Just thought that it would be nice to start a thread with information about the business and industries that create jobs and allow for our high quality of life in Miami. Trade news, rellocations, expansions, or information about city government moving us forward to enhance our world class city can be posted here.

Zoning Burger King takeout? October 18, 2005

Miami officials are trying to lure Burger King away from Coral Gables after plans for the burger chain’s new headquarters there were complicated by zoning problems.

Burger King announced plans in May to move to developer Armando Codina’s proposed office building on Le Jeune Road, but five months later that deal is in jeopardy after Codina was required to make modifications to the building.

The city of Coral Gables has rejected a key variance request that would have made it easier for Codina to meet parking requirements. The developer is faced with overhauling his plans completely in order to accommodate the city’s requirement for more than 1,000 parking spaces at the project.

What’s unclear is whether Burger King will accept all the changes. Lease agreements typically include language that gives major tenants the right to approve substantive changes or opt out.

If Codina has to undergo a major redesign for the building, he may not be able to deliver the headquarters as promised. Burger King’s lease for its current home expires in 2008.

One broker also said changing the design could increase the cost of the project, prompting Codina to try to boost lease rates.

A Burger King spokeswoman declined to comment.

Last year, Burger King announced it was looking for options for a new headquarters. Houston courted Burger King in the last round of move talks, but Codina came through, armed with $8.7 million in economic incentives promised by Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida.

Despite the current setbacks, the Codina Group hasn’t given up on getting Coral Gables to approve the variances and is negotiating for the zoning changes needed to save the deal.

At the same time, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz has been lobbying the $12 billion international hamburger chain to put its headquarters in downtown Miami.

“We would really be interested,” said Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton, who confirmed that Diaz has talked to Codina about a possible site switch.

City Economic Development Director Otto Boudet-Murias said Miami officials will not interfere in the deal Burger King has with Coral Gables but are closely monitoring Codina’s zoning problems for any opportunities.

If Miami officials are successful in luring Burger King, Codina has a back-up plan.

At least one national hotel chain is interested in the site at 2701 Le Jeune Road if the Burger King deal fails, according to two sources who asked not to be identified.

Burger King wants to consolidate its offices in Coral Gables, but Coral Gables Mayor Donald Slesnick said the code is the code.

He also said the city “bent over backward” in 2002 to attract Burger King before the Home of the Whopper opted to lease its current headquarters at the Waterford office complex near Miami International Airport.

“I can’t do much about it if they decide to dump the site and go somewhere, and I don’t plan to do much about it,” Slesnick said. “I intend to operate within the law and within the constraints of what’s allowed.”

Full Story (http://www.dailybusinessreview.com/news.html?news_id=36520)

i hope the burger king project doesn't go down the drain...coral gables is close enough to miami so that we both benefit.

still would b nice to have it go downtown miami instead of downtown gables... would b all for it falling through if it went to the cbd and not to houston... plus it said hell just put a hotel there neways

I don't see anything wrong with it being in Coral Gables as opposed to the CBD. Most of the "big business" corporations are grouped in the Gables, so they would fit right in along with the latin american HQ's of ExxonMobil, IBM, Chevron-Texaco, AT&T, and Disney. Along with the Del Monte HQ and the Miami offices of American Airlines. Also just a mile or two to the north in Blue Lagoon there is the latin american HQ of Federal Express, Hewlett Packard, The Gap, Oracle, Caterpillar, Sony, Canon, Johnson & Johnson, Black & Decker, Olympus, and Clorox. It would be nice if all of these companies moved to the CBD but just one moving wouldn't make a difference. It also wouldn't make much sense for the company since going to the CBD would mean leaving where the other businesses are.

An interesting table I found on the Beacon Council web page:

http://www.beaconcouncil.com/010302.asp

Leading Export Trade Partners, 2000
Miami Customs District

Rank Country Value
1 Brazil $6,434,018,051
2 Dominican Republic 2,337,655,772
3 Venezuela 2,268,506,279
4 Argentina 1,757,034,335
5 Colombia 1,705,467,227
6 Honduras 1,638,148,478
7 Costa Rica 1,537,675,103
8 Chile 1,186,072,621
9 El Salvador 1,045,107,504
10 Guatemala 940,764,666
Total Top 10 20,850,450,036
Rest of the World 10,184,211,857
Total Export Trade 31,034,661,893

Leading Import Trade Partners, 2000
Miami Customs District

Rank Country Value
1 Brazil $2,564,282,399
2 Dominican Republic 2,022,698,212
3 Costa Rica 1,941,271,496
4 Honduras 1,916,827,584
5 Colombia 1,356,731,305
6 Guatemala 1,297,608,007
7 El Salvador 1,167,782,678
8 China 1,134,215,040
9 Italy 904,577,956
10 United Kingdom 662,740,695
Total Top 10 14,968,735,372
Rest of the World 9,742,185,744
Total Import Trade 24,710,921,116

Some more facts from the Beacon Council on Miami-Dade County:

-Miami International Airport (MIA) is the number one U.S. airport for international freight.
-More than 40% of all U.S. exports to South America, Central America and the Caribbean goes through Miami Customs District.
-Miami International Airport has more flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than all other U.S. airports combined.
-Port of Miami ranks first among Florida containerized ports and ninth among U.S. ports.
-More than 64 foreign consulates, 25 international trade offices, and 32 bi-national Chambers of Commerce located in Greater Miami.
-With more than 40 foreign bank agencies and 11 Edge Act banks, Greater Miami is one of the top international banking centers in the United States.
-Greater Miami has two free trade zones, including Miami Free Zone, one of the largest privately owned and operated zones in the world and the Homestead Free Zone

Some more facts from the Beacon Council:

-Miami has been voted the Best City to do Business in Latin America by AmericaEconomia magazine's annual "Best Cities" ranking for three straight years.
-Home to more than 1250 multinational corporations.
-With the thrid highest international passenger traffic in the United States, Miami International Airport is commonly known as the "Hub of the Americas," serving as a vital gateway between the United States and Latin America. More than 100 airlines flew over 30 million passengers last year. The bustling airport is in the process of a $4.8 billion expansion program to accommodate more passengers.
-Port of Miami had 3.3 million passengers depart last year.
-For the buildmore parks crowd: Miami-Dade is home to over 300 parks.

