BoardroomPR longtime real estate client Henry Torres, CEO of The Astor Companies in Coral Gables, joined host Peter Zalewski for an in-depth, wide-ranging conversation on The Peter Zalewski Show, a weekly podcast featuring South Florida business leaders focused on real estate, finance and the economy. 

The centerpiece of the conversation was Torres’ bold decision to pivot his current project, the 179-unit Havana Enclave tower at 315 NW 27th Ave in Miami’s Little Havana, from a rental development into a for-sale condo building. His read on the current market is clear: the rental sector in South Florida is overbuilt, luxury condo inventory is concentrated between Greater Downtown Miami and the barrier islands, and working-class buyers in neighborhoods like Little Havana are largely overlooked by developers chasing wealthier customers elsewhere. Havana Enclave is his answer to that gap, with studios starting in the mid-$300,000s, one-bedrooms opening in the low $500,000s and two-bedrooms from the low $700,000s. Every unit includes a full-sized refrigerator, washer and dryer, a walk-in closet and a dedicated self-parking space. 

Torres also opined on where the broader Miami market stands today. Construction costs have climbed 40% to 50% since before the pandemic. Institutional capital flooded the rental market in 2021, 2022 and 2023 without short-term return pressure, and that supply is now weighing on rents across the region. Torres does not expect interest rates to drop fast enough to reverse those dynamics quickly. Still, he sees reasons for long-term confidence in a city where significant outside capital continues to arrive and working-class families in Little Havana are investing $100,000 to $150,000 renovating homes they have no intention of leaving. 

Before entering real estate development in 2002, Torres spent 25 years building a seafood distribution business that supplied nearly every major cruise line operating out of South Florida, eventually selling the company in 2001. That background in relationship-driven, logistics-intensive business informs how he approaches development: methodically, with an eye for underserved demand and a clear sense of where the risk lies. 

The Peter Zalewski Show broadcasts live every Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST on his Miami Condo Club website, Substack and across his social media channels. The show’s stated mission is to deliver straight talk and data-driven analysis on the economic forces shaping Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.  

BoardroomPR is proud to work with visionary leaders like Henry Torres, helping amplify their thought leadership and media presence across podcasts, national publications and industry platforms.

Eric Kalis

Senior Vice President