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Mike Peters
Vice President
Brasfield & Gorrie

“The construction business in Miami is booming,” says Mike Peters, vice president and division manager for Brasfield & Gorrie and lead of the firm’s Miami office.

That’s being driven by a flood of people moving to the Miami area, he says, increasing demand for health care, housing, infrastructure and transportation projects.

With that population growth, and the following demand in multifamily and health care construction, Peters expects the market to stay busy. Brasfield & Gorrie has worked in the Miami market for 30 years, he says, where it recently established its 13th office.

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Inpatient rehab hospitals, oncology centers, outpatient surgery and care centers and hospital expansions lead the area’s recent and upcoming health care projects, Peters says.

“Health care work doesn’t seem likely to slow down anytime soon, given population growth, shortages of hospital beds experienced during the pandemic and the state of Florida’s removal of the certificate of need requirements,” he says. “I’ve worked in this market for many years, and the recent increase in health care construction has been significantly greater than what I’ve seen in the past.”

There are also significant capital improvements ongoing at Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale Airport and Port of Miami, Peters adds.

“Multifamily projects continue to flood the market, and we expect to see more coming up to accommodate the population boom,” he says.

Corporations are relocating to Miami, too, and other firms are renovating office space as workers return to the workplace as well as adapting their workspaces to the desires of younger workers.

Amid the growth, costs are increasing and supply challenges linger, exacerbated by the hot market.

“Being strategic in selecting projects, clients and trade contractors is more important than ever,” Peters says.

Growing market sectors also mean an ongoing demand for craft construction workers, and Peters says pandemic-related supply-chain issues and an extremely busy market means more strain on materials and the availability of trade contractors.

“Construction costs are increasing dramatically due to supply chain challenges, and it’s unclear when these increases will level off,” Peters says. “This will inevitably put an additional strain on building owners’ decisions.”

The Mount Sinai Medical Center Irma and Norman Braman Center in Miami Beach is set for completion in 2025.
Image courtesy Brasfield & Gorrie

There’s another shortage the Miami market deals with, too: land.

“Regardless of the sector, Miami’s limited undeveloped space means many projects require demolition of existing buildings, vertical expansions, development of new parcels and roadways or development of brownfield locations,” Peters says.

Many of Brasfield & Gorrie’s recent project have required design to support both horizontal and vertical construction, he says.

Clients are focusing on increased resiliency, sustainability and are planning for growth, too, reflected in local infrastructure that’s also being designed for expansion.