In the years since the veteran South Florida broker associate Cindy Orlinsky­ launched house&hive, her luxury residential and commercial real estate business, the brand has proven to be uncannily prescient.

Her idea that “your home and the ‘beehive,’ where you work and play, have become blended” was several years ahead of the live-work arrangements that blossomed during the pandemic. But the broader notion Orlinsky was getting at—that one’s home is part of a larger, interconnected community—perfectly captures the way she has built her life and business in Aventura, Florida.

Since moving there more than 30 years ago, the Hollywood, Fla., native has become a true pillar of the community in which she has raised a family, launched several businesses, and devoted herself to its civic life. Now, Orlinsky is deepening her commitment to Aventura by serving as one of the city’s five elected commissioners.

A roundabout road to real estate

“Commissioner” is only the latest in a string of titles and credentials that Orlinsky has collected since her family persuaded her to get her real estate license upon graduating from high school.

“The thinking was, if all else fails, at least you’ll have this,” she recalled. “But at the time I thought, Yeah, I’m not doing this.”

After attending American University, in Washington D.C., where she focused on business with a specialization in the still-nascent field of human resources, Orlinsky began dabbling in real estate but only as a way to help friends with their property transactions. She even opened her own brokerage where she and her friends could “hang their licenses.” But she chose to focus instead on returning to school to obtain her MBA and J.D.

She practiced law initially, but when it failed to engage her fully, she ventured into a career as an entrepreneur, launching, buying, and selling a series of businesses. It wasn’t until she sold the high-end Krön Chocolatier brand, which she had purchased and grown over the course of five years, that Orlinsky gravitated to the world of luxury real estate.

With her experience building retail brands, she was asked in 2005 to oversee the retail division of the Miami Beach Fontainebleau Hotel during its revival by her close friends the Soffer family. When she left in 2009, Orlinsky developed a company to help people with disability claims to win their Social Security benefits. When the company was sold, in 2015, she dedicated herself fully to real estate.

Driven by the same can-do entrepreneurial spirit that enabled her to learn about businesses by building them, Orlinsky approached real estate with a methodical studiousness that involved engaging a branding company and devoting a full year to establishing her brand before doing a single transaction.

“I wanted my business and brand to be very professional and represent me properly,” she recalled. “So, that year was a lot of planning and strategizing, doing a five-year plan. And it really took that much time to do it right.

Upon establishing house&hive, Orlinsky brought the team in 2016 to EWM Realty, which later became part of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. In 2022, a fellow agent introduced her to Jay Phillip Parker, head of Douglas Elliman Florida, who persuaded her to join the brokerage.

“It’s been a great match,” she said.

Growing with Aventura Aventura was still an unincorporated area of Dade County when Orlinsky settled there in 1994.

“It was like Brickell is today—where all the young professionals were moving,” she recalled. “What I love about Aventura as it is today is how connected it is. It’s a cohesive environment.”

As the area grew, the life Orlinsky had built grew along with it. Starting a family only made her more a part of the fabric of the community. When her kids began attending elementary and middle schools, the city did not yet have a high school, prompting her to get more engaged.

“I wanted to get involved and know what was going on in the city,” Orlinsky said. “A friend grabbed me and told me, ‘I need you to come and listen.’ I was hooked.”

She joined various committees that reported to the city, became actively involved in getting the new high school built, and began attending the city commission meetings to observe and learn.

“When I went into real estate, I realized I needed to go to these meetings even more, because I needed to know what was going on in the community I live in.”

Over the next several years, Orlinsky became such a fixture at the meetings that commissioners began to solicit her perspectives as a mother, business owner, and real estate professional. She became an ambassador for the Aventura Police Department and served as the primary liaison with the schools on behalf of Aventura parents.

A few years back, Orlinsky passed on the first opportunity to run for an open commission seat, choosing to focus on her family and building her business. But in August of last year, when one of the commissioners—who was a friend of Orlinsky’s—tragically passed, she was one of two candidates to serve out the remainder of his term.

As a prominent member of the community, she felt confident that she could count on their support. But the campaign was no cake walk.

“The last two weeks are grueling,” she acknowledged. “You’re out campaigning at early voting every day, all day, 14 hours a day, it’s raining. It’s not a fun process, that’s for sure, but you make the best of it and get to meet tons of people.”

In the end, Orlinsky won in a landslide, with 10,000 votes to her opponent’s 3,000.

Developing Aventura’s future.

Having already proven capable of launching and running several businesses and participating in local governance while raising two children, Orlinsky is undoubtedly up to the challenge of balancing her new responsibilities.

While the ribbon-cuttings, swearings-in, and other ceremonial events that come with the job are largely options, commissioners are required to meet twice each month. They also choose to spearhead initiatives to advance their priorities for the community. Orlinsky has two: continuing to help the city’s schools flourish and create programs and activities to further engage Aventura’s aging residents.

“We have a ton of programming for the youth and people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s; there’s theater, there’s concerts, there’s pickleball tournaments—it’s endless,” she said. “But there’s nothing for the aging population. So, I want to try things that might include a book reading by an author, classes with a university professor, or a night at a show.”

Alongside these official duties, Orlinsky is also embarking on a new real estate project that is particularly exciting—both for her and her community. In January, she was named Sales Director for Avenia Aventura by FENDI Casa, the city’s first branded luxury boutique building comprising 22 residences starting at $5 million.

“It’s going to be a trophy building—and it’ll sell out quickly,” she predicted. “There’s nothing like it here.”

Noting that her appointment as Sales Director was decided before she was elected and sworn in as commissioner, she is excited to take it all on.

“Past experience has given me a lot of insight into the kind of collaboration required to address key community issues,” she said. “It only reinforced my commitment to advocating for residents and ensuring Aventura continues to be the city of excellence.”