Moishe Mana Unveils Ambitious Development Plans For Downtown Miami

Downtown Miami’s largest private landowner, Moishe Mana, is taking a deliberate approach to redevelopment — prioritizing renovation, culture, and tech collaboration over the construction of new towers.

Over the past decade, Mana has assembled roughly 80 properties along the Flagler Street corridor, where zoning could allow for more than 1.3 million square feet of development and buildings up to 80 stories. Yet, instead of racing to add to Miami’s skyline, Mana has focused on restoring historic structures and funding the $30 million Flagler Street streetscape improvement project, now nearing completion.

While residential construction around his holdings continues to surge, downtown retail remains a challenge. According to Colliers, the area’s retail vacancy rate reached 10.7% in the third quarter — the highest in Miami-Dade County — compared with 2.2% in Brickell and 3.1% in Edgewater.

Mana, however, says his mission extends beyond real estate. Speaking from his Mana Common tech incubator, he outlined his broader vision: transforming Miami into a global hub linking North and South America. “We want to make Miami the global hub to connect Latin America to North America — to make it one economy,” Mana said.

Through Mana Tech, his venture and incubator platform, Mana has already hosted more than 180 events and supported 142 member companies from Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. Startups in the program have raised over $90 million collectively, and Mana said he’s personally invested in several of them. The initiative will soon move into the Nikola Tesla Innovation Hub, a 150,000-square-foot office project under renovation at 155 S. Miami Ave.

Beyond tech, Mana is curating retail and cultural experiences to help reposition downtown Miami. Plans include a new restaurant by chef Todd English, a fashion hub for designers, and a private club for legal professionals. He’s also funding public art installations inspired by Renaissance masterpieces — a nod to the Medici family’s legacy and his desire to spark a modern-day “Miami renaissance.”

While he has designed two mixed-use towers combining residential, hotel, and retail space, Mana said construction will wait until market conditions improve. For now, his focus remains on building community and creative infrastructure that can anchor downtown’s next chapter.

“I want to have a renaissance in Miami,” Mana said. “That is the legacy that I am making.”