Craig Robins

Craig Robins is an entrepreneur and a real estate developer. As President and CEO of Dacra, his primary focus is innovative real estate development, nurturing the growth of neighborhoods that combine commerce, culture and a strong sense of community. His distinctive approach to place-making, passion for art and design, and commitment to innovation and sustainability have helped transform Miami.

Robins is also an early-stage investor in digital-first brands and leading-edge technologies — many of which have sustainability at the forefront.

Early in his career, Robins focused on the revitalization of South Beach, recognizing that it could be a significant inflection point in the growth of the larger city of Miami Beach. While others advocated for demolition, Robins and a core group of investors saw the potential for widespread neighborhood renewal. Years of meticulous renovation established the architectural influence of South Beach’s Art Deco District, spurring an economic reawakening for the region.

Robins was encouraged by the impact of this critical work, and turned his attention to other neglected neighborhoods. He made a long-term commitment to redeveloping the Miami Design District, an 18 square block area of under-utilized commercial buildings. In partnership with L Catterton and Brookfield, Robins has cultivated a new kind of neighborhood, home to creative businesses and cultural institutions, at the heart of a vibrant community. The Miami Design District is the world’s first Gold LEED-certified neighborhood. The neighborhood also inspired the creation of Design Miami/ and Design Miami/ Basel, design fairs that Robins owns in partnership with the producers of Art Basel, MCH Swiss Exhibition.

Robins is an avid art and design collector. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Anaphiel Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting arts education and exploration. Among other initiatives, Anaphiel created the Miami Design District’s Performance Series presented by the Knight Foundation. The live event series is produced by 19-time Grammy© Award winning producer Emilio Estefan in collaboration with Maestro Eduardo Marturet (Miami Symphony Orchestra) and offers free concerts on Friday nights in the Miami Design District. He is also on the Board of Trustees of the Peréz Art Museum Miami, Chairman of the American Friends of the Beyeler Museum and the recipient of the 2006 Design Patron Award from the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. He is also on the Board of the Sylvester Cancer Center at UM Health.