Donald Soffer (born September 20, 1932) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is a real estate developer who developed Florida swampland into what was to become the city of

Aventura, Florida Aventura is a planned suburban city in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, north of Miami and part of the Miami metropolitan area. The city is especially known for Aventura Mall, the third largest mall in the United State ...

Early life and education

Soffer was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Duquesne, Pennsylvania Duquesne ( ) is a city along the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 5,254 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The city of Duquesne wa ...

near Pittsburgh, the son of Ida (née Kessler)Miami Herald Obituary" Ida Kessler Soffer Obituary"
August 15, 2006 and businessman Harold “Harry” Soffer who made a living selling appliances and owned a

Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Man ...

car dealership. Harold's brother was

Joseph Soffer Joseph Soffer (1913 – June 13, 2006) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. Early life and education Soffer was one of four children born to a American Jews, Jewish family in 1913 in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, the son of Lena ...

(who would found the Pittsburgh-based real estate development company, the Soffer Organization). In 1955, he graduated from

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

on a football scholarship with a B.A. in economics. After graduation, he returned to Pittsburgh and ventured into the construction and real estate business. He first built shopping malls for Don Mark Realty, a partnership founded by his father, Edward J. Lewis, Lewis' father, Eugene Lebowitz, and Lewis' brother-in-law, Mark Mason (Don Mark Realty would be renamed the Oxford Development Company). In 1965, Don Mark built South Hills Village, Pittsburgh's first indoor mall. In 1967, with funding from the John Hancock Life Insurance Company, Oxford Development partnered with Arthur G. Cohen and his

Arlen Realty and Development Corporation Arlen Realty & Development Corporation, also known as Arlen, was a real estate investment trust founded in 1959 by Arthur G. Cohen and Arthur N. Levien. In the early 1970s, it was one of the largest publicly traded real estate investment trusts. ...

to form the DonArl Partnership and bought 785 acres of mostly swampland in South Florida for $6 million.Aventura Marketing Council: "UBS hosts Business Development Committee meeting featuring 'History of Aventura' presentation" by Comm. Bob Diamond" by Bari Auerbach
February 17, 2010

Career

Donald Soffer was given the primary responsibility develop the project. Originally named Turnberry, Soffer renamed the site Aventura (Spanish for adventure) and set about to build an upper-class development centered around the Turnberry Country Club with a golf course designed by architect Robert Trent Jones. The project required that he drain the swamps and re-zone the property from residential single family to high-rise development. With the support of then governor,

Claude Kirk Claude Roy Kirk Jr. (January 7, 1926 – September 28, 2011) was an American businessman, politician, and Marine Corps veteran who served as the List of governors of Florida, 36th governor of Florida from 1967 to 1971. A member of the Republican ...

, the development went ahead. In 1969, Metro-Dade County approved the 23,900 condo unit master plan which included the construction of a fire station, a library, and a causeway to Sunny Isles Beach. They completed the first stage in 1970 and by 1977 had completed the golf course and added another 4,000 units. The venture was very profitable as they purchased land at $5,000 an acre and sold plots for as high as $2 million an acre in 1981. Soffer's father died in 1972 at the age of 63 and Soffer took control of the family interest in DonArl. In 1977, the partnership with Arlen Realty was dissolved over disputes about the quality of construction with Soffer believing Arlen wanted to build too quick and cheap which would harm the brand. They divided the properties and Soffer formed Turnberry Associates out of his share. In 1983, Arlen Realty defaulted on a $39 million mortgage and went into

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

and Soffer and his partners purchased the remaining 68 acres of undeveloped land and built the

Aventura Mall Aventura Mall is a large enclosed shopping mall located in Aventura, Florida. It is the fifth-largest List of largest shopping malls in the United States, mall in the United States by total square feet of retail space and the largest mall in Fl ...

