The Brightline from Miami to West Palm Beach has become a signal. One of proximity, sure; but even more so of momentum, whether that be of people, capital, or companies.
In many ways, Jordan Rathlev has been at the center of that shift.
He started in real estate investment banking before joining Related Ross, working across major markets like New York and California. But in 2016, he was part of a small team of just four people sent to West Palm Beach to open an office and test the market.
It didn’t stay small for long.
“We went from four people to over 170 in the office,” Rathlev told Refresh Miami. The growth tracked with a broader change happening across Palm Beach County, but also helped drive it.
“Florida had not promoted itself as a great place to do business historically,” Rathlev said. “But it was on the cusp of doing it.”
Then came the pandemic. As companies reassessed where to operate, South Florida stood out. Open, accessible, and aligned across local and state leadership. Rathlev described it as a “yes mentality,” a contrast to more restrictive environments elsewhere.
Related Ross moved early, acquiring assets across downtown West Palm Beach and taking a longer-term view.
“If we’re going to attract real businesses, what’s missing here?” Rathlev said of the reflection his team had at the time.
The answer came down to fundamentals: education, healthcare, and infrastructure. That meant helping bring institutions like Vanderbilt into the region (set to launch in 2029), supporting the expansion of Cleveland Clinic, and working with local authorities on mobility before traffic became a constraint. It also meant investing in schools, both private and public, to build a talent pipeline.
Because the key question from companies is always the same, as Rathlev asserted: “How do you attract and retain talent?”
Lifestyle alone wasn’t enough. The beaches and weather were already known. What mattered was whether the region could support serious growth.
That’s where tech enters the picture.
For Eric Silagy, Vice Chairman at Related Ross, the story starts with something Florida hasn’t historically done well: positioning itself as a place to build.
“The state has always marketed itself as a place to visit,” Silagy shared in an interview with Refresh Miami. “But not as a place to do business.”
That’s changing. He points to a $1.9 trillion economy, a top-ranked public university system, and growing depth across sectors like aerospace, defense, and finance as the real foundation behind the region’s tech push.
“What’s changing is the density,” he said, pointing to a growing mix of capital, engineering talent, and companies building in close proximity.
But Silagy, who leads Related Ross’s Gold Coast tech accelerator initiative, asserted that sustaining this growth will come down to execution.
“We have to keep investing in the fundamentals that got us here,” Silagy said, citing education, housing, and transportation – including better integration of systems like Brightline.
“Growth can be a strength,” he added. “But only if you manage it proactively.”
For his part, Rathlev points to the same ingredients that shaped Silicon Valley: “You had great engineering talent, great access to capital, and an ecosystem of entrepreneurs.”
Palm Beach County is starting to line up in a similar way. Capital has long been present. Talent is being strengthened through new academic programs. And now, the infrastructure for innovation is taking shape.
For instance, ServiceNow is opening an AI innovation center. Vanderbilt is bringing its own hub. Local groups like 1909 and NextEra are adding density to the ecosystem.
“There’s no reason this can’t be the next genesis of what the tech culture looks like,” Rathlev said.
On top of startups, larger companies are moving in as well, expanding what was once a finance-heavy migration into something more diversified across tech, healthcare, and defense.
Nowadays, Related Ross is managing nearly 2 million square feet of office space, with another 3.5 million in development. Current projects are already close to 70% leased.
More is coming, with Rathlev hinting that the developer will soon announce the launch of another million square feet within downtown.
But the strategy goes beyond real estate. Rathlev pointed to events, restaurants, and cultural programming as part of the same effort. A recent music festival sold out faster here than in any other market it had been held in.
“It’s these other layers to the community that we put into it,” he said. “Not just the buildings, but really this idea of a holistic city that is built around them.”
That may be not whether West Palm Beach can attract companies, but whether it can hold them.
Because the Brightline keeps running north. The question is what kind of city people arrive in.
Editor’s note: Did you miss this week’s deeper look at Palm Beach County? Riley Kaminer examines how Palm Beach County is turning inbound talent, AI trust, and institutional growth into a serious innovation ecosystem. READ IT IN REFRESH MIAMI HERE.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
- Stephen Ross, eMerge Americas and Florida Council of 100 announce Gold Coast Tech Accelerator
- 35 Mules announces 3rd cohort. Let’s meet them.
- Fortune 500 firm ServiceNow to expand in West Palm Beach and create 850+ jobs
- A new kind of nuclear company puts its HQ in Palm Beach Gardens
