Executives examine South Florida’s continued growth over the last five years

Executives examine South Florida’s continued growth over the last five years

Writer: Sara Suarez

2 min read February 2022 — Leaders from the region met at the Riverside Hotel recently to share their thoughts on South Florida’s incredible growth over the past five years. Capital Analytics’ South Florida Executive Networking Cocktail Hour provided an exclusive opportunity to glean insights into the top sectors of the regional economy. 

“We’ve been around for four years now, and it’s been a great experience. We feel like we’re in the right place at the right time. The industry in South Florida is about to take off. There’s so much demand for housing because people are moving from New York and California. There’s going to be a lot of demand for the foreseeable future. Being an architect down here, it feels like we’re in a gold mine.” Eddie Seymour, Founder and Principal, Flux Architects

“In the past five years, I’ve seen a lot of market growth. A lot of people have been moving down to Miami from different states. The market in Miami is hot, and it’s the place to be. In the next five years, we’re going to see the city growing even more. Flux Architects is also going to grow significantly. One item we will need to be careful with is rising tides. We will need to take that into account in how we design.” Edgar Gonzalez, Founder and Principal, Flux Architects

“(This market) and our organization is going to grow because this is a great market. I think everyone has to get used to living in a post-COVID environment. I work in a healthcare system, and I encourage everyone to get vaccinated and boosted every year. I think things will return to normal if COVID cases are down.” Mark Doyle, President and CEO, Holy Cross Health

“I’ve lived in Fort Lauderdale for fifteen years now. Being in real estate, I always felt as if we were undervalued on a national scale and locally. It’s nice that Fort Lauderdale and South Florida, as a whole, are coming up. One of the main attractions is the lifestyle that we have for the cost. We have more than 300 days of sunshine, and it’s incredible to live here.” Jonathan Howard, Director of Luxury Sales, Douglas Elliman

“I’m a residential broker, and I work for developers. Having built a business for the last 12 years in New York City, South Florida is a natural progression in my career development, and it’s a better lifestyle for my family. We have a lot of clients and customers that are moving down here. I continue to sell real estate in New York City with my team while growing my business and footprint in Florida.” Christopher Austad, Real Estate Agent, Douglas Elliman

“The perspective on the last five years from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance’s view has (been based on) continued growth and diversity, and also, the strength of the targeted industries that we go after. Those industries continue to grow and diversify our economy. In the next five years, we will see continued growth.” David Coddington, Sr. Vice President of Business Development, Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.

“Overall, the market and firm have done very well. For the next five years, I can only see a positive trend. Miami and Fort Lauderdale are welcoming communities. Also, because of technology, you can work anywhere and do anything. You can be in this tropical paradise and still run a business.” Jeremy Larkin, Co-Chairman, NAI Miami.

“I’ve been in the banking business for 30 years. In the 30 years, I’ve seen a lot of consolidation. The consolidation brought about a greater need to bring local community banks to the market. We think it’s important to have community banks out there to serve the local community because a lot of times the big banks don’t take care of them. During the COVID crisis, a lot of the larger banks turned away their customers who wanted PP loans. The community banks stepped up.” David Eiler, Chief Credit Officer, Locality Bank.

“Since moving to Fort Lauderdale four years ago, your journey has been my journey. It’s been incredible not just to see Invest:’s growth, but to see how an entire community is growing. The last two years were challenging, but the next five years are going to be amazing.” Joe Cox, President and CEO, Museum of Discovery and Science.

“We have aligned ourselves with Invest: since the very beginning. We have had our challenges through the last couple of years, but knowing we have a support system through Invest: is wonderful. In South Florida, I think there are now more opportunities (than ever before).” Lisa Scott Founds, President & CEO, Winterfest Inc.

“There’s an opportunity for economic growth between Florida and Mexico. We already reached $11 billion exchanged in 2021, which is practically the largest amount of money exchanged in our history. We want to welcome the people to see the opportunities that Mexico holds. We want people to see us as someone who can bring a lot of benefits to the Florida market.” Vivian Juarez, Consulado General de México en Miami.

 

Share This Story!