A New Frontier: Transit Oriented Development in South Florida

Recognized as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the nation, R. Donahue (Don) Peebles Jr. is Founder, Chairman, and CEO of The Peebles Corporation. In an era where social responsibility and inclusion are often seen as buzz-phrases, Mr. Peebles is actively influencing change and creating opportunities that positively impact communities, through Real Estate investment and development. The Peebles Corporation is among the leading privately held real estate and development companies in the United States, with a multi-billion dollar project portfolio, spanning key markets in the nation including: New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Washington D.C. Mr. Peebles and The Peebles Corporation's uniqueness is guided by the company’s own principles of Affirmative Development (TM) to empower women and minorities in closing the wealth gap – with the aim of developing not just land or buildings, but also opportunities for people. Mr. Peebles is an industry leader in large scale real estate development through Public-Private Partnerships. Through construction excellence, sustainable materials, historic preservation and innovative design, every project is strategically selected to achieve transformative results for the company and community. Mr. Peebles is an avid supporter of mentoring underprivileged youth to expose them to the value of entrepreneurship. He is the former Chairman of the Board of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, is on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater New York, was a two-time former member of President Barack Obama’s National Finance Committee, and the former Chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. Mr. Peebles is a frequent guest commentator on CNBC, CNN, FOX News and FOX Business Network. He has written two books entitled The Peebles Principles and The Peebles Path to Real Estate Wealth, which provide the fundamentals for individuals striving to succeed in real estate. The books articulate Mr. Peebles optimism and belief that everyone’s career goals are achievable. Growing up as a child raised by a single parent, in a middle-class home, to achieving multimillionaire status by the age 27, Mr. Peebles believes that dreams really can come true.

Joe Hernandez is a sought-after transactional real estate and business lawyer with a unique perspective: he is able to draw from his prior work experience as a banker and general counsel for a private equity firm to inform his representation of a variety of clients seeking to engage in complex commercial real estate and business transactions. Joe’s clients include real estate developers, financial institutions, private equity firms, high net worth individuals, and public entities in all phases of complex commercial real estate and business transactions in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. He handles acquisitions, development, financing, leasing, joint ventures, and advises clients on raising capital for real estate projects. Joe has also developed a particular niche representing condominium associations and cooperative corporations being pursued by developers for acquisition of the units and termination of the condominium or cooperative. Joe coordinates a multi-disciplinary approach in order to counsel clients in navigating the myriad of legal issues faced by associations and unit owners in these situations. Joe also represents condominium associations, community associations, developers of condominium projects, and groups of unit owners in a variety of condominium law and community association matters, including turnovers, dispute resolution, casualties and construction defects issues. Joe is an agent for several national title insurance companies and has handled the resolution of complex title insurance issues involving real property in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining the firm, Joe served as general counsel for an asset management firm owned by Cerberus Capital. Prior to that, Joe was the head of the real estate practice group at the Miami office of an AmLaw 100 firm and a real estate shareholder at one of the largest law firms in the country. Prior to law school, Joe was a banker at a large money center bank in New York and also worked for the predecessor of Bank of America for five years as a corporate and real estate banker. Joe was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL) in 2017. Active in the community, Joe is on the board of directors of Junior Achievement of Greater Miami. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law and teaches courses in real estate finance for the Real Property Development L.L.M Program.

​​Arnaud Karsenti is the Managing Principal of 13th Floor Investments where his core focus is on management and growth of the firm. Mr. Karsenti is primarily responsible for the general direction of the firm’s investment strategy and overall capitalization. In this capacity, Mr. Karsenti’s role is one of new business origination, deal structuring, and investor relations. Mr. Karsenti has been active in the real estate business since 2003 when he began his real estate career assembling and developing land parcels in Miami’s urban cores. These initial one-off acquisitions led to the creation of 13th Floor in 2007, which has acquired, developed and managed over $1.5 billion in real asset value since inception. These transactions have ranged from property acquisitions to restructuring of distressed debt, fractured residential inventory, community district development bonds, and a host of joint venture structures. Prior to founding 13th Floor, Mr. Karsenti founded Collegeboxes, the nation’s leading college-based shipping and storage companies, which was acquired by U-Haul in 2004. Mr. Karsenti is an active member of the Young President’s Organization, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, and a variety of other local and national philanthropic organizations. Mr. Karsenti graduated cum laude from the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and holds an MBA from the Harvard School of Business.

Emilio T. Gonzalez, Ph.D. serves as City Manager for the City of Miami. In that capacity, Dr. Gonzalez is the City’s chief administrator responsible for managing all departments, city employees, and a $1.08 billion budget. Since joining the City of Miami in January 2018, Dr. Gonzalez has been committed to customer service and process improvement, innovating how the City of Miami operates. Under his leadership, the City of Miami has expanded the Miami Trolley, simplified the building permit process, expanded its commitment to beautification, and is working to attract opportunities that improve quality of life and generate revenue. Dr. Gonzalez has extensive experience in different levels of business and government. Most recently he was the Aviation Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department for nearly 5 years. He oversaw all operations at Miami International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world. Under President George W. Bush, he was a Senior Presidential Advisor and Director of Western Hemisphere Affairs for the National Security Council. From 2006 to 2008 Dr. Gonzalez was Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a Senate-confirmed executive position within the United States Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Gonzalez is a retired Colonel in the United States Army. During his stellar 26-year military career he was a Military Intelligence Officer and served in numerous field and staff positions to include the United States Southern Command. Dr. Gonzalez has received many foreign honors, civic awards and U.S. Military Honors including the White House Presidential Service Badge and multiple service medals. He holds a B.A. in International Studies from the University of South Florida, an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Tulane University, an M.A. from the U.S. Naval War College in National Security and Strategic Studies, and a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Miami. Dr. Gonzalez has been married to his wife Gloria for 39 years. They live in the City of Miami and have two daughters and a grandson.

