Southeast Florida

Florida’s Southeast is the state’s most heavily populated region. And with so many business advantages — proximity to global markets, a multicultural workforce, world-class educational institutions and an exceptional quality of life — the challenge for companies considering relocation to any of these seven counties is less about finding right sites for expansion than it is about choosing just one.

Here, where five deep water ports and four international airports are conduits for worldwide tourism and trade, globally minded firms enjoy easy access to the lucrative and rapidly growing Latin American market. Those that distribute their goods by land are closer than ever before to key domestic markets now that upgrades to I-595, the major artery linking I-75, I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike, are complete. Is it any wonder, then, that companies in such high-impact industry sectors as aviation, life sciences and technology have chosen to “cluster” in this region?

Tourism remains a significant economic driver here too. From Indian River County to the Florida Keys, visitor numbers are up and communities stand ready to welcome vacationers as eagerly as CEOs wanting to sink permanent roots.

WHO LIVES HERE

Globally savvy
South Florida isn’t in Latin America, but it’s the best place for doing business there, according to the business/finance magazine América Economía, which based its rankings on such factors as infrastructure, regional platform for global business, corporate executive safety and executive salary-to-cost-of-living ratio.

Heavily Hispanic
In Miami-Dade County alone, 51% of the population is foreign-born, and at 31% and 22% respectively, the populations of contiguous Broward and Palm Beach counties aren’t far behind. Latinos are the most prevalent immigrant group here, averaging 25% of the population region-wide with Miami-Dade, at 66%, the runaway leader among all seven Southeast Florida counties for concentration of Hispanics.

Well-connected
Miami ranks 5th among U.S. cities for smartphone penetration. According to a November 2013 survey from the global information firm Nielsen, 73% of people in Southeast Florida’s largest city own a smartphone, compared to 67% nationwide. The next closest city to Miami was San Francisco at 74%; Dallas topped the list at 76%.

ECONOMIC LIFE

Aviation/Aerospace/Defense

• Sikorsky Aircraft unveiled its most powerful helicopter to date at its West Palm Beach-based Development Flight Center in May 2014. Dubbed “King Stallion,” the CH-53K carries three times the load of previous helicopters and will be used by the Marine Corps to move troops and equipment.
• Aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) firm Lufthansa Technik will consolidate its south Florida regional office in Miramar, creating 24 jobs.
• Pratt & Whitney’s new 100,000-sq.-ft. jet-engine center opened in West Palm Beach in June 2014 with the announcement of 110 jobs above and beyond the previously promised 230. The $63-million expansion accommodates two assembly lines: one for building the F135 engine used in F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, the other for production of PurePower® engines for Airbus commercial jets.
• The Boeing Company has consolidated its North American flight training facilities in Miami, adding nearly $100 million worth of flight simulators and other training devices and supporting 100 jobs at what is the firm’s largest commercial aviation training campus worldwide.

Technology

• Software giant Citrix Systems Inc. will add 200 jobs over the next three years at its Fort Lauderdale headquarters.
• Mobile device accessory maker MarBlue is relocating and expanding its headquarters/R&D facility in downtown Hollywood; the $2.9-million project is expected to create 28 jobs.
• Annapolis, Md.-based Synaptic Advisory Partners, a cloud consulting firm, has opened an office in Stuart with plans to add 20 jobs in IT and sales.

Two Edinburgh, Scotland-based technology companies have arrived in south Florida:

• Vioearth, which designs and manufactures products to track and minimize computer energy usage, opened a U.S. headquarters in Miami and will add 45 employees.
• Online travel search company Skyscanner established its U.S./Latin American/Canadian headquarters in Miami; 50 new jobs are anticipated.

Corporate/Regional Headquarters

Planning to site headquarters facilities in Southeast Florida:

• Office Depot: Following its merger with Naperville, Ill.-based OfficeMax in 2013, Office Depot will remain headquartered at its existing 625,000-sq.-ft. campus in Boca Raton, creating close to 400 new jobs and retaining some 2,000 positions.
• Nyrstar: A Zurich-based mining and metals company establishing its headquarters for the Americas in Fort Lauderdale with 25 jobs.
• Cyalume Technologies Holdings: Designer/manufacturer of tactical products and training solutions for military and law enforcement applications relocating from West Springfield, Mass., to Fort Lauderdale; 25 jobs expected.
• The Bosch Group: Frankfort, Germany-based global supplier of services for the automotive, travel and transportation industries opening its first North American communication center in Fort Lauderdale with 100 jobs.