. Soon after, the remaining three partners sold their interest to the Soffers. '' Turnberry Isle Resort'' quickly earned a reputation for the playground for the rich and famous; Soffer even chartered a fleet of yachts to dock at the Turnberry Isle marina to attract the requisite clientele (including a yacht named '' Monkey Business'', which Colorado Democratic Senator and presidential candidate

Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1984 and 1988 Democratic presidential nominations, until in 1988, he dropped out amid revelations of ex ...

would charter in 1987 and be photographed with

Donna Rice Donna Rice Hughes (born January 7, 1958) is an American activist, author, speaker and film producer who is president and chairperson of Enough Is Enough. In her work with Enough is Enough, Hughes has appeared on a variety of outlets as an Intern ...

sitting on his lap). In 1987, his son Jeffrey joined the firm and in 1989 Jackie, his daughter joined the firm. In 1988, Soffer sold half his interest in Turnberry Isle Resort to Rafael Hotels for $20 million; in the early 1990s, he sold the remainder to Rafael. In the 90s the siblings took on greater leadership roles in the company. Jeffrey Soffer was put in charge of new condo developments and Jackie Soffer, led leasing operations at the Aventura Mall and other assets. In 2005,

Turnberry Associates Turnberry Associates is a real estate development and management company in the United States. The company has developed over $10 billion worth of properties during the course of its history. Current holdings in its portfolio include the Aventura ...

purchased the

Fontainebleau Hotel The Fontainebleau Miami Beach, also known as the Fontainebleau Hotel, is a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, United States. Designed by Morris Lapidus, the luxury hotel opened in 1954. In 2007, the Fontainebleau Hotel was ranked ninety-third in th ...

(founded by Ben Novack) from Stephen Muss for $165 million.''Fool's Paradise: Players, Poseurs, and the Culture of Excess in South Beach'' By Steven Gaines
pages 100 -110 After 25 years as partners in 2019 the Soffer siblings divided the company assets into two separate companies. Jackie Soffer is the current chairman and CEO of

, the development firm launched 50 years ago by Donald Soffer. Turnberry is the principal owner of

, the Town Center Aventura, and three hotels in Aventura — Residence Inn by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott and Hampton Inn — as well as another hotel in Orlando. Jackie Soffer and Turnberry are also developing an 800-key Miami Beach Convention Center hotel in partnership with Terra Group and David Martin. As of July 2015, he and his family were worth $4.2 billion.Forbes: The World's Billionaires - Soffer Family
July 2015

Philanthropy

In 2008, he donated $15 million to

, the largest gift in the college's history.

Personal life

Soffer has been married five times and has seven children.Miami Herald: "Soffer siblings expand reach of Turnberry Associates" By Ina Paiva Cordle
April 13, 2014 He is divorced from Carol Miller Soffer, Patricia Jo Hogue Soffer, and Marjorie Wallace Soffer. In 2013, he married his fifth wife, Michele King Soffer. His son, Jeffrey Soffer, was married to supermodel

Elle Macpherson Eleanor Nancy Macpherson ( ; ; born ) is an Australian model, businesswoman, television host, and actress. She is known for her record five cover appearances for the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' beginning in the 1980s, leading to her ...

. His daughter, Jackie Soffer, is the CEO of Turnberry today and is married to Miami Beach real estate developer

Craig Robins Craig Lewis Robins (born February 15, 1963) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of Dacra Development, the co-founder and co-owner of Design Miami and developer of the Miami Design District. Earl ...

.Wall Street Journal: "A Day in the Life of Craig Robins - The real estate developer who helped turn Miami into a global destination for design is bringing scores of luxury fashion brands to the revived Design District" By CHRISTOPHER ROSS
December 1, 2014 His daughter, Brooke Soffer, operates various stores in the Aventura Mall and his son, Rock, also works in the family business.

Legacy

Don Soffer Aventura Charter High School is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soffer, Donald 1932 births 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople American billionaires American financiers American investors American philanthropists American businesspeople in real estate Brandeis University alumni Businesspeople from Pennsylvania Living people People from Aventura, Florida People from Duquesne, Pennsylvania Soffer family