The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance helped Broward County secure nearly $110 million in capital investments and attract hundreds of new job commitments since October, the group announced at its midyear meeting on Friday.

Held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, more than 600 business and civic leaders attended the event.

Alliance President and CEO Bob Swindell said the economic development organization helped attract capital investments, business expansions and relocations across the aviation, MRO and pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors.

“The thriving and collaborative business climate the Alliance continues to cultivate remains a key driver of economic growth and resilience in Broward,” he said.

The Alliance provided guidance and services to several companies in recent months, such as:

• CTS Engines, an aviation engine maintenance firm that is expanding to Coral Springs with plans to add 41 jobs and make a $2.5 million capital investment.
• ESG (Event Services Group), a business that provides décor and services for special events, moved to a new 66,000-square-foot facility to grow its production warehouse and office space. It will add 50 jobs and make a $1 million capital investment.
• Pherros Biosciences, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Deerfield Beach, is expanding its local production facility. It expects to have a 60,000-square-foot manufacturing space and add 85 jobs by the end of 2026.
• Screen Graphics, a graphics designer, is growing its Broward headquarters and manufacturing facility. It will invest $2 million in a new 43,000-square-foot space and add six jobs.
• Transpire Bio, a biopharmaceutical company that develops inhaled therapeutics, is moving to a 139,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Pembroke Pines. The company plans to add 200 jobs and make a $100 million capital investment.
• VSE Corporation, a company that provides parts and maintenance services to aviation and aerospace businesses, moved its corporate headquarters from Virginia to Miramar. It is investing $3.4 million in a local facility and said it will add 350 jobs over the next five years.

Florida Power and Light CFO Scott Bores appeared in a keynote address with Swindell to discuss the company's role in economic development in South Florida. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy, it is the largest electric utility in the country.

Bores said the company has helped bring nearly $900 million in capital investment and close to 900 jobs to Broward County over the past decade through its economic development team, which works across the globe to attract businesses to Florida.

“We are big believers — I am a big believer — that what’s good for the state of Florida is good for all of us,” Bores said.

He highlighted the importance of FPL’s commitment to business reliability and affordability. “Our bill is 20% below the Florida average, 25% cheaper than if you lived in Orlando or Tampa, and roughly 40% below the national average,” he said.

Still, FPL plans to raise rates in 2026 as part of a four-year plan to offset inflation and rising infrastructure costs, such as transformers and underground conduits that have doubled or tripled in price over the past five years, Bores said.

He also touched on the company's efforts to modernize the grid and make it more resilient through hardening infrastructure and investing in clean energy and technology, including solar and battery storage.

“We like to say internally that we are a technology company that just happens to sell electricity,” Bores said.

Recruiting and retaining talent was another major theme. Bores acknowledged that companies in the region face challenges when it comes to attracting young professionals, especially recent graduates who may find it too expensive to return home.

“One of the biggest challenges we have at FPL is recruiting young talent,” he said. “Whether it’s kids going to school in Florida and finding it too expensive to move back home and take a job — I think it’s going to be really important that we keep our talent in state.”

He added that FPL is investing in programs at Florida Atlantic University and working with local schools to introduce students to energy careers as early as elementary school.

“We’re more than electricity,” he said. “We are a technology company, and there are a lot of different opportunities.”

The Alliance also discussed key findings from the Kaufman Rossin 2025 Broward County Leadership survey to get an idea of how local business leaders view the economy. Sixty-three percent of the respondents identified as CEO's, presidents or business owners.

The results showed business leaders are cautiously optimistic about the state of the economy and predict conditions will improve in 2026. About 49% said they plan to increase staff this year – down from 56% in 2024 – and 9% said they expect to reduce staff.

Talent recruitment remains the top concern among businesses, a sign that some still struggle to hire qualified employees. More than a third of respondents also said they were concerned about inflation and the cost and availability of employee housing. The latter could be complicating the hiring process, as many working professionals have been priced out of South Florida neighborhoods in recent years due the skyrocketing cost of housing.

Housing came up again in a question that asked business leaders what could be better about Broward County: Twenty-four percent of respondents answered cheaper residential real estate, by far the most common response. The next most common response, public transportation, was supported by 7% of respondents.

 

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