While I'm at it, Virgin is looking at starting up a cruise line in Miami and starting a new space tourism company in Florida. Virgin chairman Richard Branson recently bought a place in Miami (anyone know where? He must have done it under a corporate name because his name doesn't show up in the property records anywhere) as well.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12937155.htm

Virgin Group's leader eyes Florida

Virgin Group Chairman Sir Richard Branson is planning to take on the Miami cruise ship industry, and is looking at Florida as a potential launch pad for his space tourism venture.

BY JIM WYSS

jwyss@herald.com


With a new residence in Miami and his eyes set on the cruise ship industry, Sir Richard Branson -- British billionaire and chairman of the Virgin Group -- may find his jet-setting lifestyle increasingly including South Florida layovers.

In town on behalf of American Express to talk to some 2,000 small-business workers Tuesday night, Branson, 56, outlined his company's plans for sea and space and the prospects of a post-oil future.

''Miami is obviously the center of cruises and Virgin has been looking at cruise ships. And we would do it very differently than any cruise ship traveling today,'' he said during a poolside interview at the Ritz-Carlton in South Beach.

Branson said he has been talking about cruise alliances with local industry executives and would likely be making an announcement in three or four months.

''And hopefully we'll do to the cruise ship business what we did with the airline business and come up with something pretty exciting,'' he said.

After making Virgin Records a household name, Branson launched Virgin Atlantic Airlines in 1984, with a single 747. Over the last two decades the fleet has grown to more than 200 planes and Virgin has bought controlling stakes in airlines in Australia and Africa.

The company hopes to crack the U.S. domestic market with Virgin America in about seven or eight months, wooing customers with the frills-filled travel that has made Virgin Atlantic famous, Branson said.

''When we started Virgin Atlantic 21 years ago, there were 12 American carriers competing with us,'' he said. ``Every single one of those carriers has subsequently gone bankrupt and the reason I think is that they didn't get the quality right. They were not taking into account that there was a person traveling with them that wanted to be loved and pampered and looked after.''

By his own account, things in the industry have only deteriorated. Still bleary eyed from a red-eye from Los Angeles on ''an American airline,'' he said was underwhelmed by the service.

''I was in first-class and it was the same as cattle-class years and years and years back,'' he said. ``It was impossible to sleep.''

With more than 300 companies -- from mobile phones, to railroads, to sports clubs, to soft-drinks, to the recently launched Virgin Vines wine company (motto ``Unscrew it, let's do it''), it's astonishing Branson has time to sleep at all.

Overseeing the company from his private island in the appropriately named British Virgin Islands, the company pulled in more than $8 billion in revenue in 2004 and has some 35,000 employees.

And while the island life suits Branson, about three weeks ago his wife bought a ''small place'' in Miami that may keep him on the mainland, he said. ''I'm sure we'll spend more time here now that we have a place.'' Branson wouldn't disclose any details about his new abode.

Despite the maverick's penchant for publicity and edgy marketing, few of his endeavors have made more headlines than his recent incursion into space tourism.

Earlier this year the company announced it had partnered with the makers of SpaceShipOne -- the first civilian craft enter suborbital flight -- and would begin taking passengers into space by 2008.

With fares starting at $200,000, some 200 people have signed up for the ride and more than 100 have purchased tickets, according to the company's website.

Yet Virgin Galactic still hasn't found a headquarters.

''Florida is definitely a player for Virgin Galactic,'' Branson said, citing NASA's infrastructure at Cape Canaveral. ``But there are a couple of other states that are pitching very hard as well. We have to build the space station . . . so we may need a bit of support from the local government if they want us. But our people are in discussions [with Florida officials] as we speak.''

If being the father of space tourism isn't enough, Branson is also taking on another problem -- the global fuel crisis. After recently telling MSNBC that he wanted to build an oil refinery, Branson said he has modified his thinking to focus on environmentally friendly cellulosic ethanol refineries. The plants would use cutting-edge technology to turn staple grains into fuel.

''[The technology] is in its infancy but if it succeeds, and I think it will -- it will basically replace conventional oil and we'll actually have a clean world one day,'' he said. ``So yes, we're going into the oil industry but we plan to go into it in a way that we believe will drive down the price of oil but equally help the environment.''

A team of technicians is currently scouring the Equator for ideal sites to set up three to four cellulosic ethanol plants within the next year to 18 months, he said.

The ethanol endeavor seems to bridge Branson's two worlds. When he's not running his global corporation, he's focusing on his charity, Virgin Unite. The organization looks at environmental and health issues, with a particular focus on Africa (the proceeds from Tuesday night's engagement are going to the charity).

''We now have considerable financial resources and I think we can make a real difference in people's lives who are having absolutely miserable lives at the moment,'' he said.

i don't know why but i think richard branson is a genious...he runs virgin not by scaring people,trump but by having fun and some charisma

LATEST NEWS
South Florida Business Journal - 2:40 PM EDT Friday
South Florida leads in employment numbers
Adding 71,500 jobs, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach metropolitan statistical area led the state in employment growth in September.

Other areas adding a significant number of jobs, year-over-year, are Orlando, with 47,200 jobs, and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, with 33,400 jobs.

For the state as a whole, September employment grew by 277,700 jobs. The 3.7 percent increase is more than twice the 1.6 percent national growth rate.

The state's September unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, down 1.3 percentage points from 4.8 percent a year ago. The most recent state percentage is also 1.6 percentage points lower than the national rate of 5.1 percent. Full Story (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2005/10/17/daily57.html?t=printable)

Just thought I would do some calculations here, so here we go. While everyone notices the fact that the vast majority of new construction in Downtown Miami is Residential, there is also quite a bit of office space being added. My definition of "Downtown" is a little generous here, I am counting basically from Midtown down to the Four Seasons, East of I-95. Here are the totals from the Development Report from the City:

For comparison sake here is the square footage of some existing office buildings (note this is the office space, not counting garages...etc):
Mellon (1111 Brickell Bay): 540,000
Wachovia: 1,145,311
BoA: 703,338

New Office Space (Recently Completed):
U.S. Courthouse: 385,173
ESB: 213,021
Four Seasons: 243,656
One Riverview Square: 150,865
Club At BB: 80,000
Total: 1,072,715 -- basically another Wachovia.