A licensed architect with 35 years of experience in planning, design, construction and management of capital infrastructure projects for public and private sector clients, including commercial and office development projects for the private sector, Humberto leads ATKINS’ strategic planning and market activities in the South Florida region. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (GMCC). His volunteer leadership work for the GMCC has included chairmanship of the Governmental Affairs Group and the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. He was selected one of “Miami’s Best” in Transportation by Miami Today in 2010.. Humberto’s professional experience spans the private and public sector in the areas of transportation and infrastructure development, commercial development, school planning and construction, water resource planning, environmental restoration and regional coordination. A proud “Cane”, Humberto has a Bachelor Degree in Architecture and a Masters Degree in Business Administration, including membership in The Beta-Gamma- Sigma Honor Society, from the University of Miami.

Ryan Bailine’s practice focuses on the development and financing of complex real estate projects, including real estate, land use, and regulatory aspects. Noted for his responsiveness to his clients’ needs, attention to detail, and his project development acumen, Ryan represents some of the most active and prolific developers in North America, advising on residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use projects, including Transit Oriented Developments (TOD), opportunity zone elements, affordable and workforce housing issues, and public-private endeavors. Ryan routinely works with local, regional and national regulatory agencies to facilitate the permitting, construction, development, and financing of real estate projects, including negotiating long-term ground leases, development agreements, development rights transfers, financing documents, joint venture agreements, and qualified opportunity zone structures, along with infrastructure and utility components. Regarding real estate finance, Ryan routinely negotiates and secures debt and equity placement, as well as tax credit based financing, ranging from low income housing, new market and historic tax credits, to other government sponsored programs such as SAIL and HOPE VI funding sources. Clients and real estate professionals regularly turn to Ryan for advice on opportunity zone real estate development and financing issues. He routinely advises developers, property owners, and qualified opportunity funds on regulatory structuring issues related to opportunity zone issues. Ryan has lectured a presented to clients and real estate consultants and professionals across the country on financing and qualified opportunity zone structuring and compliance issues.

Ms. Bouclé is the Executive Director for the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO). She is currently leading the charge, along with the TPO Governing Board, to provide mobility choices for the residents of Miami-Dade County through the local transportation planning process, and more specifically the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit “SMART” Plan. She has worked in the transportation field for over 20 years in the private industry and with the Florida Department of Transportation. Ms. Bouclé has a Master’s Degree in Environmental and Urban Systems, with a specialty in Transportation Planning, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida International University.

Meg Daly is founder and president of Friends of The Underline, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization leading the initiative to transform the underutilized land below Miami's Metrorail into a 10-mile, urban trail and linear park. A 30-year sales and marketing veteran, Meg owned First Media Direct, a breakthrough target marketing company catering to the broadcast television industry. She has also held executive marketing and management positions in the public relations, advertising, technology, and real estate industries. Meg has a BA in English from Vanderbilt University and has served on a number of philanthropic boards. She is also chairperson of the Coral Gables Cultural Affairs Board and a member of the Bike305 Executive Committee. For her love of community and desire to serve others, she was recently named one of Miami's Angels by the Miami Herald.

Aaron Buchler has 22 years of experience in all phases of civil engineering for urban land development projects. This experience includes working on some of the largest and most high-profile urban mixed-use projects in Miami as well as more than a dozen transit-oriented developments (TODs), including The Underline. Aaron’s project experience includes serving as a strategic consulting partner on projects such as Brickell City Centre, Miami Worldcenter, and Midtown Miami. Overseeing the master infrastructure design, streetscape and roadway design, and on-site development of projects such as these has a given him a unique understanding of the public and private-sector design elements which are critical to successful urban redevelopment projects. He is well versed in assisting clients with public infrastructure funding and improvements, and has experience working with local agencies having jurisdiction over transit property, transit stations, and their operation. Aaron’s extensive experience with entitlements, regulatory agencies, and permitting processes in South Florida as well as his ongoing working relationships with key reviewers helps cut through the “red tape” and get project approvals quickly, saving his clients both time and money. Aaron earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Florida International University and he is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

Kerri L. Barsh represents public and private clients in public infrastructure matters, as well as environmental regulatory and litigation issues. She was a member of the Greenberg Traurig team that worked on some of the state’s most prominent public-private transportation projects including the construction of the PortMiami Tunnel and the widening of Interstate I-4 in and through Orlando, Florida’s largest P3 project. The two projects demonstrate how public-private partnerships can facilitate development of public infrastructure. Kerri also worked on the California Light Rail Project that connects the mega regions of the state running from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin. She was selected by Miami Today as “Best of Miami: Thought Leaders” in 2016 and South Florida Business Journal one of 25 “Influential Business Women” in 2011.