30 October, 2023 0 Comments

A Different Florida

October 30, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Same slogan, different valuable proposition.

Florida Trend may be the best statewide business publication around.

I’ve been reading it since I moved here in 1987. The magazine is essential if you want to learn what’s going on in the Sunshine State.

Florida Trend recently celebrated its 65th birthday with a blockbuster issue that was chock full of cool stuff.

Perhaps the most interesting was a look at 1958 when the St. Petersburg based magazine made its debut.

Florida Trend’s editors offered some stats comparing 1958 to today.

Here are a few stunners:

  • In 1958, Florida was the 10th most populous state. It’s third today.
  • The population grew nearly 400 percent from 4.5 million people to a whopping 22.3 million in 2022.
  • Population density grew from 84.2 per square mile to 415. More than a quarter of the state’s population (28 percent) lives in South Florida.
  • The state’s economic output grew from $14 billion to $1.4 trillion.
  • In 1960, the median home price was $11,800 which adjusted for inflation is $122,174 today.
  • Average rent in 1960: $71 which is $669 in 2022 dollars.
  • In 2023, the average rent is $2,448 in the three largest metro markets.

Yikes.

In 1971, when Disney’s Magic Kingdom opened on October 1 admission was $3.50 for adults and $1 for children.

It’s a lot more today.

In fact, I hear it’s more efficient to drive to the Magic Kingdom, park, and throw your life savings over the wall. Sigh.

Yes, there have been a lot of changes.

And so, you can’t help but wonder what the next 65 years will hold.

What will climate change and sea level rise mean for our state?

How high can home prices go? What will rising prices mean for our demographics and our society if the middle class is priced out of Florida? (Maybe they already have been?)

How high can insurance rates soar before we cry uncle? The Wall Street Journal had a stunning story last week about insurance rates in an historic neighborhood in West Palm Beach. One home was quoted $120,000 for an insurance policy—that is not a typo. Modest homes are seeing prices ranging from $10,000 to $40,000 a year. Something has got to give: without being political perhaps we ought to worry less about banning books in Florida and more about how to do something about homeowner’s insurance.

We were told that reforms to reduce lawsuits would lower costs, now we are being told that rates are unlikely to fall. Rising reinsurance costs, inflation and the effects of climate change are keeping prices sky high.

Ugh.

There are other vexing issues that nobody could have predicted 65 years ago.

For instance, will we ever figure out how to navigate our ever-polarized politics?

It’s hard to predict, but it’s fun to speculate.

One thing is certain: change. Change, like death and taxes, is inevitable.

We didn’t see  a worldwide pandemic coming and the amazing changes left in Covid’s wake.

Who could have predicted that remote or hybrid work schedules would remake cities? And doesn’t it seem like the impacts of climate change are coming faster than we thought? Or is it that we just keep ignoring the science?

Regardless, it’s fun to look back and fun to look forward. It’s also imperative that we enjoy today and try our best to impact tomorrow.

One thing is for sure, when I moved here 36 years ago I and 1,000 newcomers a day saw Florida as an affordable paradise. That is no longer the case.

Odds and Ends

A shout out to the great Nancy Chanin on her nomination as “Woman Volunteer of the Year” for her work with the equally terrific EJS Project in Delray Beach.

The award is offered by the Junior League of Boca Raton and the winner will be announced at the 36th Annual Woman Volunteer of the Year luncheon Nov. 10 at The Boca Raton.

The list of nominees is impressive. But Nancy is so deserving. She’s kind, hardworking, and does so much for so many. Soo glad she’s up for this honor.

 

Happy Retirement D

I was under the weather last week and missed retirement ceremonies for my friend Delores Rangel. It broke my heart because I adore Delores and her family and I really wanted to be there and celebrate.

Delores served with distinction as the Senior Administrative Executive Assistant to the Mayor and City Commission for a long, long time. That’s a fancy title.  I kept it simple. I thought of  her as my boss. You put D in charge and she made sure you were OK.