Coming Soon (over 40,000):
Met2: 678,230
Brickell Park (Flatiron): 598,892
1450 Brickell (PP2): 508,900
Transit Village: 340,722
1101 Brickell: 301,000
600 Brickell: 260,000
Latitude One: 225,000
Max Tower: 220,480
Riverfront West: 203,000
Lynx: 147,696
Ice Tower: 139,198
Brickell CitiCentre: 133,721
Capital: 108,543
Urbana: 101,335
Rivertown: 98,129
Miramar Centre -Phase 3: 92,260
2121 Biscayne: 85,043
Chelsea (1550 Biscayne): 79,988
900 Biscayne: 69,204
Brickell Village Corporate Office: 66,768
Infinity: 61,540
Midtown Midblock: 59,020
Riverfont East: 52,800
Premiere Towers: 46,000
Pointe at Brickell: 41,553

Total: 4,719,022 sqft of Office Space. Thats like adding more than 4 Wachovias. I wonder how many other cities in the U.S are adding that much office space?

Just thought I would do some calculations here, so here we go. While everyone notices the fact that the vast majority of new construction in Downtown Miami is Residential, there is also quite a bit of office space being added.Great job! It's a great time to be alive in Miami!!!!

Don't forget the Dade county Overtown project (almost complete), adding 340,722 sf of office space, and the UM clinical research center (also almost complete) is considered office at 336,000. The Miami spreadsheet says that a total of 1,521,995 of office space and 1,097,776 of retail is under construction. In addition to that, proposed and future office sf is 4,735,368 and retail is 4,964,042, all within the 35.67 square mile Miami city limits.

Don't forget the Dade county Overtown project (almost complete), adding 340,722 sf of office space, and the UM clinical research center (also almost complete) is considered office at 336,000. The Miami spreadsheet says that a total of 1,521,995 of office space and 1,097,776 of retail is under construction. In addition to that, proposed and future office sf is 4,735,368 and retail is 4,964,042, all within the 35.67 square mile Miami city limits.

I included the Overtown Project (called Transit Village). Also I didn't include the UM building because I was focusing only on East of I-95. True lots of office space is also being added in the Civic Center area, the Blue Lagoon area and Coral Gables as well, and of course Doral never stops building office parks (ugh).

Here are some numbers for Coral Gables, obviously a little harder to come by (and probably less acurate) without a development report like the City of Miami has:

Square Footage (recently completed):
2525 Ponce De Leon: 234,000
355 Alhambra: 224,241
Alhambra Tower: 175,000
Merrick View: 100,000
The Minorca: 31,721
55 Miracle Mile: 25,000

Coming Soon:
2701 Le Jeune (BK): 250,000
2020 Ponce: 130,000
Plaza San Remo: 104,000
1600 Ponce: 69,660

Down the road in South Miami:
Plaza 57 (HSBC): 170,000
Hometown Station: 157,000
SMH Medical Office Building: 100,000

Other stuff in South Miami that I don't know the square footage of:
62nd Ave Plaza: 6-story medical offices -approved
6141 Sunset: 5-story offices -construction
7051 SW 61 AVE: 4-story office building
7001 sw 61 ave: 3-story office building

I'm sure I left a bunch out (especially in Coral Gables)..

Using data from the census here are Cities in Miami-Dade County ranked based on Daytime Population Growth (i.e. from commuting, not counting tourists going to the beach)

I'm surprised by Bal Harbour but I guess it makes sense since the residents don't go to work and commuters come in to work at the mall and to clean people's condo's and watch their children which makes a net gain.

http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/daytime/2000/tab03.xls

(City) (Pop.2000) (Daytime Pop.) (%Change)
Medley 1,098 13,521 1131.4%
Doral 20,438 63,802 212.2%
Coral Gables 42,249 65,324 54.6%
Bal Harbour 3,305 4,927 49.1%
South Miami 10,741 15,710 46.3%
Miami 362,470 497,536 37.3%
Opa-Locka 14,951 19,312 29.2%
Miami Lakes 22,676 28,916 27.5%
Aventura 25,267 31,071 23.0%
Homestead 31,909 34,651 8.6%
Florida City 7,843 8,509 8.5%
Miami Beach 87,993 94,830 7.8%
Key Biscayne 10,507 10,092 -3.9%
North Miami Beach 40,786 38,248 -6.2%
Hialeah 226,419 209,254 -7.6%
Miami Shores 10,380 9,347 -10.0%
North Miami 59,880 52,085 -13.0%
Hialeah Gardens 19,297 16,747 -13.2%
Miami Springs 13,712 11,770 -14.2%
Sunny Isles 15,135 12,908 -15.7%
Pinecrest 19,055 15,791 -17.1%
North Bay Village 6,733 5,168 -23.2%
Sweetwater 14,226 10,557 -25.7

Here is the same data for Counties:

Miami-Dade 2,253,362 2,310,497 2.5%
Palm Beach 1,131,184 1,154,880 2.1%
Broward 1,623,018 1,549,746 -4.5%

It looks like Broward is supplying the workforce for the other two...

Its Miami's Suburb, what else can you expect?

Lets throw in some "census places" while we are at it. It looks like most of this Unincorporated Area sends it workforce to the cities listed in the other posts. The exceptions are Opa-Locka north which is an industrial area plus an airport. Three lakes is Tamiami airport and Brownsville includes MIA.

