Once as slow-moving as a lazy Sunday morning, the City of Tamarac in Broward County, South Florida, is now growing younger and more vibrant. Just a 25-minute drive northwest of Fort Lauderdale, Tamarac has spent the past few years transforming its image as a popular and diverse retirement destination into one of growth, public art, and progress. With around 2,000 businesses, 74,000 people, and a healthy diversity index of nearly 85 percent, the city is popular with young professionals and families alike, giving it a more balanced demographic profile and a decidedly sunnier economic forecast.
As a business-friendly city, Tamarac has transformed itself into an ideal place to establish a business and raise a family—a win for those seeking an affordable, lovely community to call home.
This is a city characterized by civic awareness. “I haven’t seen such a community-driven city as Tamarac. People care about where they live; they want their voices to be shared and to be heard,” says Kenneth Lopez, Economic and Redevelopment Administrator.
With its artistic flair and signature style permeating everything from its commercial public spaces to its parks, Tamarac’s zesty edge creates an atmosphere of possibility, excitement, and bright new tomorrows. Its lively sense of diversity also makes for a fantastic range of cuisines on offer, ranging from Asian to Caribbean and beyond. “You can feel the difference when you come into the city,” says Lopez.
Tamarac is a place of economic opportunity where locals are known for being entrepreneurial and positive in their outlook on life. With the support of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, which works toward economic development in Broward County and the greater Fort Lauderdale region, local industries include tourism, service, retail, aerospace, and a small yet bustling manufacturing sector. And yet more industries are being established in a bid to provide locals with the security and convenience of local employment.
As a result, a number of big-name companies have made Tamarac their home. CITY Furniture has its headquarters and warehouses here, while Amazon also houses its Miami warehouses and distribution center in the city. Sonny’s Enterprises is a significantly sized fabrication outfit serving the car wash equipment sector, and another notable employer is PuroClean, a large remediation firm that handles biohazards, flood water, mold removal, and damage from smoke, fire, water, and more.
The city’s largest employment provider, however, is the medical sector, with HCA Hospital being the largest presence on what is locally known as “medical mile,” the city’s proud stretch of diverse healthcare providers. Tamarac is also rich in self-starting small business operators with a thirst for growth. To support these pioneers, funding is always a priority.
To this end, small businesses benefit from the $5,000 to $10,000 Tamarac Small Business Micro Grant, which provides reimbursement toward costs incurred in establishing businesses for owners who live and/or trade in the city. A business façade revitalization program has helped refresh the city’s commercial plazas and other buildings beautifully and continues to support business owners in bringing their facilities in line with city regulations. Another grant of up to $100,000 is the Tenant Improvement Interior Build Out Grant, which supports new businesses in improving their newly acquired premises. “This grant covers tenant improvements for anything businesses may need to do in their commercial space to get it ready to open,” Lopez says.
Alongside the Alliance’s efforts, the city of Tamarac also offers a range of programs to stimulate business and industry, complete with a platform where existing and potential business owners can access a plethora of economic development and redevelopment resources and information. This includes access to co-working space, small business incubators, small business boot camps, and a cache of example business plans, templates, and financial documents available for download.
As a trusted community partner, Broward County also offers a maker space and gadget lab, the Creation Station, developed for product and innovation testing and complete with virtual reality technology and 3D printers. There are also small business loans available through the Urban League of Broward County’s Entrepreneurship Center, alongside training and development to help individuals prepare to take the leap of starting a new business.
“In the city of Tamarac, if it’s not coming directly from us, we collaborate and leverage our resources from our community partners to make sure that we give businesses what they need and help serve the community,” says Lopez.
For instance, a business concierge program serves as a point of contact for potential new arrivals looking to establish businesses in Tamarac. From permitting and licensing to support in obtaining documentation, this liaison is an invaluable contact point in bringing more business in. By making the effort to establish and clarify the challenges such businesses face, the team can identify a plan of action best suited to conclude the process in as timely and smooth a manner as possible.
The city also collaborates with its local Chamber of Commerce to facilitate ribbon cuttings that celebrate the opening of new enterprises. In addition, a regular newsletter, the Tam-A-Gram, is an outstanding marketing tool for local businesses for which the city’s dedicated marketing team goes above and beyond, providing new businesses with high-quality features and social media posts.
Moreover, Lopez confirms that purchasing a home here remains comparatively more affordable than elsewhere—and there is much to choose from. With high-end housing offerings such as The Enclaves at Woodmont, Arcadia, and Tamarac Village, there is no shortage of top-quality living in Tamarac. Replete with retail opportunities and recreation facilities, these developments take homeownership and apartment living to an entirely new, luxe level. The Woodlands is another tasteful development with plans for expansion, with 335 new estate homes to be constructed soon. These new homes will be nestled in the existing lifestyle estate, with nearly 900 custom-built homes set in beautiful surroundings providing a sense of calm.
There is also Advantis, a 278-unit mixed-use apartment and dining development. This avant-garde, six-story development will offer 3,246 square feet of restaurant space as well as a 10 percent affordable housing profile. It boasts facilities like a fitness center, swimming pool, and parking for 400 vehicles.
And these are not the only new developments in recent years. The county’s busiest thoroughfares, such as University Drive, State Road 7, and Commercial Boulevard, are set to be transformed into the city’s urban corridors, with smart growth being focused along these thoroughfares to allow for an active commercial hub where locals and visitors can gather, connect to transportation, and navigate.
“This is part of the comprehensive plan… that is ready for adoption and will significantly change the identity and type of development we’re going to see,” says Maher Mansour, Assistant Director of Community Development, of the city’s plans to create a business- and development-friendly zone. As part of the vision, it promises to make rezoning and certainty in the development process a cinch by following what he calls a “progressive zoning model. This is a big step forward in the city of Tamarac, having this new comprehensive plan coming,” he adds.
These new strategies are part of Tamarac’s broader vision to become a city rich in resources—a place where residents can live, work, shop, learn, and access healthcare without needing to travel elsewhere. As the city’s population grows younger and more diverse—with a robust student population—increased community involvement in shaping Tamarac’s future is a promising sign of long-term prosperity.
The city will also be building a more centrally located community center, called the East Side Community Center. And, with strategically located parcels of land ready for development, the city of Tamarac is looking forward to more commercial growth that will expand its existing footprint. Plans for Tamarac’s retail and commercial stakeholders are equally exciting—by fostering wholesome, open-door relationships with business owners across the city, the city aims to establish a platform for collaboration that benefits entrepreneurs and local communities.
With all this work and opportunity ahead, it looks like the city of Tamarac is getting ready for a smorgasbord of change—all for the better.
