In the conversation about where American business is heading next, Fort Lauderdale offers a quieter but equally compelling answer. The city isn’t chasing the spotlight. It has become a destination for long-term investment on its own terms.
While the headline-making cities at either end of the Gold Coast have been vocal about what they are building, Fort Lauderdale has been doing the same work with far less fanfare. After 26 years working on this city’s growth, I am often asked whether Fort Lauderdale needs its own Ken Griffin or Stephen Ross. The answer is no — and the reason starts with a man who built three Fortune 500 companies here before most people knew where to find us on a map. While big names are certainly welcome, Fort Lauderdale’s strength lies in its collective momentum, and that trajectory has been rising for years.
South Florida’s first homegrown billionaire, H. Wayne Huizenga, built Waste Management, Blockbuster, and AutoNation from scratch, all headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. He also owned the Miami Dolphins and founded the Marlins and Panthers franchises. When he passed away in 2018, he left an unmistakable mark on the city and never made a campaign out of it.
That remains part of the culture today. Rajiv Jain, chairman of Fort Lauderdale-based GQG Partners and one of the city’s Forbes-listed billionaires, described Fort Lauderdale as a place where executives can stay connected to Miami without living in its intensity. The wealth has always been here; it simply doesn’t perform for attention. These are people raising families, meeting on Las Olas Boulevard for lunch, closing international deals, and docking superyachts the same afternoon. They aren’t hiding. They value discretion.
Fort Lauderdale is also a city fueled by water in ways the broader Gold Coast narrative hasn’t yet told. We have 165 miles of navigable waterways and more than $12 billion in waterfront investment. The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the world’s largest in-water boat show, attracts more than 100,000 visitors and generates nearly $1.8 billion in regional economic impact over five days. More superyachts dock here annually than in Miami or West Palm Beach. People buy homes here for the dock, the airport, and direct access to the world. Quiet luxury backed by real market demand.
The business case is equally strong. Our two-square-mile urban core generates $43 billion in annual economic impact, with nearly half of all jobs concentrated in finance, law, technology, and professional services — a higher share than cities like West Palm Beach, Austin, or Nashville. Fort Lauderdale is also the only Florida city opening Hines’ proprietary T3 office building as part of FAT Village, a $512 million mixed-use redevelopment delivering downtown’s first new ground-up office building in five years. Projects like these continue attracting talent and give companies room to scale here, not just establish a symbolic presence.
The luxury market has reached the same conclusion. A local authorized Rolex retailer recently received unanimous approval for a five-story flagship on Las Olas Boulevard, steps from the area’s first planned five-star boutique hotel. Global brands see Fort Lauderdale’s untapped spending power and long-term potential.
Earlier this year, Huizenga Park reopened after a $15 million transformation funded by more than 100 donors inspired by Wayne Huizenga’s legacy. During the reopening celebration, Wayne Huizenga Jr. looked over the New River — the same waterway alongside which his father built an empire — and remarked that the finished park was more incredible than he had imagined. This city’s success has never depended on a single visionary. It is the result of people repeatedly investing in a place they love.
This collective spirit remains Fort Lauderdale’s competitive advantage. It is how transformative projects become reality and why the city consistently punches above its weight. Families with children under 13 living in Downtown Fort Lauderdale have grown by 83 percent since 2018, even as many urban cores have lost them. People are planting roots here, and the city is evolving to meet them. That may be the clearest measure of Fort Lauderdale’s momentum.
Fort Lauderdale’s marquee billionaire began with a garbage truck, built three Fortune 500 companies, owned three sports teams, and left his name on a riverfront park in the city he loved. He never felt the need to announce Fort Lauderdale to the world.
Our waterways are always open — and if you need space for your HQ and a home for your yacht, call me.
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
