· Data as of 2Q 2026 · Ironmark research
Fort Lauderdale’s industrial market has recalibrated after an extended run of historically tight conditions. The headline — a 7.3% vacancy rate, a ten-year high — masks a vintage split: pre-2000 product sits at 3.3% vacancy while space delivered in the past five years runs closer to 35%. Even so, vacancy holds inside the 7.5% national average, sales volume reached $2.2 billion over the trailing twelve months — more than double the ten-year norm — and pricing keeps a firm premium at $260/SF versus roughly $161 nationally. With the construction pipeline running below its long-term average, the setup into 2027 points toward stabilization.
What happened in Fort Lauderdale industrial in 2Q 2026
Four threads define Fort Lauderdale’s industrial story this quarter:
- Leasing velocity has stabilized. Roughly 1,230 leases totaling 6.6M SF closed over the trailing twelve months, at an average deal size near 5,300 SF. Among the largest: Owens & Minor’s 143K SF West Sunrise renewal and JELD-WEN’s 135K SF Coral Springs lease.
- Vacancy is a vintage story, not a demand story. Pre-2000 large-format product is just 3.3% vacant, while buildings completed since 2015 sit near 19.5% and space delivered in the past five years runs closer to 35%. Speculative new supply — not soft demand — is carrying the slack.
- The pipeline is running lean. 1.3M SF is underway across 13 properties — below the 10-year average of 1.7M SF — and 16.3% is preleased. Demolition has taken roughly 1M SF of obsolete product offline since 2021, holding net inventory growth to about 5.1M SF.
- Capital has re-engaged at scale. $2.2B in trailing-twelve-month sales volume more than doubles the ~$1.0B ten-year average. National, out-of-market buyers drove 77% of activity and private capital represented roughly 60% of dollar volume; cap rates settled at 6.7%, 60 bps inside the US benchmark.
Fort Lauderdale industrial by submarket, 2Q 2026
Fort Lauderdale’s eight industrial submarkets tell the vintage story clearly. Pompano Beach and Southeast Broward together hold roughly 48% of metro inventory and the bulk of active construction; Southeast Broward is the tightest at 5.7% and leads on rent, while West Sunrise carries the most slack at 9.7%.
| Submarket | Vacancy | Asking Rent / SF | 12-Mo Net Absorption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Broward | 5.7% | $22.48 | (63K SF) |
| Coral Springs | 6.1% | $20.69 | 11K SF |
| Central Broward | 6.9% | $21.13 | (274K SF) |
| Southwest Broward | 7.1% | $20.42 | (29K SF) |
| Northeast Broward | 8.1% | $19.50 | (139K SF) |
| Pompano Beach | 8.3% | $19.40 | (358K SF) |
| West Sunrise | 9.7% | $20.50 | (276K SF) |
| Outlying Broward | — | $29.54 | <1K SF |
| Metro overall | 7.3% | $20.69 | (1.13M SF) |
Asking rent in $/SF NNN; net absorption trailing 12 months, negatives in parentheses. Where you sit drives the rate — Southeast Broward leads at $22.48; Pompano Beach trails at $19.40 (Outlying Broward is a de-minimis outlier).
Fort Lauderdale industrial capital markets: sales volume, pricing and cap rates
Capital re-engaged at scale — and at a premium. Fort Lauderdale industrial sales volume reached $2.2 billion over the trailing twelve months, more than double the ten-year average near $1.0 billion. Pricing at $260 per square foot sits well above the ~$161 US average, while cap rates near 6.7% hold 60 basis points inside the national 7.3% benchmark.
National buyers drove the tape — Kurv, Blackstone, CenterPoint, Granite REIT, and EQT all stepping in at scale. The Bridge Point Powerline trade (Morgan Stanley → CenterPoint at $266/SF) nearly doubled basis over a six-year hold. Private buyers represented roughly 60% of dollar volume, with institutional capital another third. The premium has held through a 180 bps move in vacancy — a signal that capital views the South Florida basis as defensible even with availability elevated.
Ironmark’s read on Fort Lauderdale industrial
What Ironmark is seeing in the Fort Lauderdale industrial market in 2Q 2026, beyond the reported numbers.
Fort Lauderdale’s vacancy is a vintage story, not a demand story.
The headline 7.3% vacancy is the highest in over a decade — but it’s not uniform. Buildings built before 2000 are 3.3% vacant; product completed since 2015 sits near 19.5%, and buildings delivered in the past five years are closer to 35%. That’s the entire vacancy story: speculative new supply outrunning absorption while well-located older product continues to lease. For investors, the basis play is in functional infill, not in chasing the newest big-box. With the pipeline running below the 10-year average and demolitions taking ~1M SF of obsolete product offline since 2021, we expect headline vacancy to stabilize near 7% by year-end.
