Start with the decision you are actually making
The master checklist
Every step from market scan to certificate of occupancy, in order.
Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines
Submarkets, permitting quirks, and build-out realities by city.
Build-out costs and TI allowances
2026 costs per square foot and how to negotiate the TI gap.
The realistic timeline
Week-by-week from test fit to inspections and CO.
Why companies pick Broward
Broward sits between Miami-Dade and Palm Beach, with direct access to Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and the I-95/I-595/I-75 corridor. Office rents run meaningfully below Miami's urban core, industrial space is tight but available along the western corridor, and the labor pool draws from three counties. Companies in logistics, marine, healthcare, financial services, and hospitality all have real density here.
The catch: Broward is not one permitting environment. Each of its 31 municipalities runs its own building department, zoning code, fee schedule, and review calendar. A build-out that sails through in Pembroke Pines can stall in another city over a change-of-use classification. That is what this site is for.
The three numbers that decide your opening date
1. Build-out cost per square foot. In 2026, a second-generation office build-out in Broward runs roughly $75-$125/sf; restaurants and medical run far higher. See the full cost table.
2. Permit and review time. Plan review for a commercial interior alteration typically runs 4-10 weeks depending on the city and whether fire review is involved. See the week-by-week timeline.
3. The TI gap. Landlords in Broward commonly offer $25-$55/sf in tenant improvement allowance on second-generation space. If your scope is $95/sf, you fund the difference. How to negotiate the gap.
Get the Broward permit & timeline checklist
The one-page checklist we hand to partners planning a Broward opening: jurisdiction lookup, permit sequence, typical review windows, and the inspections that gate your certificate of occupancy. Download the PDF or request it with the form below.
Featured build-out partner
Shiff Construction & Development
Shiff Construction & Development, Inc. is a Fort Lauderdale commercial general contractor that has delivered office, retail, restaurant, medical, bank-branch, and municipal build-outs across South Florida since 1989. We feature Shiff because their project record in Broward and Palm Beach counties is long and verifiable, and because they answer the phone.
Send plans or a space brochure and get a realistic budget range back in 48 hours - before you sign a lease, not after. Call (954) 555-0132 or use the form below.
Get a build-out budget range in 48 hours
Tell us about the space and the move. You will also get the Broward County permit and timeline checklist (PDF) - the same one we hand to partners planning an opening.
Prefer to talk? (954) 555-0132. Already have the checklist? Download the Broward County permit & timeline checklist (PDF).