Downtown Fort Lauderdale has added more jobs — and uses a formula to lure workers
Jennifer Sandberg is living the live-work-play lifestyle she’s dreamed.
“Coming to Fort Lauderdale and seeing all that downtown had to offer, I knew where our office space was going to be, and I purposefully made the decision to be where I could walk to work and walk to everything,” said Sandberg, a regional managing partner with national law firm Fisher & Phillips.
Her company is one of about 20 behind the continued job growth in the city’s downtown in recent years, according to the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority.
In the past year, downtown Fort Lauderdale has added about 3,200 jobs, a 5% increase since 2023, according to the DDA. Matthew Schnur, research and innovation manager with the agency, said the growth is impressive, especially with worries about the national economy.
“Talent is coming to Fort Lauderdale and companies are realizing that this is the place that they want to be because this is where the employees that they want to attract are choosing to live,” he said.
He said that that having housing so close to workplaces has also lured companies to the city or has encouraged companies already there to add workers.
“We’re continuing to build the housing that talent wants to live in and we have great surrounding neighborhoods where senior executives want to be with their families,” Schnur said. “Ultimately, we’re able to attract talent at all levels because of our plethora of housing options.”
What makes downtown attractive to workers?
Christina Jolley, a senior vice president with Blanca Commercial Real Estate, said walkability, amenities inside office buildings, and nearby eating spots make downtown attractive to workers.
“When companies are looking at type of experience giving to employees, they want to know that you can just quickly step out for a coffee or meet a client around the corner for lunch, or maybe have dinner after work,” she said. “And that experience starts with what’s outside your office, but also what’s inside your office. So, that’s a lot of why companies have been really looking to downtown.”
Sandberg, who lives in downtown Fort Lauderdale, said that’s what’s been appealing to a few people at the Fort Lauderdale office, which has hired three attorneys in the past year and is looking to hire three or four more this year.
“People have figured out how to live and work in downtown, and that’s awesome,” she said. “We have another attorney in our office who walks to work every day. We have a staff member who’s considering moving downtown. Our employees who do have to drive are a little jealous because some of us have figured out how to walk to work.”
All-in-one community
The flock to downtown is a change from the traditional growth in the West Broward suburbs including Pembroke Pines, Sunrise and Plantation.
“It’s not good enough anymore for an office to just be a place to work,” Jolley said. “Fort Lauderdale is now a real 24/7 city. You’ve got a lot of retail, you have restaurants, you have a supermarket all downtown, and you have a density of residential inhabitants.”
Mike Balter, regional managing partner of accounting firm Marcum, said their Fort Lauderdale offices were already along Las Olas, but they recently moved to the newest office building, The Main, in part because of the amenities of tech, a gym and meeting rooms. The building, which also includes residential units at 201 E. Las Olas Blvd. also has two attached restaurants, Moxies and Fogo de Chao.
Balter, whose firm also has offices in Boca Raton, Miami, and Tampa, rattled off a few reasons why they’re staying in downtown Fort Lauderdale:
“It’s a little bit of everything. It’s where our people are, it’s where our clients are, and you look around, it’s where the growth is,” he said. “So you look at those three things, and it was really an easy decision to make in terms of expanding our footprint, especially in Broward.”
This story was originally published August 9, 2024 at 12:52 PM.
