Gil Dezer

Gil Dezer helped pioneer branded residences. The developer partnered with Donald Trump, who 25 years ago lent his name to one of Dezer’s condo developments along Sunny Isles Beach’s coast.

The move proved to be prescient. Trump’s brand has remained so strong that he was elected to this country’s highest office — twice. And sure, the president is polarizing, but Republicans buy condos, too.

More importantly for real estate, the branded-condo model has proliferated across South Florida and beyond, becoming developers’ preferred strategy to attract wealthy buyers. These days, it’s almost impossible to encounter a new South Florida development without some sort of brand attached, whether it be hotel chains, celebrity chefs, fashion labels, and even magazines and luxury car companies. 

“Plagiarism is the highest form of flattery, right?” Dezer said.

The developer has not abandoned the model he helped create. After building six Trump buildings, he went on to construct the Porsche high-rise, also in Sunny Isles Beach, which features an elevator that brings the condo owners’ cars up to their units. Soccer superstar Lionel Messi purchased several units.

Now Dezer has moved on to perhaps his most ambitious project yet, the Bentley Residences. Dezer has been selling units since 2022, and some critics doubted the 61-story project would get underway. That was true until late last year, when the developer nabbed $630 million to complete the 216-unit development, making it South Florida’s largest condo construction loan for a single property in 2025. 

“I’ve been in Miami for a long time, when it’s been fast and when it’s been slow,” Dezer said. “I’d rather have a higher-quality buyer at a slower pace than have these buildings sell out overnight but then nobody comes to close.”