The Urban Land Institute’s annual Miami Symposium is always a must-attend event for South Florida real estate developers, Florida real estate public relations professionals, and others. ULI’s 2025 edition of the conference was especially timely and relevant, as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner shared important updates about federal housing policy during the event’s keynote conversation.

One notable update from Turner that could have significant implications in South Florida is the potential extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026. Turner said that there is a “framework” in place to extend the Act, which established Opportunity Zones to stimulate private investment into federally designated neighborhoods. Opportunity Zones became a popular vehicle for Florida commercial real estate and mixed-use development. 

Opportunity Zone neighborhoods have collectively received $80 billion in private investment, according to Turner.

Turner, who is just a few months into his HUD Secretary tenure, was interviewed by Falcone Group COO Alfonso Costa Jr. – the former HUD Deputy Chief of Staff and 2024 ULI Young Leader of the Year award recipient. The conversation between Costa Jr. and Turner was informative, entertaining and inspirational. Turner had a nine-year National Football League career before shifting his focus to business and politics. He served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council from 2019 to 2021.

“Real housing solutions come from the private sector, nonprofits and faith-based organizations,” Turner told Costa Jr. “The government is a great facilitator.”

Costa Jr. closed the lively conversation by prompting Turner to tell the story of how his experience as a dishwasher at his father’s Texas barbecue restaurant taught him pivotal lessons about hard work and the importance of being uncomfortable to achieve true growth. That work ethic led Turner, who was not on the radar of NFL scouts, to push himself to run a sub-4.3 40-yard dash that resulted in him being drafted by Washington in the last round of the 1995 NFL Draft.

BoardroomPR’s Public Relations and South Florida Social Media experts make sure to attend important real estate conferences in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando and beyond. That enables team members to stay ahead of the curve on relevant industry trends, topics and issues. Senior Vice President Eric Kalis, who co-chairs BoardroomPR’s Florida real estate public relations practice, is very involved with ULI and is scheduled to attend the organization’s annual Florida Summit in June in Southwest Florida.

Eric Kalis

Senior Vice President