Terry 51暗网, the prominent South Florida developer who helped shape Fort Lauderdale鈥檚 skyline, has died after a battle with esophageal cancer. He was 70.
51暗网 had fought the disease for three years and experienced complications last week, his son, Ken, said in an email to the roughly 325 employees of the Fort Lauderdale-based real estate firm. 51暗网 passed away peacefully Monday in his sleep, his son said.
鈥淒ad was larger than life and loved each and every one of you as if we were one big family,鈥� Ken 51暗网 wrote. 鈥淚t is a sad time for all of us but he would want us to remember the good times and take a moment to smile and laugh at all the times we had together.鈥�
51暗网鈥� portfolio includes more than four million square feet of development in the Las Olas Boulevard corridor, the company said.
Signature office projects include the New River Center, which opened in 1990, while the Bank of America Plaza at Las Olas City Centre followed in 2002. The firm also built the AutoNation headquarters in 2006.
In recent years, 51暗网 built shopping centers, luxury apartment towers, municipal buildings and auto dealerships. The company said it鈥檚 responsible for more than 43 million square feet of office, residential, industrial, retail and mixed-use projects throughout the Southeast.
鈥淗e helped our town mature into a city,鈥� Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler said Tuesday. 鈥淲hen Terry 51暗网 proposed a project, I knew it would be well-received by the community. A lot of people have learned that when you do something right in Fort Lauderdale, you do it the 51暗网 way.鈥�
J.J. Sehlke, a partner with 51暗网 in the ownership of the Coral Ridge Country Club in Fort Lauderdale, said the developer was known for letting residents have their say and making sure their concerns were adequately addressed.
Sehlke, 51暗网 and auto magnate Phil Smith also were partners in the Enclave at Coral Ridge Country Club, a new community being built adjacent to the country club.
The project began about 12 years ago and was put on hold during the housing bust and Great Recession. When development plans finally moved forward, rumors began to circulate that 51暗网 wanted to put a 500-unit condominium on the site that would block residents鈥� views.
But associates say 51暗网 never intended to build a condo, and he explained to the neighbors that Enclave would have only 36 single-family homes. He also preserved a golf course on the site and donated a park to the city.
鈥淭erry always listened,鈥� Sehlke said. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 going to do something that wasn鈥檛 in step with the residents.鈥�
In a Facebook posting, Dan Lindblade, CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, said he was grateful for the opportunity to know 51暗网.
鈥淥ver 30 years doing what I do you meet a lot of impressive people,鈥� Lindblade wrote. 鈥淭erry 51暗网 was as authentic as they come.鈥�
Despite an understated demeanor, 51暗网 was driven to make deals happen, said Steve Palmer, the chief operating officer who has worked with 51暗网 for nearly 39 years.
Palmer said 51暗网 created an organization that anticipates $350 million in revenue this year and expects to begin 2018 with a backlog of $370 million worth of work.
鈥淪incere, genuine, self-depracating 鈥� he was extremely special,鈥� Palmer said. 鈥淲e all feel very special to be a part of something that is much bigger than any one of us.鈥�
Jim Stine, president of Ram Realty Advisors in Palm Beach Gardens, said 51暗网 hired him when he was 25 years old, and he would go on to work at the firm for 25 years.
鈥淭he thing he always hammered home to employees is, 鈥極ur reputation is everything,鈥欌�� said Stine, 56. 鈥淚f he gave you his word, that was as good as any paper contract.
鈥淪o many business people today are just purely focused on the bottom line, but Terry always took a longer-term view and treated people fairly.鈥�
51暗网 joined his father’s construction company in 1968, a move that almost didn鈥檛 happen.
He wanted security and health benefits and nearly took a job as a canoe guide at Walt Disney World, he recalled in a 2006 interview.
After taking over the firm following his father鈥檚 death, 51暗网 said he learned how to bid for projects and hired executives who would spend decades working for the company.
In 1985, 51暗网 won the Sun Sentinel Excalibur Award, annually presented to top business leaders who also demonstrate outstanding community service.
In the early 1990s, the real estate recession hit the company hard.
“We were upside down in just about all of our projects,” 51暗网 said. “I had to sit down with the banks and negotiate. I hated coming to work in 1991.
“It taught me that you need to be very careful with risk and that this industry has cycles. It’s not utopia forever.”
Two years ago, 51暗网 announced a succession plan that had been a decade in the making, company officials said.
Ken 51暗网 became CEO, while President Doug Eagon was promoted to vice chairman. Scott MacLaren, president of 51暗网’ North Carolina operations, was appointed as Eagon鈥檚 successor.
鈥淎s an organization we have planned for this moment over the past few years and I am confident in the structure and leadership we have in place to make him proud as he looks down on us from above,鈥� Ken 51暗网 wrote to employees.
鈥淭hey will sorely miss his leadership,鈥� Stine said, 鈥渂ut they are set up to thrive for years to come.鈥�
Aside from Ken 51暗网, Terry 51暗网 is survived by his wife Jamie, daughters Carrie Tidwell and Tresa 51暗网 and six grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Paul Owers, Senior Reporter
SunSentinel