Industrial Isn’t That Bad … Yet

A veteran industrial broker has a few things to say about Susan Ruby’s recent column for GlobeSt.com observing whether the industrial sector has bottomed out in Florida. Ted Bywater, chairman of Orlando-based Bywater Co., has a deeper perspective on the sector dating back to the mid-1970s downturn.

“In those days, there was almost no business. No one was moving into town and no one was expanding,” Bywater recalls. Even after an Orlando economic development group placed ads in the Wall Street Journal offering warehouse space for sale as low as $7 per square foot, there were still no takers, he says.

Magazine Seeks Women, and Other Notes

As we plow our way into an uncertain fourth quarter, here are some notes and news you can use:

• Real Estate Florida magazine is now accepting nominations for its Women of Influence feature, to be included in the November/December issue. Click here for the nomination form.

Women have come a long way in commercial real estate over the last few decades, and even though they are still in the minority they are often achieving more than their male peers in the industry. Many throughout the state are among the most knowledgeable, accomplished and respected professionals in the industry.

RealShare South Florida Highlights

Here are a few more notes and quotes from last week’s RealShare South Florida conference in Miami, which was attended by 275 people and deemed a solid success. In case you missed it, or even if you were there, you can read more about it here and here, but here are some other highlights:

• The region’s current oversupply of residential condominium units could be absorbed over the next four years, according to panelists of a discussion on the multifamily sector. There is still plenty of interest in both individual and bulk unit acquisitions, particularly from private-capital investors and foreign buyers from Canada and Israel.

Cruel Summer for Orlando Hotels

A few random thoughts to close out a busy week…

• The summer tourist season was a tough one for Orlando, the nation’s second-biggest hotel market. According to a report by the Orlando Sentinel, only 58% of the market’s 112,000 rooms were filled in August, marking the worst month since Smith Travel Research started keeping track in 1987.

Huge discounts and other special offers didn’t help, with room rates down 14% over the year to around $76 per night. Theme parks won’t disclose how many people came through their turnstiles, though they did seem less crowded and the wait times for rides and attractions were shorter.

Ready for RealShare, And More

A few notes and thoughts after clearing out the inbox from a long Labor Day weekend:

• You can now register online for our fourth-annual RealShare South Florida conference, set for Sept. 30 at the Hyatt Regency Miami. We will cover a broad range of topics in a single afternoon, from distressed assets and excess condos to the new wave of office space coming soon to the market.

Featured speakers will include Gene Berman of Marcus & Millichap, Tere Blanca of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, Michael Fay of Colliers Abood Wood-Fay, Keith Jennings of Westmount Realty Capital, Jose Juncadella of Fairchild Partners, Jonathan Kingsley of Grubb & Ellis, David Lynd of the Lynd Co., Jay Massirman of Rivergate Residential, Jack McCabe of McCabe Research and Eric Swanson of Flagler.

Late Summer Odds and Ends

There’s a lot to talk about in Florida commercial real estate as summer winds down, so let’s take a few moments to get some of it out:
• Several former staffers of GVA Advantis appear to have landed softly at other firms after getting dumped by their former employer. Mark Cooney, Randy Mills and Michele Whalen have moved their Land Sharks operation over to the Duncan Cos. in Tampa, which you read about here. Meanwhile, Paula Buffa has joined Grubb & Ellis|Commercial Florida in Tampa as senior vice president of its office group, along with associate Maria Camarinos Hall. And Lisa Bailey, senior director of the Orlando office, has joined Morrison Commercial Real Estate as vice president.

Getting Ready for ICSC, And More

As the deadline for another issue of Real Estate Florida approaches, allow me to declutter my mind and desk a little:

• The International Council of Shopping Centers is hosting its annual Florida Conference next week at Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, with at least 5,000 expected in attendance. A slight amount of falloff is expected because of the recession and a perceived shutdown in retail development, but don’t expect empty corridors and booths.

“It’s not going to be a doom-and-gloom conference,” says Dale Scott, ICSC state director. “The retail developer is as creative a person as you’re going to find. They’ll figure out a way to adapt to what is out there. The attitudes are changing.”

Hey Now, Who’s Your All-Star?

Baseball has done it, and now Real Estate Florida is doing it, too. Now’s your chance to nominate the state’s Commercial Broker All-Stars.

In our August/September issue, we will spotlight some of the Sunshine State’s leading brokers. If you have someone in mind who has outperformed in sales or leasing over the past year, you can nominate that person through our simple and convenient online form. (You can even nominate yourself; it’s been done before.)

Codina Leaves GM Board, And More

Packing up from a few splendid days roaming South Florida, a few parting thoughts:

—Armado Codina, commercial development legend and chairman of Coral Gables-based Flagler Development Group, will not be on the board of directors of General Motors when it emerges from bankruptcy, reports The Miami Herald. Codina, who has served on GM’s board since 2002, is one of six directors not named to the new board, which is being picked with input from the Treasury Department.

“Several of our directors have been on the board for quite a long time, so there is a question of whether they wanted to continue,” GM spokeswoman Julie Gibson told the newspaper. Codina was not immediately available for comment.

Magic City Showoff

Now that the NBA Finals are moving to Orlando for a few days this week, this question: Which buildings should ABC showcase to the rest of the country when it offers those panoramic shots of the city surrounding Amway Arena?

Yes, you can probably expect plenty of Disney World scenery to show up between basketball and commercials, but as we all know there’s a lot more to Orlando than theme parks. So you be the TV director, assuming someone at ESPN might be reading this blog.