# He turned a Florida swamp into one of America’s richest cities | Don Soffer

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-shot-6247527/he-turned-a-florida-swamp-into-one-of-america-s-richest-cities-don-soffer
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-shot-6247527/he-turned-a-florida-swamp-into-one-of-america-s-richest-cities-don-soffer.md
Podcast: [Big Shot](https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-shot-6247527)
Published: 2025-06-12T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/big-shot-show/episodes/He-turned-a-Florida-swamp-into-one-of-Americas-richest-cities--Don-Soffer-e33n5p8
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/dbe3e564/podcast/play/103568616/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-5-2%2F401457129-44100-2-c88768dc96a51.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/big-shot-6247527/episodes/he-turned-a-florida-swamp-into-one-of-america-s-richest-cities-don-soffer
Duration seconds: 2970

## Resource

What kind of man looks at 800 acres of mosquito-infested swampland and sees high-end apartments, a golf course, and a luxury shopping mall? In 1967, Don Soffer made the biggest bet of his life: transforming undeveloped wetlands into what would become Aventura, one of Florida’s most iconic and extravagant communities. In this episode of Big Shot, Harley and David sit down with the 92-year-old visionary to hear how it all happened—straight from the source. From convincing the Florida governor to back his development plan (after a well-timed flight to Tallahassee) to bringing in golf legend Robert Trent Jones to design a course, Don sold a dream that turned into a $4 billion reality. He built Turnberry resort, launched Aventura Mall, and packed them with celebrities—from Elton John to Madonna and John McEnroe. Decades before “influencer marketing” was a thing, Don was using star power to shape a city. In this episode, you’ll hear about: • The environmental pushback Don faced after buying swampland—and how he got the green light from the governor of Florida after chartering a jet and flying to Tallahassee • Don’s celebrity-packed playbook: how he used influencers before we even had a word for it • Don’s take on why Jewish people have become such successful entrepreneurs • Don’s definition of common sense—and approach to solving complex problems with simplicity • Why he says it’s a privilege to have a hard problem to solve • His advice for the next generation of Jewish entrepreneurs • And much more! — In This Episode We Cover: (00:00) Intro (02:07) How Don accidentally swallowed his dad’s glass eye (03:03) Don’s early work building shopping malls with his father (05:01) Why Don trusted his intuition and took a chance on developing swampland in Florida (09:04) How Don got th…

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