Florida has the ingredients for greatness, it just needs a game plan

Miami Dolphins owner and real estate developer Stephen Ross says Florida’s future depends not just on growth, but on coordination.

Speaking at the Florida Chamber’s Future of Florida Forum, Ross told business leaders that the state’s next economic chapter will be written through deliberate partnerships between government, higher education and the private sector.

Florida’s “business-friendly” reputation is only the baseline. The real work lies in flipping that advantage into an enduring innovation ecosystem that keeps talent, research and capital in state.

Ross, also Chair of Related Companies and founder of Related Ross, returned often to the idea of the “Tech Gold Coast,” a connected innovation corridor stretching from Miami through Palm Beach. His blueprint blends private investment, educational anchors and livable design, and he believes it could scale statewide.

One of its centerpieces is Vanderbilt University’s new campus in West Palm Beach (the Nashville-based private institution stepped in after the University of Florida scrapped plans for a campus in the area), which will offer graduate degrees in business, engineering and other fields.

“At Related Ross, we see an extraordinary opportunity for Florida’s Tech Gold Coast through a public-private partnership. With ServiceNow’s AI Institute, Vanderbilt University’s 1,000-student graduate campus, and a growing tech ecosystem, we’re attracting talent and venture capital that drive innovation. This opportunity only succeeds with city, county, and state collaboration — ensuring Florida leads the nation in next-generation growth.”

He described the broader Palm Beach County projects now underway — millions of square feet of office, residential and retail space paired with a Cleveland Clinic hospital and the Vanderbilt campus — as a template for future economic zones that integrate education, health care, recreation and workforce housing into walkable communities capable of sustaining regional economies.

At his current vintage — “65 plus 20,” as interviewer and Shark Tank star Matt Higgins joked — Ross said he’s less focused on expansion than on institution-building. After decades leading one of the nation’s largest real-estate firms, he sees in Florida what he called a “rare alignment” of demographics, policy and momentum.

“I’ve seen Florida transform into a global center for talent, innovation, and commerce with companies like ServiceNow, Cleveland Clinic, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs expanding to South Florida. Today, thanks to public-private investments and a business-friendly spirit, Florida is setting the standard for growth and opportunity on the world stage,” Ross said.

That transformation, he continued, will only hold if the state pursues what he calls “responsive growth” — measured development that complements local character rather than erasing it. Housing is core to that philosophy, especially workforce housing, which Ross argues is both an economic and social necessity. His proposal calls for low-interest, short-term state loans to close financing gaps and make projects viable without creating permanent subsidies.

“Cities and developers have to work together to create neighborhoods people actually want to live in,” he said.

Ross argued that Florida’s innovation potential stretches well beyond tech startups. The state’s defense, health and advanced manufacturing sectors, particularly between the Space Coast and Palm Beach County, could become a national hub if coupled with university research and private R&D.

“If we connect what we already have with the institutions now coming here, Florida can become the nation’s most dynamic growth economy within a decade.”

He closed by reflecting on the purpose behind that push. “I’m not doing this out of necessity. At this stage of my life, I want to do something that’s never been done before — to make an impact that lasts.”