NEISEN O. KASDIN

CO-OFFICE MANAGING PARTNER, AKERMAN, MIAMI

In many ways, Kasdin has helped change the face of South Florida. He led the creation of Miami’s Downtown Master Plan as the Downtown Development Authority’s vice chair. He helped revitalize South Beach as chair of its Community Development Corporation and during a term as mayor of his native Miami Beach. In his practice as a land-use attorney he has helped bring projects in Wynwood, the Design District and other communities to fruition, including a $1.5-billion, 5.5-million-sq.-ft. mixed-use development in the city’s Brickell financial district. The Urban Land Institute Southeast Florida/Caribbean honored the University of Florida law graduate with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In community service, he’s supported work to safeguard children who have been abused or neglected.