MORI HOSSEINI

CHAIRMAN & CEO, ICI HOMES, DAYTONA BEACH

Hosseini has had a rough year. The influential businessman chairs the University of Florida’s board of trustees and said he was “deeply disappointed” in June when the Florida Board of Governors rejected Santa Ono, the UF board’s chosen candidate to be UF’s 14th president. Hosseini also chairs the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Board of Trustees. Born in Iran, Hosseini runs ICI Homes, which develops master-planned communities in major Florida markets. The company and its affiliates — home building, golf course operations, amenities, a title company, a lumber company and real estate brokerages — employ nearly 600. He also serves on the board of Space Florida, chairing the organization’s Investment Committee.