Delores kept your schedule, manned the phones, took the messages, made sure you were where you needed to be and generally took care of everything a busy elected official could ever need. And she did it well, with a smile, a sense of calm in the midst of chaos and a sense of humor that was needed and appreciated.

I sent Delores a message and I was told that the City Manager read it at the ceremony. I’m glad. Here’s a brief summary of what I sent.

“You made my time on the Commission and as mayor so enjoyable. You always had my back and kept me organized during some very interesting times (hurricanes, the Jerrod Miller shooting, and all those late night meetings dealing with the controversies of the day).

It breaks my heart that I can’t say this in person. But please know you were amazing to work with, always supportive, organized and level headed. It was so appreciated. I know David Schmidt and other mayors and commissioners felt the same way.

I’m so glad that I got to know your family. They are wonderful.

I hope you have many years of happiness and health ahead of you.

You’ve done so much for our city. Those of us who know, know. Thank you my friend for everything. With love and appreciation, Jeff & Diane.”

 

 

 

26 July, 2021 4 4 Comments

Peace, Love & Understanding

July 26, 2021 By 4 Comments

Delray’s Pride Intersection was vandalized in June.

Back in my newspaper days, we were trained to look for trends.

The first time something happened it was news.
The second time something happened we were told keep a close eye.
The third time something happened my editor called it a trend and we were tasked with trying to explain what was happening.
Well, by that definition we may want to pay attention to a troubling series of recent events. Let’s hope it doesn’t portend a trend.
In recent weeks, we saw the Pride  intersection in downtown Delray vandalized. The perpetrator is looking at a hate crime charge. In June, a group of teenage boys were said to be wreaking havoc in downtown Delray Beach, destroying property and harassing people.

There have been reports of the kids, some on bikes, some in ski masks, vandalizing storefronts, and screaming vulgar expletives at folks walking downtown in the middle of the day.

Ugh.

Then last week, a few yards away from the Pride Intersection,  the owner of the Ramen Noodle factory, was accosted by foul-mouthed idiots after being told politely that the restaurant was closing and they would have to eat their pizza—bought elsewhere—somewhere else.
I first saw a video of the incident when a friend sent me a link to Tik Tok. It nauseated me.
I then saw some newspaper coverage and was told the restaurant owner who videotaped the encounter on his phone had posted it on the restaurant’s Instagram page.
The post elicited hundreds and hundreds of messages of support , which was heartening to see. There are still many more good people than hate filled clowns. Thank goodness.
But still, such incidents leave a mark.
Seeing hatred up close is never easy. And seeing it unfold in your own community rattles you to your core.
The thugs in this particular video seemed to be middle aged and one appeared to be grossly inebriated slurring his speech. The other was coolly nasty, which was even more disturbing in my view.
The restaurant manager stood his ground and kept his cool. He remained polite despite a vicious barrage of stupid insults.
I found myself growing anxious watching the video because these seem to be the type of confrontations that can  spiral into senseless violence. Luckily, this time, it didn’t. But words sting and leave marks as well.
Let’s hope this isn’t a trend. But it does feel like something is wrong in our society these days.
There’s an awful lot of anger, hatred and violence in our world.
It’s scary and it’s alarming.
These “things” tend to build and accelerate.
Only love can drive out hate.
It’s time we summon our better angels before the haters in our midst ruin our community and our world.
We have the power, on the local level, to make our communities kinder and therefore better places.
The time is now and the tools are there for us to use.
4 January, 2019 0 Comments

The Rise of the “Urban Burb”

January 4, 2019 By Leave a Comment

Options for sprawl repair

It’s 2019 and as dedicated trend seekers what do we see?

Well, here’s one prediction based on what we are reading and seeing.

Look for the rise of the “hipsturburbia” or “urban burb”—suburbia with a touch of the city meaning walkability, mixed use development and multi-family housing.

