Greater Fort Lauderdale 2020 An in-depth review of the key issues facing Broward County’s economy, featuring the exclusive insights of prominent industry leaders
$159.00 ISBN 978-0-9988966-1-8
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Tamarac: The city of Tamarac has traditionally been a retirement community but as it grows, it is attracting a younger demographic. To ensure it continues on a clearly defined development path, the city has put in place a long-term strategy that plays to its emerging strengths while fostering fresh opportunities.
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Long-term vision: ‘The City for Your Life’ maintains a small-town feel while working to attract more businesses and a younger generation The city of Tamarac has a privileged geographical location in South Florida, with Palm Beach to the north, Fort Lauderdale to the east and Miami Beach to the south, while the Everglades National Park expands to its west. It straddles five major highways: U.S. Highway 411 and state highways 817, 870, the Florida Turnpike and the Sawgrass Expressway, which connects the I-95 and the I-75. But despite being so well-connected and vibrant, Tamarac maintains the sense of a small town as city officials and businesses work to attract young people and families. With the tagline “The City for Your Life,” more and more young people and families are moving to Tamarac because of the quality of life it offers. The city’s Sports Complex amenities include a hockey rink, tennis courts, basketball courts, covered playground, picnic tables, and soccer fields. After its expansion in the first half of 2019, the facility also now offers one Little League-sized and two full-sized baseball fields, a picnic shelter, and a fishing pier. The active Community Center offers a gym, meeting rooms, ballroom, arts and crafts room and an awardwinning program for seniors, while a fitness court was opened in December 2019 at Tephford Park. Regular 68 | Invest: Greater Fort Lauderdale 2020 | TAMARAC
community events, such as the annual Turkey Trot over the Thanksgiving holiday, are other attractions bringing people into the city. The Tamarac government was also named Florida’s first Green Local Government by the Florida Green Building Coalition. Tamarac was voted the 11th-safest city in Florida, according to SafeHome. org. As the city grows, it is keeping an eye on the future. In 2014/15, it adopted a strategic plan that it updates yearly based on input from residents and businesses, financial projections and demographics. The strategy focuses on five goals: Inclusive community, healthy financial environment, dynamic organizational culture, clear communication, and a vibrant community. City officials have also developed a longer view strategy: the Tamarac 2040 – Vision for the Future plan. This plan is a sweeping economic development program that focuses on fostering the city as an expanding pharmaceutical hub, promoting clean manufacturing and offering redevelopment opportunities. History The city of Tamarac was founded by developer Kenneth E. Behring and incorporated on July 19, ( )
TAMARAC INTERVIEW
Pharma focus The city of Tamarac hopes to build on its strengths and position itself as a pharmaceutical hub
Michelle Gomez Mayor – City of Tamarac What steps has Tamarac taken in terms of development to attract more people into the city? Tamarac has taken a multi-pronged approach to development. We’ve overhauled our comprehensive land-use plan, developed public-private partnerships and continue our extensive outreach to builders and developers. The results are evident. Tamarac Village, the city’s first mixed-use development, is proceeding ahead of schedule. It will include 400 residential units, approximately 35,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, and feature a public park and outdoor amphitheater for special events. We’re also in the midst of redeveloping Colony West, home to the city’s two 18-hole golf courses. Marriott is building a 120-room Fairfield Inn on the property and Tamarac is building a new clubhouse next door, complete with dining and event facilities. Both are scheduled to open in 2020. What are some of the unique business opportunities that Tamarac offers? Tamarac is ideally located – within minutes to five major highways. We’re primed for redevelopment, with underutilized shopping plazas that need new life. Our demographics are changing, with more younger families calling Tamarac home. That presents a tremendous opportunity for restaurants, stores and entertainment options. We are also focused on industry growth. To this end, we are developing the Tamarac Medical Mile District where we hope to attract more medical and pharma businesses. We already have a core of headquarters in this space, such as Unipharma, IQ Formulations, and the University Hospital and Medical Center campus. Our goal is to build on these strengths and position Tamarac as a pharma hub in Broward County and South Florida. How do you ensure the city of Tamarac’s sustained growth?
