Gubernatorial candidate and real estate investor Philip Levine built his fortune thanks in part to a well-known Miami real estate family.
Levine, a former mayor of Miami Beach and one of the leading Democrats running for governor of Florida, met Design District developer Craig Robins at the University of Michigan where they were roommates. In the mid-1990s, Robins’ father Jerry Robins agreed to become a silent partner of OnBoard Media, which Levine sold in 2000 to LVMH Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy for an undisclosed amount.
Levine has invested millions of dollars in Miami neighborhoods with Scott Robins, CEO of Scott Robins Companies and brother of Craig Robins, according to the Miami Herald’s review of court and corporate filings and interviews. Those investments provided Levine with more than $1.4 million in 2017, which the newspaper said is his biggest source of income outside of his leisure companies.
Levine owns more than $100 million in real estate in Miami, Miami Beach, Okeechobee and New York. He and Scott Robins are trying to sell a retail portfolio in Sunset Harbour that is expected to fetch $70 million or more.
In the Democratic primary, Levine is running against fellow real estate developer Jeff Greene, Chris King of Winter Park, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.
Greene, who joined the race late in June, previously said he could spend $100 million of his own money to fund his campaign. [Miami Herald] – Katherine Kallergis