About Us
Coconut Grove Connect is a dedicated team passionate about building up the community of Coconut Grove. Our mission is to cultivate a vibrant and tightly-knit community within Coconut Grove by bridging gaps and fostering meaningful relationships among residents, visitors, community organizations and businesses alike.
With a deep appreciation for the rich cultural tapestry and spirit of Coconut Grove, we strive to celebrate and uplift our community in any way we can. Join us in celebrating the essence of Coconut Grove – where every connection made is a step towards strengthening our cherished community.
Michael Mann
Michael, a licensed Florida real estate agent since 2007, has been living in Miami since 2000. Michael graduated from the University of Miami and after college pursued law school as well as graduate business school but found his passion in real estate. His real estate career began in 2007-2008 in a challenging market. During this time, he decided to focus his expertise within the Brickell area researching new condo developments and soon became an expert in assessing floor plans, condo amenities and condo associations. He formed valuable relationships with developers and sales teams within the area. Michael became the go-to sales agent and the leading rental/sales expert for several buildings in Paramount Miami World Center and Icon Brickell. In addition, Michael was part of the team who successfully listed and sold a record 70 condos to date at Icon Brickell as well as 30 condos at Infinity at Brickell and over 40 at Paramount Miami World Center. He now focuses his experience helping clients with single family homes in Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and Miami Beach as well as working with his developer clients from the ground up in the single family home market and finding investment opportunities for private equity funds.
Michael created Coconut Grove Connect in 2022, to cultivate a vibrant and tightly-knit community within Coconut Grove by bridging gaps and fostering meaningful relationships among residents, visitors, and businesses alike. This organization started also focusing on community giving in 2024 by partnering with local charities for fundraising events in the Coconut Grove area.
Michael is also actively involved with the Young Associates of Coral Gables and the Board of Realtors. Michael spends his off hours enjoying family time with his wife and daughter who they welcomed into their lives in late 2020.
Lanelle Phillips
Lanelle was born and raised in the Bahamas to American parents but moved to Colorado for Junior High School and then Vermont for High School. She attended Florida Atlantic University before returning home to the Bahamas at 22 years old to pursue a career in Real Estate. Lanelle became a top producing agent at Century21 Harry Dann & Co. in Freeport, Grand Bahamas Island and the following year and was promoted to sales manager in 1996.
In 2001 Lanelle was hired by the Christie’s Great Estates affiliate for the Bahamas, the real estate arm of Christie’s auction house, as a district manager and opened their first Freeport office. By 29, Lanelle was promoted to the Regional Sales Director position overseeing 7 offices in the Bahamas. She left to open her own firm Lanelle Phillips Real Estate in 2007.
In 2016 Lanelle was contracted to open a Private Island Brokerage in Nassau establishing sales and rental listings throughout the private islands of the Bahamas as well as overseeing marketing, website design and client relations. Lanelle became the Broker on record for the company that same year it was launched.
Lanelle took a brief hiatus from Real Estate but returned after being licensed in the US to work for Michael Mann. Lanelle joined Keyes Commercial in August 2022 and although she only had 6 months of sales, she was ranked a top producing agent for the company which consisted of 52 offices.
Lanelle has served as The President of The American Women’s Club, a Director of the Grand Bahama Real Estate Association and a Director of The Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce. She is an avid fitness enthusiast, enjoys community service and charitable giving and when her work schedule permits, spends as much time visiting her second home in Istanbul, Turkey that she purchased in 2023.
