· Covers 3Q 2026 · Data as of October 2026 · Ironmark research
Fort Lauderdale industrial vacancy was 7.2% in 3Q 2026 (data as of October 2026), and average asking rent was $17.32 per SF per year, according to Ironmark’s 3Q 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief.
Broward’s biggest tenants stayed put, and its buildings changed hands. The change in occupied space (space tenants moved into, minus space they moved out of) was +158K SF in the third quarter, but six of the ten largest leases of the year were renewals, so occupied space is still down slightly over twelve months, at (212K) SF for the year. Vacancy, the share of space that is empty, is 7.2%, up 1.2 pts in a year, and about 829K SF is being built. Asking rents average about $17.32 per SF a year. About $2.8 billion of industrial property sold as foreign owners sold and large U.S. warehouse owners bought, at a typical $274 per SF and a 6.7% cap rate (the yearly return from rent, as a % of the price).
See how Fort Lauderdale compares with Florida’s other industrial markets in the statewide market data table.
What happened in Fort Lauderdale industrial in 3Q 2026
The bottom line: big tenants stay; owners change.
- For tenants: North Broward is 8.4% vacant, with 493,000 SF being built and none of it leased yet. That gives you leverage.
- For owners: big tenants renewed in place, but occupied space is still down slightly over 12 months. Price renewals to keep them.
- For buyers: large U.S. warehouse owners set the price. Plan on the 6.7% cap rate (the yearly return from rent, as a % of the price) and the $274 typical sale price per SF.
Four things shaped Broward’s past 12 months: the largest tenants renewed instead of moving, occupied space grew near the port and in West Sunrise but fell in Central Broward, new building narrowed to Pompano Beach, and large U.S. warehouse owners bought as foreign owners sold.
- Leasing: the big deals were renewals. Six of the ten largest leases of the past 12 months were renewals, led by Amazon (178,240 SF) and Owens & Minor (143,000 SF), both in West Sunrise. Big users stayed put.
- Areas: West Sunrise gained tenants. In West Sunrise, occupied space rose 88,808 SF over 12 months and vacancy eased to 8.1%. In Central Broward it fell 286,842 SF, the most of any area; Southeast Broward was up 151,818 SF.
- Being built: new building narrows to Pompano. About 829K SF is being built, the middle figure of other firms’ third-quarter reports (the market consensus). Our building-by-building data counts 866,727 SF in nine buildings, 10.6% already leased before it is finished. Pompano Beach has 493,000 SF of it with none leased yet; Southeast Broward’s 282,000 SF is 32.6% leased.
- Sales: big U.S. owners bought in bulk. $2.8 billion of property sold over 12 months. Prologis bought seven Davie Business Center buildings for about $352 million; Kurv Industrial paid $219.7 million for QuadReal’s five-building Kurv Pompano portfolio.
Demand drivers were flat: total jobs in the Fort Lauderdale metro division were unchanged (0.0%, about 300 jobs) from September 2025 to September 2026, and trade, transportation and utilities jobs fell 1.1% (preliminary).
Fort Lauderdale industrial by area, 3Q 2026
Ironmark splits Broward into four zones. Over 12 months, occupied space near the port and airport rose 152,000 SF; vacancy there is 5.5%, and all of the county’s already-leased new space is there. In the central core it fell 287,000 SF. North Broward, 40% of all space, is 8.4% vacant, with 493,000 SF being built and none leased.
| Zone | Share of all space | Being built (SF) | Occupied space, 12-month change (SF) | Vacancy (% empty) | Rent vs county average | Already leased (share of space being built) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Broward | 40% | 493K | (110K) | 8.4% | −5% | 0% |
| Port & airport | 23% | 282K | 152K | 5.5% | +8% | 33% |
| Central core | 14% | 92K | (287K) | 6.7% | +2% | 0% |
| I-75 & Sawgrass | 22% | 0 | 33K | 7.1% | 0% | n/a |
| Broward | 100% | 867K | (212K) | 7.2% | — | 11% |
All industrial buildings, data as of October 2026; zones and zone totals are Ironmark analysis. Occupied space change = space tenants moved into, minus space they moved out of, over 12 months; figures in brackets mean occupied space went down. Rent vs county average = each zone’s rent (weighted by building size) against the county average. Already leased = share of the space being built that is leased before it is finished; n/a = nothing being built. Area figures count every project in the source data, so they total more than the market consensus above. North Broward = Pompano Beach, Northeast Broward, Coral Springs; Port & airport = Southeast Broward; Central core = Central Broward; I-75 & Sawgrass = Southwest Broward, West Sunrise, Outlying Broward.
Where you sit drives the rate. Southeast Broward rents run 8% above the county average; Pompano Beach and Northeast Broward sit 6% below it. Coral Springs has the most empty space at 9.8%, and Southeast Broward the least at 5.5%. Three areas gained occupied space over 12 months, led by Southeast Broward; Central Broward lost the most. By property type, flex space (small office-and-warehouse units) rents 10% above the all-industrial average and grew fastest, up 3.0% in a year; warehouse and distribution space rose 1.7% and has the most room to deal: 7.8% vacant and 10.4% available (empty, or occupied but marketed for lease).
Fort Lauderdale industrial capital markets: sales volume, pricing and cap rates
New owners, firmer prices. Fort Lauderdale industrial sales reached $2.8 billion over the past 12 months, against a long-run historical average of $662.5 million. The estimated market value is $271 per square foot, up 7.1% in a year and well above roughly $162 nationally, while the 6.7% cap rate (the yearly return from rent, as a % of the price) stays below the 7.4% U.S. figure. Large U.S. warehouse owners did the biggest buying.