Opa-Locka North 6,224 10,422 67.4%
Three Lakes 6,955 10,308 48.2%
Brownsville 14,393 17,052 18.5%
Glenvar Heights 16,243 17,937 10.4%
East Kendall 75,226 81,422 8.2%
East Perrine 7,079 6,757 -4.5%
Town and Country 72,523 64,395 -11.2%
Coral Terrace 24,380 21,520 -11.7%
University Park 26,538 22,866 -13.8%
Westchester 30,271 25,482 -15.8%
West Perrine 8,600 6,941 -19.3%
Fountainbleau 56,549 47,970 -19.4%
Golden Glades 32,623 25,874 -20.7%
Cutler Ridge 24,781 19,561 -21.1%
Princeton 10,090 7,912 -21.6%
Cutler 17,390 13,441 -22.7%
South Miami Heights 33,522 25,131 -25.0%
Lake Lucerne 9,132 6,793 -25.6%
Leisure City 22,152 16,176 -27.0%
Richmond Heights 28,082 16,692 -27.5%
Country Walk 10,653 7,709 -27.6%
Carol City 59,443 42,575 -28.4%
Country Club of Miami 36,310 25,061 -31.0%
Westwood Lakes 12,005 8,247 -31.3%
Ives Estates 17,586 12,070 -31.4%
Tamiami 54,788 36,883 -32.7%
Kendale Lakes 56,901 37,639 -33.9%
Lakes by the Bay 9,055 5,860 -35.3%
The Hammocks 47,379 30,672 -35.3%
The Crossings 23,557 14,688 -37.6%
West Kendall 38,034 23,577 -38.0%

what's going on? :dunno:

how does key biscayne lose just 3.9%... who the hell works on key biscayne besides that nice cuban lady who serves the cafe con leche at the mini la carreta

how does key biscayne lose just 3.9%... who the hell works on key biscayne besides that nice cuban lady who serves the cafe con leche at the mini la carreta

Probably the same thing as Bal Harbour. The people who live there don't work, and the ones who do are replaced by housekeepers and nannies.

Key Biscayne has a lot of police officers that probably don't live there. But, I know that the vast majority of students that live on the key have to commute to school. Maybe they cancel out. The residents of Key Biscayne might have a 'police officer per teenage hooligan rule'. Those teenagers just don't respect 'stay off the lawn' signs.

Some more stats from the 2000 census.
Where people work? CDP denotes a "census designated place" in other words not a real city but a way of breaking down the vast unincorporated area.

What stands out: This is obviously from 2000 and not 2005 as I find it hard to believe more people work in the Town and County area (Kendall DR and Turnpike) than in Doral. The East Kendall number is pretty surprising as well. And do you really think that 13,000 people work in Sunny Isles Beach? As what, doormen?

Miami-Dade Total - 956,458
Miami - 156,539
Kendall (East) CDP - 81,422
Hialeah - 79,947
Coral Gables - 65,324
Town & Country CDP - 64,395
Doral - 63,802
North Miami - 52,085
Fountainbleau CDP - 47,970
Miami Beach - 39,868
Tamiami CDP - 36,883
North Miami Beach - 38,248
Kendale Lakes CDP - 37,639
Homestead - 34,651
Aventura - 31,071
Hammocks CDP - 30,672
Golden Glades CDP - 25,874
Westchester CDP - 25,482
South Miami Heights CDP - 25,131
Country Club of Miami CDP - 25,061
Kendall (West) CDP - 23,577
Univerisity Park CDP - 22,866
Norland CDP - 21,722
Cutler Ridge CDP - 19,561
Opa-Locka - 19,312
Glenvar Heights CDP - 17,937
Brownsville CDP - 17,052
Sunset CDP - 16,239
Leisure City CDP - 16,176
Pinecrest - 15,791
South Miami - 15,710
Crossings CDP - 14,688
Medley - 13,521
Sunny Isles - 12,908
Miami Springs - 11,770
Miami Lakes - 11,686
Sweetwater - 10,577
Key Biscayne - 10,092
Opa-Locka North CDP - 10,422
Florida City - 8,509
Hialeah Gardens - 7,590
North Bay Village - 5,168
Miami Shores - 4,945
Bal Harbour - 4,927

I find these numbers to be way off. There is much more SqFt of retail and office under development. Midtown Miami + Mary Brickell Village together = almost 2,000,000 of retail which are both currently under development (I drive right by both every day).

I find these numbers to be way off. There is much more SqFt of retail and office under development. Midtown Miami + Mary Brickell Village together = almost 2,000,000 of retail which are both currently under development (I drive right by both every day).

I didn't include retail, but you're right, If I did the numbers would be alot higher.

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/051110/fyi.shtml

GOING UP: Downtown Miami office space is in for inflationary price increases between now and 2008, according to a study by Jones Lang LaSalle, while suburban Miami markets face moderate increases. The firm forecasts downtown vacancies at 12.5% in 2008, suburban vacancies at 10.7%. At the end of September, the firm says, the central business district had a 10.4% vacancy and suburban areas 8.9% - ranging from 2.5% in the Kendall/Dadeland area to 14.5% in Coconut Grove.

Here are the numbers on the retail being added in the Downtown Area (Midtown to Four Seasons, east of I-95) per the October development report. For comparison sake Aventura Mall is 2.4 million sqft, Dadeland Mall was 1.4 million sqft before Nordstroms was added and a large restaurant such as the Hard Rock Cafe at Bayside is 22,000 sqft. Houston's on Miracle Mile is 8300 sqft. An 1800 -2200 sqft resaurant could typically house 55-65 people and a 2800-3200 sqft restaurant might seat 85-110 people. Your typical small restaurant like a Subway could be about 1200 - 1400 sqft.

(Over 15,000 sqft)

Brickell Area:
Mary Brickell Village - 229,380
Brickell CitiCentre - 90,336
Flatiron (Brickell Park) - 69,349
Capital - 47,853
Plaza - 41,100
500 Brickell - 37,199
Villa Magna - 32,950
1101 Brickell - 30,007
600 Brickell - 29,200
Icon - 25,000
Avenue - 25,000
1390 Brickell Bay - 21,388
Premiere - 20,266
Latitude - 20,000
Axis - 17,692
Park Place - 17,664
Total: 754,384

CBD Area:
Island Gardens - 221,000
Met Square - 142,575
Everglades - 65,549
Crosswinds - 61,472
Lynx - 50,307
Met3 - 44,936
Riverfront East - 41,994
Riverfront West - 38,728
Dupont - 38,000
Marquis West - 34,811
Met2 - 30,090
Marina Blue - 29,300
NeoVertika - 24,676
Galardi South - 20,500
50 Biscayne - 15,727
Total: 859,665

PAC Area:
City Square - 965,798
Bayview Market - 653,659
Omni - 192,170
Cardinal Symphony (1650 Biscayne) - 66,225
Max Tower - 64,515
Lima - 48,180
1490 Biscayne - 43,147
Paramount Bay - 26,465
Biscayne Tower - 24,136
One Herald - 22,619
Opera Tower - 18,112
Total: 2,125,026


