Ted Arison

The Arc

Ted Arison was born in Tel Aviv and came into the shipping and travel business before launching Carnival Cruise Line out of Miami in 1972. The company started small, but Arison's bet on mass-market, affordable cruising proved enormous. Carnival grew into the largest cruise operator in the world, and Miami's port grew with it, becoming the busiest cruise hub anywhere.

Arison's reach extended beyond ships. In 1988 he was part of the group that founded the Miami Heat, bringing NBA basketball to the city. He later returned to Israel and devoted much of his fortune to philanthropy before his death in 1999.

Why They Matter

Arison matters because Carnival did more than make him rich; it remade Miami's relationship to the sea. The cruise industry he built turned PortMiami into a global gateway and a pillar of the local economy, reinforcing Miami's role as a point of arrival and departure for the hemisphere. The Arison family business, founded during the city's postwar growth, became one of the largest enterprises ever headquartered in Miami.

Eras: The MiMo / Postwar Boom Related dynasties / people: The Arison Family / Micky Arison