Big owners bought in bulk. The largest buyers by dollars spent over 12 months were Prologis ($351.9 million, 7 sales), Kurv Industrial ($219.7 million, 5 sales), CenterPoint Properties ($124.5 million, 3 sales) and NorthBridge ($115.0 million, 18 sales). The largest sellers were funds, developers and a Canadian owner: Blackstone ($304.9 million), Franklin Templeton ($222.3 million), BCI / QuadReal ($219.7 million), IDI Logistics ($176.0 million) and Morgan Stanley ($124.5 million). In all, 401 sales were completed over the 12 months; the typical price comes from a slightly different list of 413 sale records for the same period, which counts some deals differently.
Outlook. Over the year, Broward industrial moved from funds, developers and a Canadian owner to large U.S. warehouse owners growing here, and that group now sets the price for modern space. With big tenants renewing where they are, buyers paid a typical $274 per square foot, including for buildings that still had empty space to lease.
Ironmark’s read on Fort Lauderdale industrial
What we’re seeing on the ground.
“Broward’s biggest tenants didn’t move this year. They signed again where they already sit.”
Six of the ten largest leases signed in Broward over the past year were renewals: Amazon at 178,240 SF, Owens & Minor at 143,000, Sonny’s at 136,894, Princess Cruises at 99,000, and Costco and Walmart at about 84,000 each. Four of the six sit in West Sunrise, where vacancy eased to 8.1%. Big users chose certainty over a move, and that kept space off the market. Renewals don’t add new demand, which is why occupied space over 12 months is still down slightly. Landlords: price the renewal to keep the tenant. Tenants whose leases end in 2027: the 493,000 SF rising in Pompano with none of it leased yet is your leverage. Start early.
— Matthew L. Phillips, SIOR · (561) 621-5466
“Foreign owners sold Broward industrial this year. Large U.S. warehouse owners were the ones buying.”
So far in 2026, foreign owners have sold more Broward industrial than they bought, and large U.S. warehouse owners took the other side. Canada’s QuadReal sold the five-building Kurv Pompano portfolio in Northeast Broward to Kurv Industrial for $219.7 million, about $268/SF, two of the buildings largely vacant at the sale. Prologis paid about $352 million for seven Davie Business Center buildings. Granite REIT was the only foreign buyer among the largest trades. This is a change of owner, not a loss of appetite: about 400 sales closed in the past 12 months, at a typical price of $274 per square foot. If you’re selling, your buyer is likely a large U.S. warehouse owner growing here. Know its buy box (the buildings it is looking for) before you price.
— Troy Schaafsma, SIOR · (561) 621-5489
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the industrial vacancy rate in Fort Lauderdale?
Industrial vacancy, the share of space that is empty, in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County was 7.2% in 3Q 2026 (data as of October 2026), up 1.2 points in a year and the same as the U.S. rate, according to Ironmark’s 3Q 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. Coral Springs had the most empty space at 9.8% and Southeast Broward, the port and airport side, the least at 5.5%.
What does warehouse space rent for in Fort Lauderdale?
Asking rents for Broward industrial space average about $17.32 per SF per year in 3Q 2026, the middle figure of other firms’ third-quarter reports, per Ironmark’s 3Q 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. Across all buildings, rents rose 1.8% in a year; flex space (small office-and-warehouse units) rents 10% above the all-industrial average and grew fastest, up 3.0%.
Is Fort Lauderdale industrial demand going up or down?
The change in occupied space (space tenants moved into, minus space they moved out of) in Broward was +158K SF in 3Q 2026, the middle figure of third-quarter brokerage reports, but it was still down slightly over 12 months, at (212K) SF for the year, per Ironmark’s 3Q 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. Six of the ten largest leases of the year were renewals, led by Amazon and Owens & Minor in West Sunrise, so big users stayed put rather than adding new demand.
What are Fort Lauderdale industrial buildings selling for, and at what cap rate?
The typical Broward industrial sale (the middle of 413 sale records over the past 12 months) was $274 per SF and the cap rate, the yearly return from rent as a % of the price, was 6.7% in 3Q 2026, per Ironmark’s 3Q 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. About $2.8 billion sold in the 12 months against a $662.5 million historical average, with large U.S. warehouse owners such as Prologis and Kurv Industrial doing the biggest buying.
How much industrial space is being built in Fort Lauderdale?
About 829K SF of industrial space was being built in Broward in 3Q 2026, the middle figure of other firms’ third-quarter reports, per Ironmark’s 3Q 2026 Fort Lauderdale Industrial Brief. Our building-by-building data counts 866,727 SF in nine buildings, down from 1.33 million SF the quarter before, and only 10.6% of it is already leased before it is finished. Pompano Beach has 493,000 SF of it with none leased yet.
Buying, selling, or leasing in Fort Lauderdale? See Ironmark’s Fort Lauderdale and Broward County industrial brokerage, or read every Florida market brief.
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The complete PDF includes the zone and area charts, the lease rate guide by property type, the top sales, leases and buildings being built, the largest buyers and sellers, and full sources and definitions. Prepared by Ironmark — free, no obligation.
Ironmark Florida Industrial Brief — Fort Lauderdale Edition. This brief is Ironmark Capital Advisory’s own analysis and commentary, covering 3Q 2026 with data as of October 2026; it is informational and not tax, legal, or investment advice. Sources: the change in occupied space in the quarter, average asking rent and space being built are the market consensus, the middle figure (median) of third-quarter 2026 Broward reports from CBRE, JLL, Colliers, Cushman & Wakefield and Newmark; jobs data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise, September 2026, preliminary); zones, zone totals, rent comparisons and commentary are Ironmark analysis. From this edition the headline asking rent is the middle figure of other firms’ third-quarter reports; earlier Ironmark briefs used an estimate covering every building, which runs higher, so the two are not directly comparable. © 2026 Ironmark Capital Advisory.