Midtown Area:
Shops at Midtown (North) - 324,884
Design District Gateway - 115,000
Shops at Midtown (midblock) - 111,922
Midtown Midblock East - 60,349
Midtown 5 - 32,430
31st Park - 26,031
Three Midtown - 23,540
Four Midtown - 23,370
Midtown 6 - 22,357
Cube - 19,335
City24 - 19,171
Midtown Park - 17,105
Park Lane - 16,310
Two Midtown - 16,128
Total: 827,932

Total (of all 4 areas): 4,567,007

IF it all gets built, thats a lot of retail to fill.

thats two new aventuras... i dont know so much about that man... ITS A SIGN OF THE IMPENDING DOOM OF ALL CONSTRUCTION IN MIAMI!!!

or itll just take a few years to fill all these up... but eventually they all will get filled... but in roarks words, it all goes in cycles, and itll just b a buyers market for a while (i guess in retail it would be called a leasers market, hows that for a new word, maybe i have a future as a great economist)

the thing i'm afraid of is us getting a bunch of crapppy electronics shops to fill this retail...i want to see variety, coffee shops,book stores,art galleries, corner stores etc,not the usually crappy tourist shops that no one wants to buy in...and another problem is that the way the miami city code was written ,it required all new construction in the high density zones to have retail on the ground floor--atleast 20% of ground floor had to be retail so alot of new buildings were including retail which was private to residents of the building only and the city code actually allowed it,until it was rewritten but about 70 projects in that time zone got approved so who knows what may happen.

Thats why I didn't include the projects that had smaller retail portions (less than 15,000 sqft). The Ritz in Coconut Grove has a retail portion but it doesn't exactly generate foot traffic, people don't walk to Biscaya or to Bice in the Wyndam down the street. The Mandarin has 10,000 sqft of retail but its all hidden behind the hotel and not visible from the street. Using retail on restaurants is fine but they should be street-side. Not tucked away in the interior of the building.

the thing i'm afraid of is us getting a bunch of crapppy electronics shops to fill this retail...i want to see variety, coffee shops,book stores,art galleries, corner stores etc,not the usually crappy tourist shops that no one wants to buy in...and another problem is that the way the miami city code was written ,it required all new construction in the high density zones to have retail on the ground floor--atleast 20% of ground floor had to be retail so alot of new buildings were including retail which was private to residents of the building only and the city code actually allowed it,until it was rewritten but about 70 projects in that time zone got approved so who knows what may happen.The retail in the CBD is not going to be viable if not open to the public. Biscayne Blvd is shifting to the east and the sidewalks are being widened (just like Ocean Drive was in the late 80's) to accomadate more pedestrian traffic. Those crappy tourist shops that no one wants to buy in do fantastic sales numbers from tourist that DO want to buy in them. A good litmus test is to notice that they are all still in business!!! By building Marina Blue, 900 B., 10 Museum, Marquis, etc, we aren't adding more tourists to the mix...we are adding more residents to the CBD. Hatter, I think your wish will come true, those residents will demand the services that you are asking for. Not 100% sure, but I believe that Mark Soyka confirmed a News Cafe -esque restaraunt at 10 Museum Park. Next challenge: Enough parking for people making day trips to the area.

Here's an article of some relevance to this thread - amazing!

:eek:

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/11/28/daily53.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Tampa Bay Business Journal - 4:52 PM EST Friday
Florida a haven for new jobs

More than one third of all jobs created in the United States in the last five years have been created in Florida. Of the 2 million non-agricultural jobs created in the five-year period ending in October 2005, Florida added 688,600, or 34 percent of the total in the nation, according to a report by Tax Watch Center for a Competitive Florida.

Employment growth in Florida advanced by 9.66 percent during the five years compared with a nationwide rate of 1.53 percent.

Nearly 8 million people work in Florida, with 88 percent of those in the services industry.

Of the increased jobs, the construction industry accounted for almost 30 percent, followed by education and health with 17.3 percent, professional and business services with 15.7 percent and leisure and hospitality with 13.7 percent. The only two industry sectors that lost jobs were manufacturing at 13.8 percent and information with 12 percent.

Along with the jump in jobs, personal income rose faster than the national average, the report said. Floridians experienced a 29 percent growth in personal income compared with a 22 percent increase nationally.

Sectors of the economy making the largest contribution to job growth, such as professional and business services, health, and leisure and hospitality, have generally made a somewhat smaller contribution to income increases.

roark... screw day parking, clear out all the parkins spots and widen the sidewalks, some more trees, mayb some benches, a fountain or two... and tear down all the garages and put up more condos and offices... in fact, outlaw all cars, and then metro will reign supreme!

The article in today's herald shows how much it really sucks for most twenty and thirty somethings in south florida and the housing boom is completely screwing up their finances. 55% make less than $30,000 a year!!!

I can't stress enough to the younger people on this board still in high school. If you can get into one of the better Florida state schools (UF, FSU) with the bright futures scholarships and not get yourself in lots of debt, do it!!! Even going to FIU is perfectly fine, nobody really cares too much where you went to school outside of some prestige professions like investment banking, most employers are much more interested in your work experience and what you have done with your degree to make yourself marketable to them.

MONEY
Living costs crimp S. Fla. 20-somethings
Crushing debt, high housing costs and stagnant incomes are forcing South Florida's young adults to adopt a no-frills lifestyle.
BY NICOLE WHITE
nwhite@herald.com

In the once-heady world of young adult excess, where happy hour was king, daily trips to Starbucks were a must and dining out was mandatory, a seismic shift has occurred: A growing number in South Florida have turned out of necessity to the frugal habits of their grandparents and others living on a fixed income.

They clip coupons. Organize trips to large discount stores such as Costco and Sam's Club instead of darting to their favorite specialty grocery store. Pack their lunches and consider a $4 cup of designer Joe a luxury to be savored sparingly.

This area's staggering real estate prices and seemingly stagnant income levels -- coupled with debilitating debt from credit cards and college loans -- are causing many young adults, age 25-34, to reassess their lifestyles.

''Going to Starbucks every day is a thing of the past. Now it's a treat,'' said Paula Nino, 28.

A Web designer for a local trade magazine, Nino has made drastic changes to a once uninhibited lifestyle.

