Asking rental rates in Miami-Dade County have surged to a record-breaking $59.46 per square foot in the third quarter, marking a substantial 16.5% increase from the previous year, according to a report by commercial real estate firm JLL. The Wynwood and Brickell areas continue to lead as the most sought-after office submarkets, with annual asking rents surpassing $90 per square foot.
In Palm Beach County, the average direct asking rate for office space rose to $53.32 per square foot, reflecting a 15.6% increase from the third quarter of 2022, as reported by JLL. In Broward County, the rise was more modest at 4%.
These spikes in rental rates stand in contrast to many other office markets across the nation, which are facing challenges due to the prevalence of remote work. A recent report by MSCI Real Assets noted that approximately $32 billion worth of office properties nationwide are under distress.
However, South Florida presents a different picture, as signs of distress in the office market are scarce. Tere Blanca, founder and CEO of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, emphasized, “It’s a really healthy market. I know it’s hard to understand, given what’s happening in the office market elsewhere.”
In parts of the country, rising interest rates have led to a wave of defaults in major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C. Some cities, like Chicago, are encouraging property owners to convert office buildings into residential spaces. Meanwhile, the City of Atlanta has purchased a prominent downtown office tower with plans to create affordable housing units.
South Florida, on the other hand, has experienced a surge in employers and employees relocating to the region since the onset of the pandemic. “We were open for business at a time when people were looking for that,” noted Zach Wendelin, a managing director at JLL based in South Florida.
Although there are some indications of a slight cooling in the market, with increased office vacancies in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, the region’s office market remains far from a crash. National office vacancy rates are nearly 18%, according to a report from Yardi Matrix. Blanca asked, “Are we going to have 4.2 million square feet signed like we did last year? I don’t think that’s going to be the case, but we have had 2.4 million square feet signed so far this year.”
While there may be a bit of a slowdown, strong activity persists, and there is a concerted effort to encourage a return to the office in South Florida.
