MIAMI-As South Florida's real estate market begins to thaw every so slightly, savvy investors like Aztec Group's Ezra Katz are in the process of making big moves in 2012.

Katz has lived through a real estate cycle or two during his 30-year tenure as CEO of Aztec Group, the third-party merchant banking and investment sales firm he founded in 1981. And after sitting patiently on the sidelines for the past few years in the wake of the historic financial meltdown that left the nation's capital market's all but frozen, Katz is preparing to come out swinging in 2012 as the right opportunities present themselves.

Aztec’s specialty lies in bringing buyers and sellers—institutional and private—to the table and securing financing to get deals done. The firm has handled more than $10 billion in transactions during the past decade. Under Ezra’s leadership, Aztec has been involved in transactions ranging from the $72 million sale of Mayfair Shops, the $70 million financing of Dadeland Station, the $157 million capital investment by Colony with the Michael Swerdlow Companies and the formation of Progressive Development Company in Charlotte.