Driftwood Capital Names David Resnick and David Steiner Co-CIOs Amid Investment Growth

Based in Coral Gables, Driftwood Capital named David Resnick a partner and co-chief investment officer earlier this month. The firm also elevated David Steiner, co-founder of Driftwood’s credit platform, to co-CIO alongside him.

Resnick and Steiner will jointly lead investment activity across Driftwood’s equity and credit platforms, bringing both sides of the business under one leadership structure while keeping the strategies distinct.

Their responsibilities will include strategy, origination, underwriting and structuring, capital allocation, and portfolio oversight. The new structure is designed to support the continued growth of both Driftwood’s credit and equity businesses as the firm pursues increasingly complex investments. The executive restructuring comes as Driftwood takes on more ambitious projects across lifestyle and luxury hospitality, mixed-use development, ground-up development, and branded residential.

New Leadership for Driftwood's Next Phase of Growth

Resnick and Steiner bring different investment backgrounds to their new joint leadership roles.

Resnick previously served as CIO of Miami-based 13th Floor Investments, where he led more than $850 million in capitalized projects and helped grow the company’s pipeline by $5.5 billion in capitalization across residential and alternative sectors.

Prior to 13th Floor, Resnick held roles with Gazit Group and LNR. His experience spans mergers and acquisitions, retail real estate, and complex real estate investments, adding an equity-focused perspective to Driftwood's investment leadership.

Steiner joined Driftwood in 2020 and has played a significant role in building the firm's credit business. He co-founded Driftwood’s credit platform, which launched its first credit fund with the firm acting as a co-lender. The platform went on to participate in approximately $2.3 billion in aggregate credit transactions through October 2025. 

Together, Resnick and Steiner bring experience from both the equity and debt sides of real estate investment. That combination will become increasingly important as Driftwood evaluates larger and more complex opportunities across its portfolio. 

South Florida Remains Part of Driftwood's Growth Strategy

In April, Driftwood announced the expansion of its Coral Gables corporate office by 33% as the firm responded to growing demand for projects and prepared to add executive leadership. With the appointment of Resnick and elevation of Steiner to co-CIO, those plans are beginning to take shape.

Also in April, Driftwood announced the $22.75 million acquisition of the Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Weston. With the deal, the company launched Driftwood Hotel Income I, DST, its inaugural Delaware Statutory Trust platform.

Driftwood expects the DST portfolio to create opportunities to acquire additional premium-branded, select-service, and extended-stay hotels, providing another vehicle through which the company can pursue hospitality investments.

Prologis paid approximately $352.5 million for a warehouse portfolio in Broward County. In April, Miami Worldcenter's retail component sold for $210 million in one of the region's largest retail transactions in years.

For Driftwood, that broader investment environment provides the backdrop for a leadership structure designed to evaluate opportunities across both credit and equity.

From Hotels to Larger Mixed-Use Development

Driftwood Development Partners, a subsidiary of Driftwood Capital, has expanded its reach beyond the company's hotel roots. 

One of its major endeavors is Riverside Wharf Miami, a large-scale mixed-use development along the Miami River. The two-tower project includes a hotel component alongside restaurants, entertainment venues, and nightlife.

The project is also located within an Opportunity Zone. Created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones are an economic development tool intended to encourage private investment in economically distressed communities.

Projects such as Riverside Wharf illustrate the type of increasingly complex investments that Driftwood's expanded leadership team will oversee. Rather than focusing exclusively on traditional hotel acquisitions, the firm is operating across hospitality, development, credit, equity, and mixed-use projects.

That broader investment strategy gives Resnick and Steiner responsibility for navigating opportunities that can involve multiple asset classes, financing structures, and stages of development.

What the Co-CIO Appointments Mean for Driftwood

Driftwood's recent activity provides important context for why the company is strengthening its investment leadership now. The firm is expanding its South Florida headquarters, growing its investment platforms, pursuing larger mixed-use developments, and creating new vehicles such as its first DST platform. Resnick and Steiner will now be responsible for helping guide that next phase.

Resnick brings experience leading equity investments and developing a multibillion-dollar pipeline, while Steiner has helped build Driftwood's credit platform from within the company. Together, they give Driftwood leadership experience across two sides of the capital structure that increasingly intersect as deals become larger and more complex.

Their appointments also represent another addition to South Florida's growing base of investment leadership. While the region continues to attract capital from firms around the country, companies headquartered here are also building the executive teams responsible for deciding how and where capital is deployed.

For Driftwood, the co-CIO structure puts Resnick and Steiner at the center of those decisions. As the firm continues expanding across hospitality, credit, equity, mixed-use development, and other real estate strategies, the two executives will help determine which opportunities Driftwood pursues next, and how the Coral Gables-based investment firm positions itself for its next phase of growth.

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