5 minute read
Interview: Dan Lindblade, President
Dan Lindblade
President & CEO Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
The City of Fort Lauderdale is known as the ‘Yachting Capital of the World’.
international community to interact and retain local talent, grow small businesses, provide seed funding for startups, and make the city the hub for startup, innovation, and technology.
The city’s arrangement with the Florida Panthers hockey team is moving forward, with plans to renovate War Memorial Auditorium. The Panthers are making a $65 million-dollar investment to add rinks for ice skating and hockey and to restore the existing interior for concerts and family-friendly programming. As part of the deal, the Panthers will also run the auditorium, saving the city on operational expenses that had become a serious drain on its budget. Work on updating the aquatic center also continues. From rebuilding the pools to improved locker rooms, the aquatic center will be a place for the community to enjoy recreational aquatics and home to major swimming and diving competitions.
Key sectors
Aviation
Fort Lauderdale’s aviation is a multibillion-dollar sector with companies across the supply chain including airlines, general aviation, airports, airframe and engine manufacturers, component parts suppliers, maintenance and MRO businesses. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) are the two major drivers of the aviation industry. FLL has a total economic impact of $37.5 billion, while FXE’s impact is $2.1 billion.
Global logistics
Due to its privileged location within 1,000 miles of
How do you see the local business community emerging from the current landscape?
Coming out of the 2009-10 recession, hospitality was the first one back in the market and driving the recovery. This time around, it will likely be the last one. This time, construction and real estate are the industries that are driving us through this storm. Residential and commercial real estate has been hot. Healthcare has also been a critical driver, boosted by the federal resources injected into it. Despite elective surgeries and medical tourism being on pause, the healthcare industry has kept a significant number of people employed, dramatically helping the economy during this pandemic. As 2021 progresses, we should be on the right track, but it will prove a slow walk.
What strategies are you implementing to attract more business to Fort Lauderdale?
Our strategy for attracting new business remains unchanged. It is rooted in our employees and talent pool, which is the primary currency that businesses look at. We must continue raising awareness over the latest developments in that specific area. Florida Atlantic University, the innovative hub we are developing together with Max Planck and everything going on in Palm Beach and Martin counties are integral parts of those e orts.
What are the chamber’s near-term priorities?
Our Racial Equity Agenda is going to be a big issue for us. We need to move that forward and are already in motion on that topic. We need to have the tough conversations because they work as eye-openers within the business community. Uncomfortable conversations will help address the attitudes, behaviors and poor awareness people have on racism as well as social service programs and their inherent stigmas. Engaging in education is another high priority that remains top of mind, ensuring we have everyone back learning in a safe environment, with implemented protocols.
Tam English
CEO – Housing Authority of Fort Lauderdale
The majority of our funding comes from low-income housing tax credits that are specifically designed to fund our work. The remaining third of our funding comes from commercial mortgages. The interest rates have been low recently and we’re refinancing a couple of our mortgages at less than half the original interest rate that was set 10 years ago. We have never had big issues with financing and we’ve always been able to find ways to structure our projects.
Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and many other Caribbean basin nations, Fort Lauderdale is a logistics hub between the Americas. More than 5,300 people are employed in the transportation and warehousing sector and international business supports one in every six jobs in the state of Florida.
Marine
Known as the Yachting Capital of the World, the city is a major yachting center and tourist destination with more than 12.8 million tourists annually pre-COVID. The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show attracts over 100,000 visitors and has an economic impact of $1.3 billion. The city is also home to Port Everglades, the thirdbusiest cruise homeport in the world with 3.8 million passengers per year and one of the largest container ports in the United States, moving over 750,000 TEUs annually. The port generates $30.4 billion for the local economy and pays $1.1 billion in state and local taxes.
Life sciences
Fort Lauderdale boasts more than 1,400 health technologists and technicians, as well as a further 400 people employed in life, social and physical sciences. Fed by a large talent pool from prestigious local universities, healthcare companies are lining up to set up base in the city. Notable players include global pharmaceutical Allergan, medical technology company Stryker and generics pharmaceutical company Teva.
Education
The Broward County Public School District is the sixthlargest fully accredited school district in the country, serving 271,517 students in pre-K through grade 12. Fort Lauderdale offers outstanding opportunities for higher education, with access to great schools like Florida Atlantic University (FAU Fort Lauderdale), Keiser University and Broward College.
Looking ahead Moving beyond the pandemic, city officials are promoting a safe, healthy, and economically stable reopening of businesses and return to normalcy. Addressing affordable housing, several new projects are in various stages of work to expand housing to low- and moderate-income individuals. As economic development grows, so does the city’s need to protect its growing community. The city plans on breaking ground this summer on a new police station that will be completed by 2023 and the city manager is on track to select a new police chief.
Looking to the future, Fort Lauderdale has all the hallmarks of a growing city. The authorities are moving toward the goal of diversifying the economy and continuing to provide the community with a great place to live. Helping with these initiatives are the Broward College Entrepreneurship Experience, which offers mentorships to fledgling businesses, and the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation.
Together, these efforts are solidifying the city as a prominent economic force in the South Florida region, making it a place to live, work, play and invest.
Capital Analytics would like to thank the City of Fort Lauderdale for its contributions in compiling this chapter. To learn more, visit their website at:
