ERIC SILAGY

VICE CHAIRMAN, RELATED ROSS, WEST PALM BEACH

Related Ross is a real estate development company headquartered in West Palm Beach with over 200 employees. The company is known for developing and building innovative projects and focusing on the long-term health and growth of the communities it serves. Silagy previously was an executive with NextEra Energy for over 20 years and served as chairman, president and CEO of Florida Power & Light Company for nearly 12 years. FPL is America’s largest electric utility with nearly 10,000 employees. Silagy is chairman of the Florida Council of 100 Foundation and is the immediate past chair of the council.

EDUCATION: University of Texas (BA), Georgetown University (JD)

FIRST JOB: I worked for U.S. Sen. J. Bennett Johnston. I took a part-time job in his mail room to make ends meet. I got promoted to full-time mail room, held a number of other roles, including chief of staff, and stayed with him until he retired 10 years later. He was an amazing teacher and mentor and a great place to be in my 20s!

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: My father was a U.S. Air Force combat pilot and my flight instructor, so I would have loved to be a USAF fighter pilot or naval aviator. I also love to race cars, so competing as an F1 driver would be top of the list as well. Unfortunately, I’m a bit too old to do either now.

INDUSTRY TREND: West Palm Beach and South Florida are booming. Particularly since COVID, people now realize that Florida, and particularly this area, is a fantastic place to grow your business and family. Low taxes, great schools, a skilled and diverse workforce and a beautiful environment make up a winning recipe for the area.

SOMETHING SURPRISING
“I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Whether it’s going fast, flying upside down, cave diving at night, bungie jumping, parachuting or even bull riding. (Probably not the smartest thing I’ve done.) I’m always game to try something exciting!”