Real estate titan Stephen Ross recently announced he is stepping down as chairman of Related Cos. of New York to lead his own development firm and focus his attention on the burgeoning South Florida market.

The billionaire owner of the NFL's Miami Dolphins launched his new company, Related Ross, from the previously named Related Southeast, part of Related Cos.

The man who built the mixed-use Hudson Yards complex along the western side of Manhattan now will zero in on South Florida, where he owns a nearly 3 million-square-foot real estate portfolio.

The move is no surprise to Ross watchers: For years, he has focused increasingly on West Palm Beach, earning the city the unofficial nickname, Relatedville.

In an exclusive interview in 2023, Ross likened West Palm Beach to Greenwich, a suburban enclave for New York executives and a financial hub in its own right.

"I really believe in West Palm Beach," Ross said. "It's going to become the model city in the country. It's going to attract more people and the growth will continue."

A resident of Palm Beach, Ross won't have to travel far to ply his trade at Related Ross. His office is at 360 Rosemary, a 20-story luxury office building that Related built in West Palm Beach during the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are four things to know about Ross, his new company, and his projects.

Ross is keeping his real estate team together

The Dolphins periodically may shuffle their football lineup, but Ross seems to be keeping the team together at Related Ross.

For starters, he's brought along his longtime partner, Kenneth Himmel, to join him in his new venture. Himmel previously served as president and chief executive of Related Urban, the mixed-use arm of Related Cos.

Himmel, 78, now serves as president of Related Ross, while Ross, 84, is chairman and chief executive.

Other people their age might be focused on leisure pursuits, but these men don't seem ready to relax just yet.

"We continue our 28 years as the managing partners in this business...very exciting future for all," Himmel said in an email.

One has to wonder: Is Related Ross a business or a hobby for Ross and Himmel? Maybe it's a little bit of both.

Some projects, including the Shorecrest condo, are being tweaked

Ross has a full plate of projects he wants to complete.

This includes the construction of a second Hilton-branded hotel at the Palm Beach County Convention Center; and the completion of the ultra-luxury South Flagler House condominium on South Flagler Drive.

But original plans for another condominium, Shorecrest at 1901 N. Flagler Dr., may have washed out.

Related had planned to build the 28-story tower on property now owned by Temple Israel. In an unusual move, the Reform Jewish synagogue would not move from the site but would instead occupy the tower's first two floors. A preschool also would be built on the west side of the temple tower.

Prices for the tower's 140 units ranged from $2 million to $10 million.

But the temple tower idea didn't catch on with buyers, and Shorecrest failed to land any purchase contracts, according to real estate sources.

More: Related Cos.' newest waterview high-rise condo adds to upscale West Palm neighborhood

The original Shorecrest plan now is shelved, and the project is being redesigned by Roger Ferris, the project's notable contemporary architect, real estate sources said.

One possible redo: The condo would be built separate from the temple, which would move to land to the west of the planned high-rise.

It's not clear whether a pre-school, planned for the western parcel, would still be built at the property.

But if the temple is cut from the tower, word is that the building could feature more units, up to 160, but at smaller sizes and costing less money than the original plan.

A Related spokeswoman said Related still is moving forward with a condo on the temple site and is not "abandoning" the project, but the spokeswoman said she couldn't provide specifics until September.

Ross is determined to boost West Palm Beach's healthcare and educational profile

When NYU Langone was considering an expanded presence in West Palm Beach, Ross thought he had inked a deal to put the famed New York health care provider in one of two new office towers he planned at CityPlace.

Then NYU Langone pivoted and decided to build its own medical tower elsewhere downtown, earning Ross' ire.

Ross still is planning to lease a large portion of the planned 15 CityPlace office tower to a major medical provider, reportedly Cleveland Clinic Florida.

The health care provider already has smaller offices at an existing CityPlace office building nearby.

But Ross also is working hard to find a site for Cleveland Clinic to build a Palm Beach County hospital.

Many area residents want the non-profit to build a hospital in the county so they don't have to drive to the Weston campus Broward County for in-patient treatment.

And Ross has pledged to bring a "world-class hospital" to Palm Beach County.

Cleveland Clinic officials have been mum about their plans. But earlier this year, during a major fundraising gala in Palm Beach, they revealed their efforts to build a Palm Beach County hospital.

Ross and Himmel also both believe a major university is needed in downtown West Palm Beach to attract more companies and drive further growth.

Efforts to attract the University of Florida to downtown foundered last year, but now Related and other developers have a new university on the hook: Vanderbilt University of Nashville.

The private university said it wants to build a business school in West Palm Beach.

In an April interview, Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said a West Palm Beach campus would capitalize on Palm Beach County's growing reputation as "Wall Street South." The campus would provide students jobs in finance companies and "turbocharge" the creation of new businesses established by students, Diermeier said.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' owner Stephen Ross: Big plans for model city West Palm Beach