When Hurricane Dorian ripped across the Bahamas in 2019, it leveled much of Marsh Harbour and the surrounding Abaco Islands, shattering and leaving residents and their families displaced. As soon as the destructive winds passed, Nicholas “Nick” Mastroianni II and his family sprang into action.
“I have been going there since the ’90s and we know a lot of local families,” says the Jupiter resident and developer of the Harbourside Place shopping and dining venue along the Intracoastal. “Right after Dorian we decided to form a 501(c)(3) and that resulted in 300 rescued people. With the help of volunteers and the Mastroianni Family Foundation the mission blossomed into this massive undertaking. We provided these rescued people complimentary accommodations at the Wyndham Grand at Harbourside until their visas expired and they had to go back. It is sadly still a disaster over there.”
Mastroianni flew to the islands immediately after the storm and saw the firsthand impact of a focused effort to provide lifesaving aid and resources. The Mastroianni Family Foundation has continued to support the rebuilding efforts in the Bahamas as well as a variety of local causes important to both the family and the local community, particularly in health care.
The foundation gifted $3 million to Jupiter Medical Center, allowing the hospital to establish the Mastroianni Family Pediatric Emergency Department, which opened in 2019. The facility provides much needed and specified pediatric treatment in a region that has grown popular with young families.
The 6,300-square-foot facility is adjacent to the hospital’s current emergency room, however, it offers emergency services in a more child-friendly environment. The unit features eight pediatric treatment rooms with child-sized exam and diagnostic equipment in addition to a dedicated family waiting area, pediatric triage rooms to reduce wait times, and indoor play areas to alleviate anxiety. There is always a pediatrician on-site, and patients have access to a team of pediatrict rained doctors and nurses. Patients can also receive pediatric specialist consults, as well as inpatient care through the De George Pediatric Inpatient Unit, when needed.
As a grandfather of six—all of whom were born at Jupiter Medical Center—Nick Mastroianni understands just how vital it is to have world-class pediatric care available close to home. “I’ve been watching [Jupiter Medical Center’s] growth over the past 20 years, and they’re incredibly trusted within the community and have become an integral fiber of the community,” he says. “My son, Nicholas Mastroianni III, has been extensively involved with the foundation for many years, and we both believe strongly in the expansion of the hospital.”
Community health care support has been an ongoing and personal mission of the Mastroianni family over many years. Nick Mastroianni tragically lost his mother, Audrey, to breast cancer at age 41—when he was just 19 years old. Cancer-fighting charities, including St. Jude and the family’s own Charities for Children with Cancer (a nonprofit managed by his sister, Stephanie) are main focuses of the Mastroianni family’s giving.
Mastroianni grew up in New England and Long Island, where his father partnered with entertainment stars Burt Bacharach and his wife, Angie Dickinson, in the management of the famed steak house Rothmann’s (formerly known as Burt Bacharach’s). This sparked Mastroianni’s interest in hospitality and development and he began venturing in real estate finance and development projects in the Northeast. He eventually moved to North Palm Beach and formed Allied Capital and Development of South Florida in 2004.
“Then we had the market crash,” he recalls. Rather than abandon his business goals, Mastroianni pivoted to a little-known U.S. visa program called EB-5, which allows foreign investors to qualify for American visas by providing capital for development projects.
Mastroianni founded a new company, U.S. Immigration Fund (USIF), which has grown into one of the largest EB-5 regional centers in the country, facilitating more than 20 development projects totaling $3 billion in capital, including Jupiter’s own Harbourside Place. In 2015, Harbourside was named “Project of the Year” at the Vision Awards at Urban Land Institute’s Southeast U.S. and Caribbean awards ceremony in Miami.
These days, the Mastroianni family operates both the Allied and USIF businesses as well as philanthropy projects, which include the Mastroianni Family Foundation. Nicholas Mastroianni III works alongside his father as president of USIF and executive director of the foundation, while his brother, Anthony, manages the family’s agricultural properties west of Jupiter. Sister Audrey—named for the late grandmother she was never able to meet—is active in the foundation and several charities in Palm Beach County and the surrounding areas.
In their downtime, Mastroianni and his family love gathering for big Sunday dinners full of Italian favorites like ravioli and lasagna that he often cooks himself. They also enjoy watersports, fishing, and cruising aboard his favorite boat, a 41-foot Bahama sportfishing center console.
“Jupiter is a great place to live, I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” he says. “The climate is amazing. The people are amazing. You can go boating, fishing, play golf—and it’s a great place to raise a family.”
Mastroianni says keeping it local and staying family-focused is the heart that drives the future of the foundation’s giving. “We’ve highlighted Jupiter Medical Center as the largest recipient of our philanthropy and in March made the exciting decision to contribute another $6 million to the future Surgical Institute. You feel the most impact and you can actually see how your individual contributions and investments help your direct community when giving to local causes—and we’re not stopping any time soon.”