To help pay off $10,000 in credit card debt and other expenses, she routinely empties coins into a small leather-like box to cash in for future splurges. A trip to a furniture store was not an option to furnish her living room. A $60 tweed sofa bed from a thrift shop fit the bill. She packs lunch each day, a savings of at least $35. Cable is gone. So, too, is Internet access. Her most painful trim: abandoning her penchant for fine dining.

''It's expensive. When I was growing up . . . I didn't know a lot about handling money or being frugal at all,'' said Nino. ``I'm still learning.''

Indeed, with housing costs statewide rising by 20 percent since 2000 -- while young adults' income has gone up only 10 percent -- they are playing an endless game of catch-up. As it is, most earn less than $30,000 a year in Florida.

Buying a new home isn't even in the equation. Prices of homes for sale in South Florida have more than doubled.

''They're getting crunched,'' notes Gihan Perera, of the Miami Workers Center, which advocates for affordable housing and economic equity for the working class. ``Jobs are further away, child-care costs are high and there's a smaller pool of jobs and housing.''

It is a disturbing reality for a group that, years removed from college or technical school, should be at its prime, looking toward settling into marriage and purchasing that first home, Perera and others say. Instead they struggle to pay sizable student loans and credit card debt.

CREDIT CARD DEBT

Between 1992 and 2001, credit card debt among this group nationwide swelled by 55 percent to $4,088, according to a 2004 study dubbed ''Generation Broke'' by Demos, a research and advocacy group in New York. By comparison, credit card debt among adults age 49 to 55, while slightly higher at $4,861, grew by just 25 percent.

The results, said Tamara Draut, who co-authored the study, is a young generation whose income is swallowed up by paying off debt -- nearly a quarter of every dollar earned by an indebted young adult.

''They're weighed down by student loan debt, with starting salaries that haven't kept up with the cost of healthcare or housing,'' Draut said. ''They never have a chance to catch up and get ahead. This is a generation that finds that it's constantly running to stand still,'' she added.

Eric Bendross knows this game well.

Bendross, 25, an office clerk for a local government agency, has $20,000 in student loans -- a mammoth price for a culinary degree he may never use.

With an annual salary of roughly $27,000, he says he and his wife, Angela, struggle each month to pay rent, car insurance, utilities, student loan and credit card fees. They have no savings.

''We use coupons, we defer payment on bills, but I'm grateful to have a job, because my benefits there helped pay for surgery,'' he said.

Like Bendross, more than half the young adults in Florida -- 55 percent -- make less than $30,000 a year, according to figures from the U.S. Census 2004 population survey. With that median income, it means the average young adult is less likely to qualify to buy a single-family home in either Miami-Dade or Broward counties.

Housing prices in Miami-Dade and Broward have more than doubled since 2000, and now average more than $366,000. Rents, too, have seen a significant increase, climbing from $571 for a one-bedroom apartment for fair-market rent in Miami-Dade in 2000 to $775 in 2005, and from $572 to $830 in Fort Lauderdale, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

''It used to be the case that the people in this bracket is where upward mobility would begin,'' said Bruce Nissen, director of research at Florida International University's Center for Labor Research. ``This is scary because it doesn't bode well for our median young workforce. You expect those numbers for teenagers, but this is the point where they should have established their careers.''

Americans as a whole are being forced to cut costs with rising gas prices and utility bills. Floridians are especially squeezed after heavy damage from a busy hurricane season. More and more flock to discount retailers.

Discount websites, such as pinchingyourpennies.com, have seen a swell in members scouring the Internet for coupons and bargain finds, said the site's founder, Shelley Robinson, 33.

For the coveted 25- to-34 age group -- a target for advertisers -- such lifestyle adjustments have become a way of life now, instead of a reality deferred for retirement.

HARSH REALITY

Christine Charles, 33, says she thought life would be a financial breeze when she graduated from college. Her parents had a comfortable lifestyle in Florida; she assumed hers would be the same.

An investigator with the Broward Sheriff's Office, Charles has a salary that is well above the median income, but as a single mother she has been forced to supplement her income by doing other jobs. ''Reality slapped me in the face. This is not what I thought it would be,'' said Charles. ``These days, I'm the sale queen. Coupons are my best friend.''

At a Miami Beach apartment complex off Lincoln Road, Julienne Gage, 32, and a commune of neighbors share lunches and dinners and scour the clothing racks at thrift shops and discount chains. They load up a van each month to head to Costco.

Gage, who works for a trade magazine and once interned at The Herald, said she has made drastic changes to survive and pay off the $40,000 in student loans from two master's degrees.

``I dropped my gym membership and started swimming at Flamingo Park Pool and going to $5 yoga at the beach on weekends. . . . I cut off my land line and signed up for [cellphone service]. I canceled subscriptions to clothing catalogs so that I wouldn't be tempted to even look at expensive items. I bought a $20 thrift store bike and began using that for all Miami Beach travel.''

On a recent Saturday, the group gathered on a balcony to share a meal. ''It's cheaper and absolutely much better food than we can get eating out,'' said Evelyn Posada, 31.

Drastic measures will need to take place at both the state and national levels to help this generation, said Draut, whose book Strapped: Why America's 20 and 30 somethings Can't Get Ahead, will be released in January.

''This is a half of our society where no matter what they do, they can't get ahead,'' Draut said. ``They have debts for diplomas, and that is really stacking things against them.''

As a 20-something myself I can attest that most of the 20-somethings I know still live with their parents despite the fact that they work full time because they can't afford a place to live. Luckily my soon to be wife and I both make well over twice that amount and neither of us have any students loans to pay off (I knew all those A's in high school which led to scholarships rather than partying all night like some people would pay off some day). But then again, we can't exactly buy a decent place to place to live here either. But I guess our problem is more of one of too high expectations expecting a 850+ sqft condo on the beach or brickell or the gables.

roark... screw day parking, clear out all the parkins spots and widen the sidewalks, some more trees, mayb some benches, a fountain or two... and tear down all the garages and put up more condos and offices... in fact, outlaw all cars, and then metro will reign supreme!I'm all for widening sidewalks, adding fountains, more trees, benches, pigeons, statues, and the rest...but it makes sense to build some smartly designed garages so people can day trip into the area, whether to visit friends or just enjoy the city. Nice SoBe style parking garages clad with townhomes or retail or bushes, with gardens/greenspaces on the tops of them. Whatever happens, there are plenty of economically sensicle solutions to ugly parking. Let the cars come into the area, just make them "disappear" when they get there. Underground at Museum park anyone?