As the Urban Land Institute says: “The first phase is millennials moving to the suburbs for larger, more affordable homes and access to schools, so adequate single-family and multifamily housing will be necessary. Retail follows rooftops, so retail development to meet the new residents’ requirements will follow. Finally, you may begin to see more emphasis on employment centers as residents decide they want to work closer to where they live.”

Sounds good. It also sounds logical.

Pick your nickname but the trend of urban suburbs is playing out all around us.

Consider The Delray Marketplace (which would be so much better with housing), a slew of urban (lite) “lifestyle centers” in Broward County and future plans for places like the old IBM campus in Boca, the old Office Depot headquarters in Delray and the prospective rezoning of the Boynton Beach Mall. All are moving toward a walkable, mixed use environment in which people can live, work and play as they say.

Live, work and play has become a bit of cliché, but there’s a lot of wisdom and traction in the concept.

As the world becomes more technology dependent, there is a blending going on. If you are like me and many others, our work life doesn’t end when the whistle blows at 5 p.m. anymore. We are accessible before and after traditional office hours and business is conducted at all sorts of hours.

My colleagues at Celsius, the Boca-based beverage company, work all sorts of hours as they interact with partners and distributors in China, Sweden and other parts of the globe. As a result our lives tend to meld—we live, work, learn and play wherever we are these days so doesn’t it make sense to make these activities convenient, walkable and accessible.

While I was born in borough of New York City, I spent the majority of my childhood living on the North Shore of Long Island. Levittown—America’s prototypical suburb—was a short car ride away. In fact, we lived mostly– in Levitt Homes—in traditional suburban neighborhoods in which everything we did required a car.

It was an idyllic life in those days and traditional suburbia certainly has its attraction. But it’s also the definition of urban sprawl, not great for the environment, not the most efficient use of finite land and designed for cars not people. As a result, urban planners often frown on the traditional suburbs blaming it for congestion, sedentary lifestyles and even segregation.

As a result, some cities are responding with policies to promote more diversity, density, affordability and sustainability. Minneapolis recently banned single family zoning districts—a remarkable policy that will promote duplexes, triplexes and other forms of housing in once traditional suburban neighborhoods. It will be interesting to see how the policy plays out in the real world.

I’m a fan of New Urbanism which is really a throwback to how cities were traditionally designed before suburbia became so popular. New Urbanism promotes walkability, a mix of uses and supports density as long as it’s well designed.

So I cheer the advent of urban burbs or “hipsterburbias”—even if the brand names are borderline obnoxious. I do question how many “mini downtowns” markets can absorb especially with the headwinds facing retail these days.

While big box generic retail seems to be a goner these days (so long Sears, Kmart etc.) experiential retail is all the rage. But again….how many retailers will be talented enough to give us enduring experiences and how many location can they serve?

As we begin 2019, it will be interesting to see where this all headed. Two things we can count on: first, the innovators will find a way to succeed and second it is becoming far riskier to offer the same old, same old. The times are changing and the bar has been raised. That’s a good thing.

 

 

 

 

