**EXHIBIT      31.1**

**CERTIFICATION      OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER**

|   | 1.     | I                have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of NorthStar Realty                Finance Corp.;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
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|   | 2.     | Based                on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement                of a                material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make                the                statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements                were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this                report; |

|   | 3. | Based                on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information                included in this report, fairly present in all material respects                the                financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the                registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this                report; |
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|   | 4. | The                registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for                establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as                defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal                control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules                13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and                have: |
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|  | (a) | Designed                such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure                controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to                ensure                that material information relating to the registrant, including its                consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those                entities, particularly during the period in which this report is                being                prepared; |
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|   | (b)  | Designed such internal control over              financial              reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting              to be              designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding              the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial              statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted              accounting principles; |
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|   | (c)  | Evaluated the effectiveness of the              registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this              report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls              and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report              based              on such evaluation; and |
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|   | (d) | Disclosed in this report any change              in the              registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred              during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's              fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially              affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's              internal control over financial reporting;              and |
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|   | 5. | The                registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based                on our                most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,                to                the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's                board of                directors (or persons performing the equivalent                functions): |
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|  | (a) | All                significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or                operation of internal control over financial reporting which are                reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to                record,                process, summarize and report financial information;                and |
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|   | (b)  | Any fraud, whether or not material,              that              involves management or other employees who have a significant role              in the              registrant's internal control over financial              reporting. |
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| Date: August              9, 2007 | By:                          | /s/ David T. Hamamoto |
|                                   | David              T. Hamamoto         |
|                                   | Chief                Executive Officer |

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