I finished school didnt go to college (till 3 years later) moved out and had an apartment right away. I could have built a home on my pay at the time. The problem isnt only you need a good job (always a good thing) it is also that Miami is too expensive. My wife and I have good jobs (RN and engineer) and make good money. I still look at the prices in Miami and gasp, they are crazy. I understand the free market..I dont need a tutorial thanks. I would never pay those prices. I think a lot of people will feel that way if the prices continue to go up. I could see a lot of houses going on the market for two reasons. 1. To capitalize on the equity in their homes and make a nice profit. 2. Because they cant afford the taxes on the inflated price. Of course they will have to buy another expensive home to stay in Miami, or they can go elsewhere and buy a large house (California syndrom as I call it, 2 bedroom home in LA a million dollars, move to Idaho and buy a castle for less). Anyway skyrocketing prices in the end is bad for growth in the end as far as I am concerned.

Underground at Museum park anyone?

Amen to that. There is underground parking beneath Boston Common so why not here?

I still look at the prices in Miami and gasp, they are crazy. I understand the free market..I dont need a tutorial thanks.I would never pay those prices.Okay...obviously there are lot of people that have and are paying the price for this quality of life. The cost is worth the benefit. I think a lot of people will feel that way if the prices continue to go up.Well a simple test to prove or disprove your theory would be to analyze the last 10 years in the Miami Metro. Prices have continued to go up every single year. Now, has there been positive or negative growth in the last ten years?? I think it's positive growth. Postive price appreciation AND positive growth. Positive price appreciation AND positive population growth.Anyway skyrocketing prices in the end is bad for growth in the end as far as I am concerned.Well...don't let facts cloud your judgment or opinions, and congratulations on naming your new syndrome, but I love the fact that so many demand this type of lifestyle, and the supply that we are building in the Magic City really makes this forum exciting..(California syndrom as I call it, 2 bedroom home in LA a million dollars, move to Idaho and buy a castle for less).
Has anyone noticed that you don't see many homeowners whining about home prices? If you waiting for home prices to come down to 2000 price levels, don't hold your breath. Buy Real Estate and wait....Don't Wait to buy real estate.

Okay...obviously there are lot of people that have and are paying the price for this quality of life. The cost is worth the benefit.

But are these full-time residents? I don't think so. Census data shows Dade is still a net loser in domestic population, i.e. more Dade residents are leaving for other parts of the U.S. than U.S. residents are moving into the county. California has the same problem. And like California, Dade is growing in population ONLY because of immigration and the natural increase of births vs. deaths.

What we mainly have are rich people from New York or Brazil or Argentina or the UK buying second homes and the population growth is fueled by low-skilled immigrants providing services for these rich people.

Now is this happening each and every time? No. There are certainly a percentage of rich new yorkers or rich latin americans moving to miami full-time, but this is a minority according to the demographic data I have seen.

BTW, Prices in the Ocala area are up 40% over the last year and the market is going like gangbusters mainly from South Floridians fed up with the congestion, hurricanes, and exhoribant insurance rates. They are selling their South Florida homes and buying Ocala homes dirt cheap in "cash."

^^^ california syndrome florida style :) Wow Roark that took you a long time to responde to, you must be busy. The cali folks drove up the prices when I lived in Vancouver WA too, and the population boomed there as well but massive growth and massive price increases do not equal quality of life to everyone.

I'm all for widening sidewalks, adding fountains, more trees, benches, pigeons, statues, and the rest...but it makes sense to build some smartly designed garages so people can day trip into the area, whether to visit friends or just enjoy the city. Nice SoBe style parking garages clad with townhomes or retail or bushes, with gardens/greenspaces on the tops of them. Whatever happens, there are plenty of economically sensicle solutions to ugly parking. Let the cars come into the area, just make them "disappear" when they get there. Underground at Museum park anyone?

ugh... fine roark... you and ur logic


Amen to that. There is underground parking beneath Boston Common so why not here? grant and millenium parks in chicago

Good article from today's SF Business Journal:

http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2006/02/06/story3.html

Construction in store

South Florida leads nation in retail projects
Darcie Lunsford

The City of Angels may have 4 million more people and the nation's capital may have more politicians, but neither can hold a shopping bag to South Florida when it comes to retail construction.

With nearly 11.6 million square feet of projects in the pipeline, the region is set to explode with shopping center construction that stands to outpace most major metro areas, according to data just released from Miami Beach-based Terranova Corp.

The bullish construction includes many new mega-projects such as Midtown Miami, Downtown Dadeland and Davie Commons, and shouts out the region's zeal for retail.

"The fundamentals are strong," Terranova President Trish Blasi told a crowd gathered for the Urban Land Institute's Jan. 27 economic outlook at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. "If retail real estate were a child, we would say it has good bone structure and a bright future."

In fact, the region is now considered part of the retail elite.

"We are now used in the same breath as Los Angeles and San Diego by retailers," said Drew Barkett, VP of Turnberry Associates, owner of Aventura Mall and developer of the proposed Davie Commons in Davie. "Our wealth is unmatched by other retail areas."

South Floridians' need to spend, paired with the region's population boom and robust tourism industry, drive the need for new retail.

Last year, South Florida opened retail centers faster than Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles County and New York City, according to Marcus & Millichap data. In 2005, 3.7 million square feet of shops, restaurants and service venues opened newly built locations in South Florida, data showed.

Comparatively, the nation's capital saw 3.1 million square feet in retail construction, Los Angeles County delivered 2.2 million square feet and New York City 1 million square feet, data showed.

Only two other metropolitan service areas in the nation delivered more new retail space than South Florida last year: Dallas-Fort Worth, with 5.8 million square feet, and Chicago, with 4.4 million square feet.

Miami-Dade has low ratio of retail
Despite its impressive showing among the other heavyweights, South Florida still faces a retail shortage based on a widely accepted retail ratio.

The conventional wisdom cited within the industry is that 20 square feet of retail space is needed to serve each resident.

In Miami-Dade County, there are only 11 square feet of retail for each person, according to Terranova data.

Broward County is living with a 19-to-1 ratio and Palm Beach County is on par with the national average.

