DeSantis names Miami Beach real estate investor, donor to FIU Board of Trustees
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is tapping Yaffa Popack, a Miami Beach real estate investor who co-hosted a six-figure fundraiser for the governor last year, for a seat on the Florida International University Board of Trustees.
Popack co-owns Lauderdale Lakes-based YMP Real Estate Management with her husband Moshe Popack. Last year, the couple hosted a fundraiser for DeSantis at their 10,000-square-foot home in Miami Beach, an event that the governor’s political committee reported as a $200,000 in-kind contribution.
Both Moshe and Yaffa Popack have also given maxed-out donations of $6,600 each to DeSantis’ presidential campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.
DeSantis named Moshe Popack to the Florida Development Finance Corporation Board of Directors in 2021.
The 13-member FIU Board of Trustees is responsible for setting university policies, overseeing compliance with state standards, conducting performance evaluations and implementing education programs.
Yaffa Popack’s appointment to the board makes her one of six members tapped by the governor. Five other members are named by the Florida Board of Governors, while the university’s student government president and faculty senate chair also have seats on the board.
Every member, except for the faculty senate chair and student government president, serves a staggered, five-year term on the board. Popack’s appointment will still have to be confirmed by the state Senate. She also currently sits on the Board of Governors for Touro University, a private institution in New York City.
“I’m very honored that the Governor chose me to serve,” Popack said in an emailed statement to the Miami Herald. “I care deeply about higher education in Florida. I recognize FIU as a prestigious institution, and I will do my best to keep it that way.”
In addition to her work as a real estate investor, Popack is also the co-founder of Neighborhood Farms USA, a nonprofit group that promotes the development of community gardens and healthy food programs.
According to YMP Real Estate Management’s website, Popack serves as the company’s chairwoman and oversees daily operations.