25 in 25: Data Defining Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Future

New Year. New Beginnings. New Data. DowntownFTL’s growth continues to create momentum for major investments that will enhance South Florida’s livability and quality of life.

As we look further into 2025 and beyond, here are the top 25 metrics defining Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s future.

Destination for Investment

1. DowntownFTL, at 2.2 square miles, makes up just 6% of the City of Fort Lauderdale?but has 14%?of the city's population, 32%?of the city’s total employment, and at least 20%?of Broward’s new population between now and 2050
2. The 2025 ULI and PwC Emerging Trends in Real Estate report named Fort Lauderdale as a top magnet?18-hour city?alongside other cities on the rise like Charlotte, Denver, and San Diego. Fort Lauderdale is also ranked as the 2nd best city?in the country for homebuilding prospects.
3. DowntownFTL has more than 26,600 residents, a 38% increase?since 2020, and a 96% increase since 2010.
4. At a time when the number of children living in large cities across the country has been declining by double digits, DowntownFTL has seen a 47% increase?in its under-5 population since 2020.
5. 51+ real estate development projects are in the pipeline, adding more than 19,000 units to the urban core, bringing at least $10 billion in private investment downtown. 2,500+ new apartments are under construction, reflecting $1 billion?of ongoing construction downtown.
6. A major wave of condominium construction is set to begin thanks to pre-sales launching for new projects like Andare, Viceroy Residences, Ombelle, and Sixth & Rio, doubling for-sale inventory?available in DowntownFTL.

Center of Commerce and Future Hub for Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality

7. DowntownFTL is home to over 6,000?total businesses supporting over 68,000?employees.???

8. Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s economy has seen significant growth with about 3,200 jobs added over the past year, a 5% increase since 2023. ?This growth is largely driven by a 7% increase in both finance and tech jobs (and a 20% increase?in tech jobs since 2021).

9. More than 90%?of DowntownFTL office workers are back at the office compared to pre-pandemic levels, 20 points better?than the national average.

10. Hines and Urban Street Development began construction?on FAT Village, the first major mixed-use creative campus for DowntownFTL anchored by transit-timber-technology-driven office spaces. Fort Lauderdale is joining other cities on the rise like Austin, Atlanta, Denver, and Nashville with T3 offices already open or coming soon.

11. Construction of a new $164 million movie studio?complex is underway with Infinite Reality as an anchor tenant. The partnership between Infinite Reality and Google?will accelerate Fort Lauderdale's emergence as a tech hub at the intersection of media production, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality.

Retail & Dining Evolution

12. Las Olas Boulevard has experienced a 28%?increase in foot traffic since 2017, exceeding last year’s total of 4.8 million visits.?

13. Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s overall retail vacancy rate is 5.2%, has steadily declined since 2015, and is 15% below?pre-pandemic levels.

14. About 600,000 square feet of new retail is planned for DowntownFTL, with over 80% of new inventory?slated for emerging districts in Flagler Village and South of the New River.

15. Over 50 new downtown restaurants?opened since 2022 ranging from elevated dining concepts like Daniel’s, Livia, Fleming’s, and Moxies to popular neighborhood spots like The Fitz, House on the River, Café Bastille, North Italia, Emily’s Garden, Pummarola, and Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza.

16. Fort Lauderdale was recently ranked by WalletHub as the 19th best foodie city?in the United States, ahead of destinations like Nashville, Houston, and Boston. ?

Public Space Renaissance?????????????

17. The City of Fort Lauderdale and its partners are investing over $350 million in public spaces, creating world-class amenities in downtown and on the beach that rival other major cities.

18. Huizenga Park?Reimagined is under construction and is set to reopen by the end of 2025 as DowntownFTL’s signature urban park.

Growing Tourism Engines

19. The Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport served more than 35.8 million?passengers in 2024, a 13% increase over 2022 levels.?FLL’s master plan will ensure that the airport expands its capacity to serve up to 50 million passengers.???????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????

20. Port Everglades bested its cruise passenger record with a preliminary count of 4,010,919 guests in 2024 and expects to serve 4.4 million passengers?in FY 2025.

21. The $1 billion expansion?of the Broward County Convention Center and construction of the 801-room Omni Convention Center hotel will be complete at the end of 2025, completing the transformation of this major tourism engine. ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Essential Infrastructure on the Way

22. Through public-private partnerships over the last 5 years, the City of Fort Lauderdale and its partners have committed more than $3 billion of investment?into essential infrastructure and new amenities.????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????

23. South Florida is the largest region in the country that does not have commuter rail serving its major downtown population centers. By 2029, DowntownFTL will be the biggest downtown on the rise in the country?that does not have access to commuter rail.????????????????????

Destination for Arts, Culture, and Entertainment

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24. The Florida Panthers have brought more than $130 million of economic impact to Fort Lauderdale?over the last 2 years thanks to the 2024 Stanley Cup Championship and debuts of the Baptist Health IcePlex and FTL War Memorial.

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25. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts and?The Parker?have been named as two of the top 10 venues worldwide?in Pollstar's 2024 Mid-Year Report.