Two investors look back on Trump Tower Tampa

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Despite losing a lot of money in the failed Trump Tower Tampa project, two former investors said Friday they may vote for Donald Trump in the Florida primary.

In 2004, developers announced Trump Tower Tampa - a $300 million, 52-story project that would have offered luxury condominiums in downtown.

Around one year later, Kevin Brodsky, who has owned up to 14 car dealerships, bought in and put up $1.6 million.

"At the time, I thought it was a good deal," Brodsky said. "It was the perfect location for this Trump Tower and, at that point, I thought there was more reward than the risk."

Dozens of others invested hundreds of thousands of dollars, to more than a million. Jay Magner - a small business owner in Tampa - was one of those investors.

"If Donald Trump's name hadn't have been on it, I wouldn't have done it," said Magner, who paid $240,000 toward the project.

Trump licensed his own name to the developers, who ended up dealing with unexpected problems, including the crash of the real estate market .

The development never got off the ground and the property went into foreclosure.

Brodsky lost more than $1 million. Magner lost $130,000.

"It was life-altering because I've always worked really hard. I've worked years and years without a day off, at times, in my life," Magner siad. "I thought I'd never make up this money so I really had to step back, reassess my life and look [question], 'how is it that I made the decision to do this and it could go so wrong?'"

However, during the last decade, both men have found forgiveness.

"I was upset at the time. We lost money. I don't blame Donald Trump personally for that issue," Brodsky said.

"I'm not angry at him," added Magner, who said he planned on living in the condo briefly before flipping it. "That would have been my retirement."

Trump is now trying to attach his name to something else: the presidency.

As unlikely as it may have been a decade ago, both Brodsky and Magner see him as a viable candidate.

"What excites me is, you're going to shake up the establishment. It needs to happen," Brodksy said. "You're going to change a lot of things that go on in Washington."

"I have to put aside my own personal beliefs and put what I believe would be the best for the country and somebody really needs to stir the pot," said Magner.

Both men said they believe the national debt is the biggest issue facing the country and think Trump's experience as a CEO makes him the most qualified to deal with it.

Brodsky, however, admits he may have a new issue: his wife does not agree with him and will be voting for someone else.