Ted Arison
Founder and Retired Chairman
Miami Connection
Arison established Miami as the epicenter of the cruise industry by founding Carnival Cruise Lines, which grew into a massive economic driver with headquarters and operations there. He brought professional basketball to South Florida by founding the Miami Heat NBA franchise in 1988. With his wife Lin, he supported philanthropy including the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and New World Symphony, boosting cultural life in the region.
About
Born in 1924 in pre-state Israel, Ted Arison took over his family's shipping business after World War II service in the British Army. He moved to the US in 1952, built a freight company in New York, and relocated to Miami in 1966 where he co-founded Norwegian Cruise Lines before starting Carnival Cruise Lines in 1972 with the purchase of the Mardi Gras ship. Under his leadership, Carnival became the world's largest cruise line by 1988. He retired in 1991, passing control to son Micky, and died in 1999. Arison had no current role at the time of his death.