Recently, I sat down with Fernando de Nuñez y Lugones, CEO and co-founder of Vertical Development, a $1.8 billion South Florida luxury development firm shaping more than 2,200 units across the region.
Fernando’s perspective is anything but local. Raised across continents, fluent in five languages, and trained in high-stakes investment banking, he approaches real estate through a global lens, tracking capital flows, geopolitical shifts, and currency movements in real time.
Today, he’s applying that perspective to South Florida, aligning world-class brands like Riva, Fendi Casa, and Elle Residences with the exact buyer profiles moving into the market, and positioning Miami as one of the primary beneficiaries of global instability.
With wealth continuing to flow into Florida, Fernando believes South Florida's best years are still ahead.
How Miami real estate has delivered 400% (4X) appreciation since 2000 and why the fundamentals remain strong.
Why 1,000 people moving to Florida every day, with half settling in Southeast Florida, continues to drive long-term real estate demand.
How projects that started as $100 million developments are now tracking toward $250 million, and what that signals about Miami's pricing power.
Why Miami land costs at 10-20% of development remain a fraction of what they are in London and Paris.
How Riva Residenze, with 182 years of history and only 36 units, brings an unmatched nautical identity to Fort Lauderdale's waterfront.
How tracking global capital flows shapes Vertical Development's marketing and investment decisions in real time.
Why 2026 is shaping up to be the strongest year for South Florida luxury real estate in recent memory.
For Fernando, the strategy is simple: build for where the buyer is going, not where they’ve been. And as global wealth continues to converge on South Florida, the opportunity isn’t just to participate in the market, but to shape what it becomes next.
Assets Funding Capital Leonard Chinchay
I also spoke with Leonard Chinchay, Founder & CEO of Assets Funding Capital, who has raised over $1 billion across real estate transactions and works closely with international investors deploying capital into South Florida.
Leonard brings a ground-level view of how global capital is actually moving, and why South Florida continues to sit at the center of it.
Why Latin American and European investors consistently view South Florida as a safe haven for capital preservation and growth.
How “smart money follows smart money,” and why institutional and tech migration is accelerating demand.
What investors are prioritizing today: luxury waterfront, irreplaceable sites, and top-tier developers.
The importance of transparency, speed, and “skin in the game” in winning investor trust.
Why South Florida’s legal structure, tax environment, and development timelines outperform global markets.
For Leonard, the thesis is clear: capital isn’t just flowing into South Florida, it’s concentrating around the highest-quality opportunities, with investors increasingly thinking long-term and globally about where to place their money.