14 December, 2016 0 Comments

LA Story

December 14, 2016 By Leave a Comment
The Salt and The Straw in Larchmont Village

The Salt and The Straw in Larchmont Village

Greetings from Los Angeles.
I’m out here with our west coast Tabanero team interviewing agencies for what will become our first major advertising effort in 2017.
It’s the next step in our start up entrepreneurial journey and it’s exciting.
We’ve done billboards, print ads, Amazon promotions, events, samplings, coupons and social media advertising along the way, but the new effort will represent our first large scale–for us anyway –advertising campaign.
It’s exciting and a little scary too. This is our shot and while we’re confident we’ve got a great hot sauce and Bloody Mary mix we are all veterans in business. We know it’s not easy and that there’s no shortcuts. We have great assets: a great tasting premium sauce and some excellent retailers and some challenges too: a crowded category and a need for more brand awareness. We are a challenger brand in a world of Goliaths. But we see that as our advantage because we live in a world where consumers want new and exciting over old and tired.
We’ll keep you posted.
Some impressions about LA: I love it.
Yes,  there’s traffic and sprawl. Crazy traffic and debilitating sprawl.
But there’s also great weather, very interesting people and this is where you can see the future emerge.
LA and NYC are where trends are birthed and spread.
So when I come here I like to look around. What are the new restaurant concepts? What are the new items on menus? What are the new drink trends?
What’s happening in retail, hotels, fashion and design?
It’s interesting for me to see what’s happening and what people are talking about. Information is currency. And you never know what insight you might glean that can help you in whatever business you’re in.
The same principle applies to cities.
Switched on municipal leaders are always scanning the horizon for ideas that can be customized for their communities.
Whether it’s street furniture or pop up retail, unique crosswalks or parking technology it pays to see what others are doing.
When I venture west I stay in the Hotel Orlando a very comfy boutique hotel.
It’s amazing how boutique and historic hotels and inns have become focal points for cities and neighborhoods.
A few great little hotels mixed in with restaurants, art and event spaces can literally make a place pop.
On this trip I’m anxious to see creative work spaces. One agency we interviewed is housed in an old industrial space that has been converted into one of the nicest offices I have ever seen.
Wide open, with exposed ceilings and fun games and furniture, the space is just inspiring.
I also loved that the office featured a slew of dogs. It was comfortable but productive.
Count me in as someone who would love to work alongside dogs, mine and others.

West Hollywood where I’m anchored is a cool spot.
Since I can never adjust to the time, I find myself up early and able to take walks before a day of meetings.
I stumbled on a neighborhood featuring very old but beautifully designed apartments I later learned were designed by legendary architect Leland Bryant in the 20s and 30s for movie studio personnel.
The craftsmanship, details, bay windows and unique design are stunning. It made me wonder whether these types of artisans exist today or whether developers would even consider these types of details given the high cost of land and the regulatory hurdles we’ve instituted.
Curious I did some light research on Bryant who turned out to be quite the guy. I learned that he built 300 projects in Los Angeles and Hollywood in the time it would take to get one or two projects approved and built today considering rules and politics.
None of his iconic and beautiful projects would meet today’s codes despite their enduring beauty and value. Now that’s food for thought.
I’ve often wondered in our zeal to “control growth” with rigid codes and batty politics whether we are also stifling creativity. While developers and architects bear their fair share of responsibility wouldn’t it be interesting to challenge them to be creative and design something that generations might embrace rather than fight. Heavy sigh.
Leland Bryant would be dead in his tracks today.

Another observation…
As mentioned, California is a great place to search for trends.
Food and restaurants have come a long way in the last decade.
It seems like every industry and option are being disrupted by innovative artisans.
California is teeming with them.
From cold pressed juices and craft burgers to artisanal sandwiches (I kid you not) California has it all.
Sure some ideas are hipster pretentious, but others are just flat out inspiring.
A marketing firm we use out here recommended we visit a small ice cream shop called the Salt & Straw to sample various interesting flavor combinations. We did.
Aside from seasonal offerings like fennel eggnog there were options that included olives and sea salt and goat cheese.
Somehow it works. The ice cream was amazing.
My California colleague, a native Floridian, said the creativity he found in the Golden State keeps him here despite the high cost of living, heavy taxes and traffic.
“California is where the creators come to innovate,” he said. “It’s aspirational. Not every one makes it here. It’s hard and the competition is fierce but it’s where you come if you want to make an impact.” As they say if you want to dance you go where the music is playing.
Can Florida make the same claim?
I have to ponder that one. But if the answer is no it ought to be yes.
The places that empower people and inspire dreams and risk taking are the ones that will thrive.
I found Delray to be highly aspirational when I came here. I think Boca is a city coming into its own these days. As a friend recently told me about Boca: “that city has depth.”
By that he meant assets.
He’s right.
Delray has assets too, but there needs to be greater attention paid to ensure that those assets stay healthy and new assets need to be developed.
More on that when I come home.