We have to continue focusing on our vision for the future, that’s why we’re developing Tamarac 2040. It’s a long-range plan that includes redevelopment opportunities, an emerging pharma hub, expanded fiber optics for greater connectivity and smart infrastructure, all while maintaining the outstanding quality of life that we’re known for. We are attracting a younger demographic because they see a clean, safe, modernizing and affordable city. Our city government has been very smart with our finances. The renowned rating agency Fitch has acknowledged Tamarac for our “strong financial resilience and superior inherent budget flexibility”. We must continue to account for significant population growth and how the needs of the community can change with this growth. www.capitalanalyticsassociates.com
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TAMARAC OVERVIEW
( ) 1963. Behring decided to tap into Florida’s appeal as a retirement location to offer the convenience of a condominium with the privacy of a single-family home for active retirees. He began building just 5 miles from the East Coast but then began working his way inland toward the Everglades National Park as land purchases would permit. The borders of the city of Tamarac are remarkable, with a large western bloc adjoined to a smaller bloc to the southeast. But as the city runs further east, its border changes into a series of fine lines and small lots of land. The reason for this was that Behring built his developments on pockets of commercial land that were gradually annexed from Fort Lauderdale. A long stretch from North State Road 7 to Prospect Road annexed in the 1970s is only as much as a block wide or less in parts. Behring’s model worked on the basis of one-bedroom or two-bedroom condominiums surrounding a common area that provided activities funded through a monthly fee paid by the residents. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median population age in Tamarac is 47.8, which is above state levels at 41.6 and national levels at 37.7. But in the previous census in 1990, the median age was 10.5 years higher, at 58.3, showing that more and more young people and families are moving to the city. General economy Tamarac is a city of 66,499, with a labor force of 34,119. Median household income in 2017 was $45,474, a 2.42% increase from the year prior. This can be explained by the fact that the majority of the population is of pension age and may not have a substantial income but rather live on savings. The increase from the year before is in line with an increasing young population coming to the city. But in Tamarac, certain populations are more represented than others. For example, almost 40% of the population is white, 27.5% Hispanic or Latino and 27.5% black or African American. In 2017, 88.3% of the residents in Tamarac were U.S. citizens, an increase on 87.4% in 2016 but still below the national average of 93.1%. This is a testament to south Florida’s role as a haven for Latin American immigrants. In Florida, the most common country of origin for noncitizens is Cuba, followed by Haiti and Mexico. The city also has an 11.1% poverty rate and, like in most U.S. cities, income inequality is present among certain groups. But unlike in some cities, poverty in Tamarac corresponds with the size of the demographic groups, with 47.3% of those living in poverty identifying as white, 21.6% black and 20.7% Hispanic. 70 | Invest: Greater Fort Lauderdale 2020 | TAMARAC
Median household income for Tamarac in 2017 was $45,474, a 2.42% increase from the year prior.
Average male income is 1.34 times that of their female counterparts and, according to the Gini Coefficient, income inequality is at 0.47, although this is lower than the national average of 0.49. In 2017, office and administrative support occupations provided the greatest number of jobs in the city, with 5,087, followed by sales with 3,913 and management occupations at 2,515. Farming employed the fewest number of people with only 35 jobs attributed to the sector, followed by life, physical and social sciences at 43 jobs and architecture and engineering accounted for 273 jobs. But the highest job-creating sector overlapped with the highest-paid profession, as public administration posts paid an average of $52,101. Utilities followed, paying employees $50,703 per year, and finance and insurance paid $40,215. With an average salary of $45,474 and an average property value of $140,100, property is largely affordable in the city, and home ownership rates are over 70%, above the national average of 64.8%. There are several large employers based in the city, including restoration company PuroClean, car wash equipment manufacturer Sonny’s: The CarWash Factory, pharmaceutical manufacturer UNIPHARMA and the Broward Teachers Union. One major employer, City Furniture, recently opened a new 120,000-square-
TAMARAC OVERVIEW
foot showroom in Tamarac with a price tag exceeding $20 million and plans to open another South Florida location next year. It was shortlisted for the Large Retailer of the Year Award by the Home Furnishings Association in October 2019. Capital improvement projects As more young families move to Tamarac, the city needs to provide more community space and dynamic activities. As well as the community center and sports complex, Tamarac recently completed Tamarac Village, the city’s first mixed-use development with 400 residential units and around 35,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. With a public park and amphitheater, the development retains Behring’s original vision and incorporates a two-story clubhouse for residents. Although it may be sticking to its retirement community roots, there is also room for innovation in the city’s blueprint. In fact, the way Tamarac is expanding its city is catching the eye of Smart City Developers and was shortlisted on the Digital Cities 2019, taking third place in cities with a population up to 75,000. The survey recognises cities that are employing technology to tackle social issues, develop services and strengthen cybersecurity and more. Appealing to both the retirement community and
400-unit Tamarac Village is city’s first mixed-used development the young professionals living in Tamarac is the redevelopment of the 262-acre Colony West country club and golf course being carried out by the city at a cost of $11.1 million. The city acquired the property in 2011 when the previous owners moved to rezone the land for residential development. The city is now ploughing investment dollars into the project to bring it up to scratch, with plans that include a new clubhouse with dining and event facilities. Marriott hotels also hopped on board to build a 120-room Fairfield Inn that will overlook the two 18-hole golf courses. The ambitious project is due to be completed in 2020. www.capitalanalyticsassociates.com
