NAIOP South Florida Selects 2025 Awards Of Excellence Finalists

NAIOP South Florida has announced the Awards of Excellence finalists for 2025 and confirmed Thursday, April 3rd for the 48th Awards of Excellence reception and dinner at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale.

The annual celebration, which acknowledges excellence throughout the South Florida commercial real estate (CRE) industry, will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The 2025 Awards of Excellence categories and finalists are:

Sale of the Year:

• 701 Brickell – Nuveen & JLL Capital Markets
• Doral Air Logistics Center – CBRE
• FXE Gateway Complex – Avison Young
• Meridian Center – Marcus & Millichap
• Marina West Industrial Portfolio – Cushman & Wakefield, Capital Markets
• NYU Sale – West Palm Beach – CBRE
• Sunrise Commerce Center – JLL
• South Florida Logistics Property – CBRE
• Sawgrass Technology Park – Cushman & Wakefield, Capital Markets
• The Mall at 163rd Street Sale – Avison Young
• The Ellsworth – Stiles
• Uptown Center I & II – Colliers

Project of the Year:

• Bridge Point Commerce Center Phase II – Bridge Industrial
• Elan Solea – Butters Construction & Development and Greystar
• Mayla Pompano Residences – Grover Corlew
• Miami Midway Park – Butters Construction & Development and Greystar
• Palmetto 74 – Link Logistics

Individual Broker of the Year:

• Derek Baker – Colliers International
• Matthew Rotolante, SIOR, CCIM – Lee & Associates South Florida
• Zachary Talbot – Cresa

Broker Team of the Year:

• Berger Commercial Industrial Brokerage Team
• Blanca Commercial Real Estate
• CBRE Capital Markets
• Colliers – Falk-Weprin Team
• Cushman & Wakefield South Florida Capital Markets Team
• Cushman & Wakefield South Florida Industrial Team
• JLL Capital Markets Office Team
• Mandel Group of Marcus & Millichap

Rookie of the Year:

• Eric Cantor – Cushman & Wakefield
• Peter Johnston – JLL

Office Lease of the Year:

• 429 Lenox – Regus – Colliers
• 4225 Ponce – UBS – Colliers
• Assurant Lease at Waterford Business District – Blanca Commercial Real Estate
• Banco Master S.A. – Cushman & Wakefield
• UHealth Boca Raton at Palmetto Central Office Complex – Grover Corlew

Industrial Lease of the Year:

• Arnet Pharmaceutical – JLL
• Crown Linen – Colliers
• Ceva – Colliers International
• Halpern’s Steak and Seafood at the Parkway Commerce Center – Berger Commercial Realty
• Power Systems MGF -Cushman & Wakefield
• Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. – JLL
• Prologis Westport/Arnet Pharmaceutical renewal – Berger Commercial Realty
• Racketzone – Colliers International
• Sun Commodities, Inc. – JLL
• VSE Corporation Lease Extension and Corporate Headquarters Relocation – Miramar Park of Commerce and Sunbeam Properties & Development

Economic Impact:

• Mayla Pompano Residences – Grover Corlew
• Point Blank Enterprises, Inc – JLL
• VSE Corporation Lease Extension and Corporate Headquarters Relocation – Miramar Park of Commerce and Sunbeam Properties & Development
• Xtreme Aviation – Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance

Developer of the Year:

• Bridge Industrial
• Butters Construction & Development, Inc.
• Foundry Commercial
• Link Logistics
• Prologis
• Related Ross

Lifetime Achievement:

Manny De Zarraga, executive managing director at JLL and a key member of the JLL Capital Markets, Americas’ Executive Council, the JLL Global Capital Markets Advisory Board and the Corporate Investment Banking team for Latin America will receive the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award.

With more than 34 years of experience in real estate investment banking, De Zarraga has specialized in expanding capital markets platforms and representing institutional investors and global family offices in institutional-grade commercial real estate. He is also a key member of JLL’s Global Capital Team, focusing on the Latin American markets.

De Zarraga joined JLL as part of JLL’s acquisition of HFF. Previously, he was a principal and managing director at Sonnenblick-Goldman Company for 14 years, where he handled major real estate transactions across various property types. He has served as the U.S. investment advisor to Brazil’s Grupo Multiplan since 1994 and was previously the privatization advisor to the government of Puerto Rico.

De Zarraga is actively involved in several industry and community organizations, including serving as vice-chair of the Urban Development and Mixed-Use Council (UDMUC) with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and as a member of the Consejo Empresarial de America Latina (CEAL). He also contributes to his community, serving as chairman of Habitat for Humanity, vice-chair of the University of Miami Business School Real Estate Board and as a member of the Florida State University Business School Real Estate Board.

“The Awards of Excellence is always a highlight for the commercial real estate industry, and this year’s event is no exception, with so many deserving projects, organizations and individuals to celebrate,” said Darcie Lunsford Awards of Excellence chair and senior vice president at Colliers. “We are thrilled to honor industry veteran Manny De Zarraga with a Lifetime Achievement Award, along with all the outstanding finalists and winners who have made significant contributions to our field.”