That's good news for the retailers lucky to find a storefront in the sun.

"Because we are under-retailed, the tenants who are here do extremely well," said retail broker Sharon Dresser of The Shopping Center Group. "We have got some of the highest-grossing malls, based on sales per square foot."

Most South Florida malls trump the national median of sales for each square foot of retail, which ranges from $297.87 a square foot for smaller centers to $330.86 for centers larger than 1 million square feet. For example, Aventura Mall is raking in sales of about $1,000 for each square foot of inline retail space.

But, for consumers, not enough retail can cause congestion, Dresser argues.

"It means driving a greater distant for your retail needs, even though everyone thinks we have retail in everyone's backyard." she said. "You have got all these people who don't have a place to shop in their own yards, so they are going into other people's neighborhoods to shop."

With a tight vacancy rate of 3.6 percent, Miami now ranks as one of the nation's top markets, according the retail research firm REIS.

The Magic City slides into the 10th slot, behind suburban Maryland, for vacancy strength, data showed. The strongest market in the nation is the Oakland, Calif., area, with a 2 percent vacancy rate. The data shows the worst is Buffalo, N.Y., with a 13.7 percent vacancy rate.

E-mail Real Estate Editor Darcie Lunsford at dlunsford@bizjournals.com.

great article...

Is there really that much need?

^better than the herald articles

MIAMI, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
(GMCVB) President & CEO William D. Talbert announced today that 2005 overnight
visitors to Greater Miami grew 3.1 percent to a record 11.3 million visitors,
fueled by a record 6.1 million domestic visitors and stable international
markets.
"We're very pleased that the industry and our marketing efforts are
performing so well, that we've surpassed pre-9/11 record visitor numbers for
the first time," Talbert said. "We're particularly proud that we've been so
successful in boosting summer business through our Festival Season marketing
program, as indicated by a 9 percent growth during the June through August
time period over the past three years."
"We're also excited about the fact that Greater Miami's brand has never
been stronger, enabling us to generate one of the highest average room rates
in the country," said Maria Sastre of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., GMCVB
Board Chair. "Miami's average daily room rate climbed 11.5 percent to $128.35
-- making it the fifth-highest in the nation for 2005 among Smith Travel
Research's top 25 U.S. markets. Our occupancy rate (72.6 percent) grew 6.5
percent, making it also the fifth-highest in the nation. This is the first
time Miami has ranked as a 'top five' destination on both measures, affirming
that we've truly become a year-round powerhouse. This is bolstered by the
fact that tourism performance grew over all four quarters of 2005."
Employment was another indicator that the visitor industry was strong in
2005. Leisure and hospitality employment in Miami-Dade County grew 4.7
percent to over 102,000 people.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories... (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-10-2006/0004279126&EDATE=)

http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/o...ry/998596.html

DOWNTOWN MIAMI
Public-private cooperation making difference
BY ALYCE ROBERTSON
ROBERTSON@MIAMIDDA.COM

For decades, Miami neglected its urban core. Businesses downsized, relocated and closed, but few opened. Sidewalks sat in disrepair, buildings grew decrepit and parks were neglected. Downtown Miami was a 9-to-5 neighborhood in the worst kind of way: Workers left the district by dusk, lights went out and steel shutters came down.

Today, downtown Miami is turning a corner following a decade of unprecedented public and private investment. More than $13 billion has been spent on projects ranging from the construction of residential and commercial buildings, to the repaving of city streets and creation of green spaces and parks.

It's easy to point to the high-rise development dominating the city's skyline as the chief byproduct of this multibillion-dollar capital infusion. But look beyond the towers, and you'll find other signs of private investment -- new retail shops and restaurants along Flagler and Brickell's South Miami Avenue and after-hours hotspots in the Park West neighborhood.

This investment is a key ingredient for progress, as retail businesses are serving downtown's resident population, which has grown from 20,000 to 31,000 since 2000 -- with another 15,000 residents expected to move in during the next six years.

In the public sector, the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is leading the charge to make downtown more livable and business-friendly. We are giving people a reason to visit downtown and ensuring that they have a pleasant experience.

In the last year, the city and Miami DDA have initiated more than $4 million in projects beautifying downtown by adding new sidewalks and crosswalks, modern lighting and trees. Another $3 million has been allocated for beautification efforts along Brickell. We partnered to launch an education and code-enforcement initiative to rid downtown storefronts of illegal signage, passed an anti-panhandling ordinance and increased police presence. The DDA's Downtown Enhancement Team is on the streets each day picking up litter and painting over graffiti; our ambassadors help with directions and improving safety. We also help property owners improve the facades of their building and remove shutters.

The public sector has introduced new programs that are fueling activity on the weekends and after dark, such as Bike Miami and the free DWNTWN Concert Series, which is driving thousands to Bayfront Park. These programs complement downtown's cultural and entertainment destinations, including American Airlines Arena, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Dade College, and the Miami Art Museum. Once here, visitors are patronizing our new restaurants and retailers. What was once considered to be a daytime-only employment district is now evolving into a true 24/7 destination.

The investments we have made in downtown are reversing years of neglect. Building facades and storefronts are undergoing renovation, parks and sidewalks are becoming greener and cleaner and streets are more pedestrian-friendly. The results of these investments are clear: Residents are moving to downtown at record pace, new businesses have opened with more on the way and the city's streets are more vibrant after sunset.

Downtown Miami is coming alive again, but we need to do more.

State, county and city public officials need to renew investment in downtown by removing dangerous trucks from streets via a port tunnel, maintaining the mass-transit infrastructure and encouraging new ridership, replacing outdated traffic signals, resurfacing streets that fall under their jurisdiction, improving trash removal and curbing homelessness.

Likewise, retailers and property owners must step up efforts to invest regarding their storefronts and merchandise offerings. We are at a crossroads and must ask: Do we want to be part of the problem or solution?

For decades, Miami succumbed to urban sprawl, and downtown suffered. Now, with a sustainable infrastructure in place, we are reversing this trend. Realizing Miami's full potential as a world-class city will require continued commitment and increased investment in downtown on the part of the city, the county and the private sector.

Florida is a technology hub, and hundreds of software, tech manufacturing, and aerospace companies have come This is just a sampling of the industries available in Florida that lure tens of thousands of newcomers to the state every year.