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TAMARAC OVERVIEW
Tamarac Medical Mile District In its 2014 Development Plan, Tamarac city authorities announced plans to promote the expansion of its hospital campus as an anchor for economic development. This goal was reinforced in 2018. “To address current market conditions, this area requires a phased, multi pronged, mixed use redevelopment approach. However, it is recommended that redevelopment planning for the Medical Mile area should be evaluated in the context of a large scale, long term University Drive Corridor Master Plan and through aggressive collaboration with regional business incubation programs and networks,” said the report. Strong competition locally, including the recently upgraded Coconut Creek medical facility and the Broward Health Medical Center is driving Tamarac to offer more, sticking to its long-time vision of mixeduse and community spaces. The Medical Mile program involved including the medical campus in a mixeduse style project alongside retail space, multifamily developments and office spaces. Tamarac University Tamarac is a city that places value in experience. At Tamarac University, students can participate in an eight-week interactive program, held annually in the spring. The participants in the course are allowed to visit city facilities, learning on the job from government officials and city staff about the role of the public sector and local government. The program covers a wide spectrum of the public sector including the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Tamarac fire and utility departments, and even city finances. Challenges While all may seem rosy in Tamarac, the reality is that there are still several problems that need to be addressed. One of those problems is connectivity and commute times. Despite being lauded as being ahead of the curve in Smart City technology, the city’s average commute time comes in at around 28.3 minutes, compared with the national average of 25.1 minutes. More than 2% of Tamarac’s workers also have “super commutes,” which are journeys that exceed 90 minutes. This can be largely explained by the fact that, since its inception, the city has grown in a haphazard fashion with no real city planning to speak of. Designed initially to be a sleepy retirement community, the city was unprepared for the current issues brought about by young workers and two-car households. Commuters are forced to drive because, while attracting workers to the city, Tamarac failed to also keep up in terms of 72 | Invest: Greater Fort Lauderdale 2020 | TAMARAC
City Furniture is one of the largest employers in Tamarac.
public transportation, and now commuters have no other option but to drive or car-pool to the office. When surveyed, 82.6% of those in Tamarac drove alone, 7.81% carpooled and 3.96% worked from home. Only 3.57% used public transport, 0.57% cycled and 0.44% walked. The city is addressing this challenge as part of its Tamarac 2040 plan. To address the commuter issue, the city promises “enhanced multimodal transportation, transportation hubs and rapid bus system” as part of the plan. Another issue being addressed is connectivity, building on its strong showing as a Smart City. The Vision 2040 plan pledges an expanded fiber optic network for greater connectivity, as well as adding smart infrastructure. And the city is learning from its previous development mistakes when approving new building permits. Now, the city requires developers to consider installation of sensing and IP-based controls in all new city construction. Tamarac now uses 65,000 IP-based controllers in several areas, including HVAC system control and humidity, temperature and flood data monitoring.
CONSTRUCTION TAMARAC OVERVIEW
Keith Koenig CEO / Chairman City Furniture / Broward Workshop
Looking ahead The history of Tamarac’s development has created two opposing characteristics. Firstly, it is a city where residents feel safe, and this factor is attracting more and more people each year. As a retirement community, Tamarac previously existed in small nuclei around a community center, where everything was available in the same neighbourhood and nobody had to travel far. But those exact characteristics are also the city’s greatest challenge. As more people arrive, the city is playing catchup regarding the new demands for connectivity infrastructure. Because of its privileged location close to five main highways, there has been little need to promote public transport but as the city’s population grows, it is stumbling into the tipping point whereby even the roads will be neither sufficient nor sustainable to support long-term development. The city’s Vision 2040 plan displays the willingness of the authorities to step up to the plate and address some of the issues that are hindering Tamarac’s further growth.
What progress has been made on the goals set by the Broward Workshop last year? When we look back over the last year, we have really moved all our goals forward. At the top of the list was addressing homelessness. A little over a year ago, we had a major encampment of close to 100 homeless in Downtown Fort Lauderdale and they were in an area right next to the library. Earlier this year, we worked to help these homeless people be placed into more permanent housing. Our second goal relates to education, particularly K-12 education in Broward County. When Superintendent Bob Runcie arrived in 2011, the Broward County school system was in disarray. Members of the school board had been accused of improprieties, morale was low and we were facing over $20 million in fines for not meeting state-mandated class size. Runcie has worked diligently to address those issues and to move our Broward County school system forward. The good news is that our school system has improved greatly. Broward County Public School System nearly achieved an overall A rating in 2018 and they are working to continue to improve. How has City Furniture maintained its longevity in the market? The key to City Furniture’s longevity in the Broward County marketplace has been reinvesting back into our business. We operate financially conservative, meaning that we are careful and never try to bite off more than we can chew. That being said, growth has been a cornerstone of our business. If you do not have growth as a cornerstone strategy for your business, you can’t attract the talent you need or want. For instance, millennials all want to see opportunity to advance, grow and succeed, so they are attracted to companies that embody that vision. In our case, we just opened up big stores in Orlando, and we are planning to open in Tampa over the next few years. The other key to this business has been private ownership. We are able to invest for the long term benefit of our facilities, our customers and our community. www.capitalanalyticsassociates.com
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