Downtown Investment Authority

Jacksonville, FL (May 27, 2020) – Oliver Barakat, Senior Vice President of CBRE, was awarded the Broker of the Year Award at NAIOP’s Awards Gala – Honoring the Best of 2019. Mr. Barakat had an exceptional year in which he completed 33 transactions totaling more than $47,000,000.  Notable deals include Haskell Company’s lease of 111 Riverside Avenue and Mayo Clinic’s lease of 4315 Pablo Oaks.  Mr. Barakat has been a member of NAIOP since 2003 and has held several prominent positions on its board, including Chapter President.

Mr. Barakat specializes in the leasing and sales of office space. After attending university and living in Washington, DC for eight years, Mr. Barakat moved back home to Jacksonville in 1996. He started with CBRE that same year as an Office Building Specialist. Since then, he has participated in lease and sales transactions worth over $500 million. Mr. Barakat achieves the maximum value for clients disposing of real estate and significantly reduces occupancy costs for clients acquiring real estate with market knowledge, financial analysis and skilled processes and procedures.

Mr. Barakat has significant experience Downtown. He has served on the DIA Board since 2012 where he continuously provides invaluable insights and guidance on the revitalization of Downtown Jacksonville. Additionally, his Downtown experience includes a seven-year stint on the Design Review Committee, a member of the JEDC’s Downtown Infrastructure Task Force (which helped create the Downtown Action Plan) and was also a member of Mayor Brown’s Downtown Transition Committee. His dedication to the DIA Board and the Downtown community at large is greatly appreciated. DIA CEO Lori Boyer expressed her congratulations to Mr. Barakat, stating, “Oliver’s understanding of the Jacksonville office market, in particular the Downtown market, is invaluable to the DIA. It is no surprise that his expertise and hard work have brought him success as a broker and earned him this recognition from his peers. I am truly grateful that he has shared those professional talents with DIA, Downtown and the City for so many years as a volunteer.”