The following is an HTML version of the Real Estate Florida feature that ran in the April 2012 issue of Real Estate Forum. REFL is part of the magazine's ForumLocal series of features. Click here to view this story in its original format.

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.