Young Leader of the Year

The Young Leader of the Year Award honors inspiring industry professionals aged 35 or younger whose outstanding achievements and contributions are advancing the industry and positively shaping our region’s communities.

Aaron DeMayo, Founder of Future Vision Studios

2025 Winner: Aaron DeMayo

Aaron is an architectural designer, urban planner, and passionate advocate for climate resilience, who, at age 35, has already become a driving force in shaping a more resilient, connected, and livable future for South Florida.

Aaron is recognized for his holistic, multi-disciplinary approach and for finding “win-win” strategies that balance climate solutions and environmental stewardship with economic practicality and community building.

As Founder of Future Vision Studios, he leads a firm that develops design and planning strategies with a strong emphasis on functionality and efficiency, and people-centered design—integrating nature and mobility to create lasting value. His work spans small infill projects to large-scale multifamily towers, as well as mixed-use, hospitality, office, and urban plans.

Aaron is deeply committed to resilience. After witnessing severe flooding events in Miami, he began documenting king tides and storm impacts, contributing data that helped calibrate the City’s Stormwater Master Plan. In 2023, he authored the “Connect and Protect Plan,” a holistic alternative to the USACE’s coastal storm risk management report, advocating for green infrastructure and a regional approach to protect hundreds of miles of coastline while enhancing mobility and public space.

Since 2024, he has served as Chair of the City of Miami Climate Resilience Committee, advancing policy in areas including green infrastructure, tree preservation, and waste reduction.

Read the full announcement >

Alfonso Costa Jr., ULI Southeast Florida / Caribbean’s 2024 Young Leader of the Year, gives brief remarks at the 16th annual Vision Awards event on Thursday, September 26th, 2024 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.

2024 Winner: Alfonso Costa Jr.

As Chief Operating Officer of the Falcone Group, Alfonso Costa Jr. oversees the development of multifamily apartment communities and condominium projects, leading public-private partnership opportunities as well as the company’s operational and strategic initiatives.

His current pipeline of mixed-use development projects includes more than 2,000 residential units and 200,000 square feet of retail, with a total value exceeding $1 billion. Such projects include “Block C” at Miami WorldCenter, and the “Horizon of Oakland Park,” a mixed-use public-private-partnership with the City of Oakland Park.

Prior to joining the Falcone Group, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff & Opportunity Zones lead for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he oversaw policy for the $50 billion annually-budgeted Cabinet agency. As an expert on the bi-partisan Opportunity Zones program, he held the title of Chairman’s delegate and HUD’s lead representative on the Federal Government’s inter-agency Opportunity and Revitalization Council, and for his efforts he was recognized in the Opportunity Zone Magazine’s “Top 25 OZ Influencers” list for both 2020 and 2021.