— The Ironmark read on fundamentals · (561) 621-5450 · hello@ironmarkcre.com
The premium hasn’t moved — and national capital noticed.
Fort Lauderdale industrial trades at $260/SF; the US average is $161. Cap rates sit at 6.7% here versus 7.3% nationally. That premium has held through a 180 bps move in vacancy, which tells you how capital is underwriting South Florida fundamentals. Volume of $2.2B over the past twelve months is more than double the 10-year average. Roughly 77% of buying came from out-of-market national capital — Kurv, Blackstone, CenterPoint, Granite REIT, EQT — all in at scale. Morgan Stanley’s Bridge Point Powerline exit to CenterPoint at $266/SF nearly doubled basis on a six-year hold. The signal: institutional capital sees the basis as defensible even with vacancy elevated.
— The Ironmark read on capital markets · (561) 621-5450 · hello@ironmarkcre.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the industrial vacancy rate in Fort Lauderdale?
Industrial vacancy in Fort Lauderdale was 7.3% in Q2 2026, a ten-year high and up 180 basis points year over year, yet still inside the 7.5% national average, according to Ironmark’s Q2 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. The rise is a vintage story: pre-2000 large-format product in Broward County is just 3.3% vacant while newer speculative space carries the slack.
Why is vacancy higher in newer Fort Lauderdale warehouses?
Fort Lauderdale industrial vacancy splits by building vintage in Q2 2026: pre-2000 large-format product is 3.3% vacant, buildings completed since 2015 sit near 19.5%, and space delivered in the past five years runs closer to 35%, per Ironmark’s Q2 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. Speculative new supply, not soft demand, carries the slack across Broward County.
What does warehouse space rent for in Fort Lauderdale?
Average industrial asking rent in Fort Lauderdale was $20.69 per SF NNN in Q2 2026, up 0.8% year over year across blended logistics, flex and specialized space, according to Ironmark’s Q2 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. Submarket rents ranged from $19.40 per SF in Pompano Beach to $22.48 per SF in Southeast Broward, the tightest Broward submarket at 5.7% vacancy.
What are industrial buildings selling for per square foot in Fort Lauderdale?
Fort Lauderdale industrial sold at an average $260 per SF in Q2 2026, well above the roughly $161 per SF U.S. average, per Ironmark’s Q2 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. Sales volume reached $2.2 billion over the trailing twelve months, more than double the ten-year average near $1.0 billion, and the Fort Lauderdale pricing premium held through a 180 basis point move in vacancy.
What are industrial cap rates in Fort Lauderdale?
Industrial cap rates in Fort Lauderdale averaged 6.7% in Q2 2026, holding 60 basis points inside the 7.3% national benchmark, according to Ironmark’s Q2 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. National, out-of-market buyers drove 77% of Fort Lauderdale activity, private capital represented roughly 60% of dollar volume, and institutional capital another third.
How much industrial space is under construction in Fort Lauderdale?
Fort Lauderdale had 1.3 million SF of industrial space under construction in Q2 2026 across 13 properties, with 16.3% preleased, below the ten-year average of 1.7 million SF, per Ironmark’s Q2 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. Demolition has taken roughly 1 million SF of obsolete Broward product offline since 2021, holding net inventory growth to about 5.1 million SF.
How big is the typical industrial lease in Fort Lauderdale?
The average industrial lease in Fort Lauderdale ran near 5,300 SF in Q2 2026, across roughly 1,230 leases totaling 6.6 million SF over the trailing twelve months, per Ironmark’s Q2 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. Larger signings included a 135,000 SF Coral Springs lease. Fort Lauderdale net absorption ran negative 1.13 million SF, down from positive 1.1 million SF at the 2022 peak.
Which Fort Lauderdale submarket has the lowest industrial vacancy?
Southeast Broward was the tightest Fort Lauderdale industrial submarket in Q2 2026 at 5.7% vacancy, and it led on rent at $22.48 per SF, per Ironmark’s Q2 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. West Sunrise carried the most slack at 9.7%. Pompano Beach and Southeast Broward together hold roughly 48% of Fort Lauderdale inventory and the bulk of active construction.
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Ironmark Florida Industrial Brief — Fort Lauderdale Edition, Vol. I, No. I (Inaugural Issue). This brief is Ironmark Capital Advisory’s own analysis and commentary, current as of 2Q 2026; it is informational and not tax, legal, or investment advice. © 2026 Ironmark Capital Advisory.