The lead donor for Miami's new indoor practice facility has plenty of ties to South Florida.

Miami athletics director Blake James hopes to have the indoor practice facility up and running by 2018.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Hearld reported over the weekend that UM plans to announce on Friday that billionaire Jeffrey Soffer is the man behind a $15 million dollar donation for the planned $28 million dollar state-of-the-art indoor practice facility set to open sometime in 2018.

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Soffer, who is married to former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Elle Macpherson, and his family are the majority owners of the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach. They also own a large stake of the Aventura Mall and were recently profiled by Forbes.

The plans for the project, which already includes a $1 million dollar donation from head coach Mark Richt, are set to be revealed on Friday at an invite-only party. That's when Soffer is expected to be recognized for his 'lead gift' which will likely place his family's name on the facility.

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Miami is one of the lone Power 5 programs without an indoor practice facility. It has been a priority in recent year for athletics director Blake James to get one built to not only help the team train when foul weather is in the area, but also show high school recruits that Miami is serious about football.