Jeff Bezos

Some billionaires who relocate to Miami are loud and proud about their love for the city. Just look at Ken Griffin of Citadel, who’s developing a headquarters tower, has cut million-dollar checks to local organizations and hospitals, and has become the unofficial spokesperson for Miami’s rebrand as a serious finance and tech hub. 

Others, like Jeff Bezos, stay a bit more quiet. That’s OK. Miami will gladly take it. 

Since relocating from Seattle in 2023, the Amazon founder has dropped more than $200 million to buy three mansions on Indian Creek, an uber-wealthy, secluded enclave on a barrier island west of Miami Beach. Those purchases were a great boon for the city’s residential market.

This year, Amazon signed a 50,333-square-foot lease in Wynwood. The deal was the largest office lease in the emerging tech district and provided a boost to the city’s tech scene just as venture capital funding and office leasing in the sector were slowing. 

And then there’s Amazon’s bread and butter: industrial. Like in just about every other U.S. market, the company’s industrial footprint is growing in South Florida, too — and it’s valuable. In September, Amazon opened a 1 million-square-foot distribution data center in Miami-Dade County. What’s more, a similarly sized hub leased to Amazon in Jupiter sold in April for nearly $107 million.  

But, unlike Griffin, who frequently extols the virtues of Miami on public stages, Bezos has stayed pretty mum. And his moves, while impressive, pale in comparison to those of Griffin as the city tries to shed its hedonistic image. 

Still, Bezos’s mere presence remains a great source of pride for the Miami-area business and real estate communities.  

“He is one of our favorite sons,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said about Bezos, who grew up in the city, in a November 2023 television interview. “He’s coming back. We call that the boomerang effect. It’s a testament to the ecosystem we’re building here in Miami, one of the most dynamic ecosystems on the planet.”

Maybe in the future we’ll hear directly from Bezos.