Stephen Muss (born 1928)[1] is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist known for leading the resurgence and redevelopment of Miami Beach, Florida.
Stephen Muss | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1928 (age 95–96) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, investor, philanthropist |
| Known for | Presiding over the resurgence and redevelopment of Miami Beach, Florida |
| Spouse | Sandra Paul Muss |
| Parent | Alexander Muss |
| Family | Isaac Muss (grandfather) |
Early life and education
editMuss was born to a Jewish family in New York City[2][3] and raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.[4] His father, Alexander, was one of eleven children, six of them brothers who worked for their father's construction company building homes during and after the Great Depression.[2] Muss worked for the family business first as a laborer and then in sales and construction supervision.[2]
Career
editMuss eventually went into a partnership with his father founding Alexander Muss & Sons developing 30 acres of tract homes on Long Island.[2] From 1952 through 1968, they went on to develop over 20 subdivisions with about 20,000 houses in Queens, New Jersey, and on Long Island; they also built over 4,000 multifamily units.[1] In the 1950s, his family moved to Florida[2] where his father, now a multi-millionaire, built the Seacoast Towers in Miami Beach,[2] known for the distinctive MiMO architectural style, the Towers of Key Biscayne, and the Towers of Quayside.[4] In 1967, Stephen took over the Florida business, now named the Muss Organization, becoming Miami Beach's single largest landlord.[4]
In 1978, Muss bought the largest hotel in Miami-Dade County, the aging Fontainebleau Hotel (founded by Ben Novack), for $27 million[4] rescuing it from bankruptcy.[2] He injected an additional $100 million into the hotel for improvements[2] and hired the Hilton company to manage it.[4] In 2005, the Muss Organization sold the Fontainebleau to Donald Soffer's Turnberry Associates[5] for $165 million.[4]
Muss was seminal in getting Miami Beach to implement a 3% "bed" tax to rebuild the city's aging infrastructure[4] which included refurbishing and expanding its convention center.[4][6] He was the president of the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency.[7] In 1994, he sold the Seacoast Towers for $94 million.[4]
Philanthropy
editMuss is the chairman of the Alexander Muss High School in Israel and honorary chairman of The Lapid, Coalition for High School Age Programs in Israel.[8][9] Muss has served as Board Chair of Temple Emanu-El and also served on the board of the Miami Art Museum and on the Board of Governors of Haifa University.[10]
Personal life
editMuss married the ex-wife of his friend and CenTrust banker David L. Paul, who was sentenced to eleven years in federal prison.[4] His wife Sandra is a daughter of Holocaust survivors and was Board Chair of the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach. She is currently a member of the Board of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).[10] The Musses are members of Temple Emanu-El in Miami Beach.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b New York Times: "Perspectives: Brighton Beach; Revising (Again) a Plan for the Baths Site" By ALAN S. OSER May 17, 1992
- ^ a b c d e f g h South Florida Business Journal: "Born to build - Muss, Soffer progeny develop joint project : Fontainebleau II" by Stephen Van Drake March 11, 2002
- ^ We Are Many: Reflections On American Jewish History And Identity By Edward S Shapiro retrieved April 13, 2013
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Fool's Paradise: Players, Poseurs, and the Culture of Excess in South Beach By Steven Gaines pages 100 -110
- ^ Sun-Sentinel: "Turnberry Buys Fontainebleau - $150 Million Targeted For Upgrades" by Tom Stieghorst January 21, 2005
- ^ The Miami News: "Convention Center's Name Stirs a Debate" by Merwin Sigale June 15, 1988
- ^ The Miami News: "Can't Shoot Down Steve Muss with Blanks" by Howard Kleinberg October 31, 1979
- ^ The New York Jewish Week: "End The Duplication On High School Israel Programs" by Stephen Muss May 15, 2012
- ^ The Jerusalem Post: "Spotlight on new Trend: High School Programs in Israel" By ALEXANDER MUSS HIGH SCHOOL IN ISRAEL February 26, 2012
- ^ a b c Jewish Miami: "The Main Event Featuring Keynote Speaker Dan Senor and Entertainment by Tararam - Honoring Stephen & Sandra Muss with the Friend of Israel Humanitarian Award Muss" 2011