Miami has long billed itself as the Gateway to Latin America. Now, the city—and, to a lesser extent, all of Florida—appears to be the gateway for international real estate developers and investors looking for a safe place for their dollars (or euros or ringgits) to land.

Indeed, as the next wave of commercial real estate development gets underway in Florida, Miami is leading the charge, and international investors are fueling the impending boom. From multibillion-dollar mixed-use developments currently in the planning phases and condo towers rising from the dirt to trophy and triple-net assets trading hands, global investors have pegged Florida, and specifically Miami, as a refuge for their currency.

“We have been approached by investors from Brazil, Chile, Venezuela and other Latin American countries,” says Jeff Bartel, chairman of Benworth Capital, a hard equity lender in Coral Gables. “We’re also seeing a great deal of interest from East Asia, in light of the massive Genting and Swire projects planned in Miami’s CBD. International interest will trend up even more through next year with emerging Latin American markets.”