The developers who built Florianópolis: the history and work of the local names

Behind every skyline there are names that keep recurring. In Florianópolis, much of the built landscape of the last five decades carries the signature of a handful of homegrown developers — family businesses founded in the 1970s and 1990s that grew up alongside the city. Knowing them helps you read the market: behind a good building there is almost always a developer with a track record. This is a map of the most emblematic of them and of what they have under construction today.

The 1970s pioneers

Formacco is probably the dean still in continuous activity. Founded on September 28, 1972 by the economist Cezário Cezar Santos, it put up its first building in 1976 on Praia da Daniela, and the second generation of the family runs it today. The company reports more than 50 years in business, over one million m² built, and roughly a hundred completed projects — the La Spezia building, in Saco Grande, was presented as the hundredth. Among its most recognizable work are the Platinus TOP, in Agronômica, and the Royal Mirage, in Capoeiras. Today it is at work on the Acqua Continentale (Estreito), La Spezia itself, and the Andreas Palazzo, in Kobrasol.

Cota Empreendimentos marked its 50th anniversary in 2024. Headquartered in Centro and family-run, it reports more than 3,600 units delivered and some 700,000 m² built over half a century. Its urban-development arm builds residential subdivisions on the mainland (Tijucas, Biguaçu, Itajaí), while in the city its flagship launch is Cota 365, in Estreito: 176 units — studios, two-bedrooms and retail space — across 17,490 m² with a "smart living" concept.

Zita, founded on July 22, 1975, operates out of São José, in Greater Florianópolis, holding ISO 9001 and PBQP-H level A certifications. It reports more than a hundred buildings and close to 547,000 m² built. On the island it left work such as the Forte de Sant'Ana (Centro) and the Forte de Santa Cruz (Beira-Mar Norte); its recent launches are concentrated on the mainland side, in São José.

The big names of Centro

Magno Martins — today also trading under the Magno Realty brand — has been building in Florianópolis since 1982. From its headquarters on Av. Rio Branco, in Centro, it shaped much of the residential silhouette of the area with its "Plaza" line: Plaza España, Plaza Victoria, Plaza Saint Tropez, plus the Jardim Imperiale in Itacorubi. The company reports more than two million m² built and over 120 completed developments. Its most ambitious project under way is Top Vision, in Centro, on the former site of the Hoepcke factory, whose historic façade is being preserved: three residential towers and a retail promenade, the Top Street Mall.

WKoerich has run its construction arm since 1993, within a family business tradition the brand traces back to 1955. With more than 40 developments between Florianópolis and São José, its flagship residential project is the Costa Azul Clube Residencial, on the mainland, whose final tower was delivered in September 2025, alongside the Fragata Residencial.

Engineering as a banner: Dimas and Hantei

Grupo Dimas was born in 1976 under Dimas Arnoldo da Silva — it started life as a car dealership — and its construction arm, based in São José, is run today by his sons. The company bills itself as "a technology company that builds": its launch line carries the "D/" prefix — D/Verse, in Praia Brava; D/Season, in João Paulo; D/Sense, in Centro; D/Pace, in Capoeiras — and it claims the D/Mys as the first Fitwell-certified building in Santa Catarina.

Hantei Engenharia is the youngest of this group and, at the same time, one of the most prominent in the high-end segment. Founded on January 14, 1997 by Nelson Moraes Filho — its first project was eight apartments in Canasvieiras — it reports more than 370,000 m² built, around 42 developments and over 4,000 units. Its catalogue includes the Felipe Moraes Residence Club, in João Paulo, and the Hantei Office Building, in Centro. Today it is working on two very different fronts: the Azzure Home Club, a luxury beachfront project in Praia Brava, and BOSC Ecovillage, a large nature-integrated development along the SC-401.

How to read this list

None of these companies is interchangeable. There are high-end beachfront profiles, middle-class profiles on the mainland, and subdivision-driven urban-development profiles. For a buyer or investor, a developer's track record is one of the best predictors of build quality and value retention: it is worth studying the unit as much as studying whose name is on it.

Sources

• Formacco — official site (history, 50 years, projects) and coverage from ND+ and Sinduscon-Florianópolis.
• Cota Empreendimentos — official site (50 years, Cota 365) and launch material.
• Zita — official site (history, certifications, developments).
• Magno Realty / Magno Martins — official site; coverage of Top Vision and the Hoepcke site.
• WKoerich — official site; Imóvel Magazine (mainland launch).
• Grupo Dimas — official site (launch line) and ND+ (the group's history).
• Hantei Engenharia — official site; ND+ and NSC Total (history; Azzure and BOSC Ecovillage).