ECONOMIC LIFE

Trade and Distribution

Developments at three Southeast ports facilitate domestic and international trade:

• PortMiami: Now a designated Foreign Trade Zone, offering on-dock rail service and streamlined access to I-95 through a newly completed truck tunnel.
• Port Everglades: Providing direct service from Northern Europe via Grand Alliance Gulf Atlantic Express and an on-dock rail link connecting the port with Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
• Port of Palm Beach: Providing direct access to Florida East Coast Railway, CSX and Norfolk Southern rail lines via on-dock rail and five miles of port-owned track.

Life Sciences/Healthcare

• Tennessee-based healthcare business services company Parallon Business Solutions will add 125 jobs and 23,000-square feet to its Florida headquarters in Sunrise.
• Drug-delivery systems manufacturer SHL Pharma has completed a $6-million renovation of its factory/R&D facility in Deerfield Beach, adding 30 jobs.
• Venezuelan pharmaceutical company Unipharma will establish its international headquarters in Tamarac, creating 100 jobs and investing $50 million in facilities and equipment.
• Stem cell nutrition company Stemtech International has relocated its international headquarters and manufacturing/R&D lab from San Clemente, Calif., to Pembroke Pines, adding 90 jobs.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Live like a tourist
Check out the newly opened Pérez Art Museum Miami. Shop ‘til you drop for bargains at Broward County’s Sawgrass Mills Mall — the nation’s largest outlet mall — or for designer goods along Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. Enjoy dinner by the sea in Vero Beach, Fort Pierce or dozens of other ocean-side venues. Follow the scenic Overseas Highway to Key West, named 8th friendliest city in America on Conde Nast Traveler’s 2014 “Reader’s Choice Survey.” All this and more are yours to enjoy anytime as a year-round resident.

Educational excellence
Southeast is home to 20 colleges and universities, including Florida International University, which recently took over operation of the federally owned Aquarius Reef Base in Key Largo, the world’s only operational underwater research habitat; and Broward College, leading a consortium of 12 educational institutions nationwide to develop industry-recognized logistics and supply chain management certification programs. In addition, two Miami high schools are among the nation’s top 25 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of “Best High Schools 2014”: Design and Architecture Senior High School (No. 19) and International Studies Charter High School (No. 24).

Specialty healthcare second to none
For the 11th straight year, University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has been named the nation’s No. 1 hospital for ophthalmology on U.S. News & World Report’s 2014-15 list of “America’s Best Hospitals.” Miami Children’s Hospital was named among the nation’s top 50 children’s hospitals in nine pediatric specialties.

NOTABLE ADDITIONS/EXPANSIONS

Corporate headquarters
Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a cancer treatment provider with five hospitals across the U.S., is relocating from Schaumburg, Ill., to Boca Raton; 225 jobs anticipated.

Technology
Cybersecurity firm Prolexic Technologies expects to nearly double its staff as it expands and relocates to a new headquarters in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The company, which protects businesses from network and machine hacking, was recently acquired by Massachusetts-based Akamai Technologies.

Security services
Brink’s Regional Services, a subsidiary of worldwide security services firm The Brink’s Company, has established its Latin American headquarters in Miami-Dade County; 105 new jobs are anticipated.

Aquaculture
Florida Organic Aquaculture has opened a 180,000-sq.-ft. closed-water shrimp production/research facility — the nation’s largest — in Fellsmere with the expectation of 512 jobs. Shrimp raised here will be shipped fresh to restaurants and grocery chains across the U.S.

NOTABLE EMPLOYERS

Aviation/Aerospace

• HEICO Aerospace Corporation Hollywood
• Piper Aircraft Vero Beach
• Pratt & Whitney West Palm Beach
• Sikorsky Aircraft West Palm Beach

Business/Financial Services

• American Express Plantation
• iVox Solutions Palm City
• Zimmerman Advertising Fort Lauderdale

Life Sciences/Healthcare

• Actavis Davie
• Martin Health System Stuart
• Noven Pharmaceuticals Miami
• University of Miami Health System Miami

Technology

• Citrix Systems Fort Lauderdale
• G4S Secure Solutions Jupiter

Travel /Tourism

• Carnival Cruise Lines Miami
• Royal Caribbean International Miami
• Spirit Airlines Miramar