban redevelopment opportunities and government partners.
• The Allen Morris Company: Miami-based commercial and mixed-use real estate developer with comparable office, retail, and Class A multifamily projects across South Florida; operates in the same submarket and competes for similar anchor tenants.

Emerging players

• Mill Creek Residential: National multifamily developer with growing affordable/workforce housing exposure; competes for similar institutional-capital-backed rental housing projects in supply-constrained Sun Belt markets including South Florida.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swerdlow Group