Robert Given and Troy Ballard

Since moving their business to South Florida in 2003, CBRE’s Robert Given and Troy Ballard have carved out a sterling reputation across investment sales and debt and equity placement, primarily for multifamily assets, mixed-use deals and urban-infill projects. 

They now have 25 professionals working under them out of CBRE’s Fort Lauderdale office. 

“We’re not trying to be the biggest team with the most volume. We’re just trying to do the best job for our clients,” said Given. “We’re very data driven, very relationship driven, very aggressive, and very proud of our market down here.”

The duo’s biggest deal in 2025 was the most expensive land trade in Miami’s history in gross terms, when they brokered the $520 million purchase by Oak Row Equities, OKO Group and Mariposa Real Estate of a 4.25-acre waterfront assemblage in Miami’s Brickell district, which currently houses an office and rental building that will be knocked down. The site is now zoned for more than 3 million square feet of new development. 

Given and Ballard also arranged Related Group’s sale of Veneto Las Olas, the 46-story luxury tower that opened in 2024 and houses 259 apartments, to Zara’s billionaire founder, Amancio Ortega, who paid $165 million for the property, or roughly $637,000 per unit. 

They even took on tricky deals, like arranging Penn-Florida Companies’ $235 million sale of 101 Via Mizner in Boca Raton out of bankruptcy to a joint venture led by Penn-Florida and an affiliate of financial influencer Grant Cardone’s Cardone Capital. Cardone, with 10 million social media followers, intends to sell 101 Via Mizner’s new ownership entity to ordinary investors and bitcoin holders. 

Given said those deals reflect his belief that buyers entering South Florida for the first time are the ones leading the market and guiding its evolution.

“South Florida has always been an exciting, vibrant market, and a desirable place to live, but, over the last 25 years, it’s become a desirable place to work and relocate your business,” he said.  

“We’ve gone from talking about beaches, palm trees and cruise ships to talking about Fortune 500 companies, international businesses and luxury homes and resorts to support the executives who have moved here,” Given added.