Nick Rojo, president and co-founder of Affiliated Development, died unexpectedly on Monday at the age of 44.
Jeff Burns, CEO and co-founder of the Fort Lauderdale-based firm, announced Rojo’s passing Tuesday but did not disclose a cause of death, the South Florida Business Journal reported.
In a statement to the outlet, Burns called Rojo “an exceptional business leader, loyal partner, dedicated friend and brilliant mind whose vision, integrity and commitment helped shape Affiliated Development into the company it is today.”
Burns said the Affiliated team will “stay committed to carrying on his legacy” and support his family, which includes a wife and son.
Rojo, a South Florida native, graduated from Georgetown University and began his real estate career in 2005 at Wachovia Securities, where he served as an investment banker. He returned to South Florida in 2009 and worked in commercial real estate for a family office before forming Affiliated Development with Burns in 2014, according to the firm’s website. He developed more than 2,000 apartment units through public and private partnerships, the website said.
Rojo also served as a principal owner and founder of Mako Capital LLC for the past 17 years, according to LinkedIn. He was on the Broward County Sheriff’s advisory council and on the board of the West Palm Beach Police Athletic League.
Affiliated Development is one of South Florida’s most prolific multifamily and workforce housing developers. The firm has collaborated with 13 municipalities and invested over $1.5 billion, according to its website.
Affiliated is active in Broward and Palm Beach County, with projects including the Tropic in Hollywood, the Era in Fort Lauderdale, the Pierce in Boynton Beach and the Grand in West Palm Beach, all of which feature workforce housing.
Last month, Affiliated scored a $74 million construction loan for The Cove, an eight-story, 376-unit Live Local Act project in Fort Lauderdale. Fifty-five percent of those units will be designated as workforce housing.
—Grace McClung
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