Stephen Ross, Ken Himmel and Jordan Rathlev

Stephen Ross can’t stop — won’t stop — in West Palm Beach.

Since stepping down from Related Companies, the real estate behemoth he founded in 1972, and launching Related Ross in 2024, the mogul has zeroed in on West Palm Beach. His mission is to turn the city into a thriving business hub, an alternative to cities like New York and San Francisco, if not Miami. He already has early success to tout.

Working alongside Ken Himmel and Jordan Rathlev, Ross has lured some of the biggest names in finance to open offices. These include Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, Elliott Management and Millennium Management. Just this January, Wells Fargo announced it would be moving its wealth management division from San Francisco and occupying about 55,000 square feet in one of Ross’s buildings. 

So far, the developer has spared no expense on building out the posh real estate desired by the business elite. 

Last year, he obtained a $772 million loan — South Florida’s largest-ever construction mortgage — to build two offices, where AI company ServiceNow has committed to lease up to 200,000 square feet. 

In 2025, Ross landed a $600 million construction package to build a 108-unit waterfront development. This year, the developer landed a $157 million loan to build yet another waterfront luxury condo development. He’s also buying out a condo building near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago compound with plans to redevelop it into a new luxury condo. 

Ross’s real estate empire extends beyond just condos and offices. 

The billionaire also successfully lobbied Nashville-based Vanderbilt University to open a $520 million graduate campus in West Palm Beach in hopes of creating a steady pipeline of potential employees. To make sure these workers don’t get too bored under the sun, Ross hosted a music festival last month, with famous DJs Calvin Harris and Kygo headlining. He’s also planning to build a private club.

And, to make sure there are enough private grade schools for the children of high-ranking, well-paid executives, Ross has a mixed-use, 71-acre campus in the pipeline in nearby Wellington that will include a school.