How is the new tech crowd impacting the local economy? A Miami caterer can tell you
don’t know if South Florida will ever be the same.” That is how Lina Cruz summarizes the impact of the influx of newcomers to the Miami area over the past year. As the COO of longtime local event catering firm Bill Hansen Hospitality Group, Cruz represents a business that helps form the backbone of the region’s economy.
And if you are in the business of providing services to folks sitting on lots of capital these days, it’s boom times: Cruz estimates business is now up about a third from prepandemic levels.
“We have all our clientele that have known us through the years — and they’re all in the mood to celebrate,” she said. “Then we have all the weddings that were canceled and have all been rescheduled for this year. Then, we have a whole swarm of new clients here now.”
She continued: “We are overwhelmed — the hours, the setups are very long, we’re having to hire a lot more staff than we ever have. So basically, we definitely have felt all of this.”
Economic data released Friday bear out that the area’s recovery is roaring ahead: Miami-Dade’s unemployment rate fell from 5.7% to 3.8% in October, a new pandemic low (by comparison, the pre-pandemic low was 1.6%).
Xio Fermin, owner of MiamiDJs, has seen the same results from the newcomers. These days, 50% of his business is from new arrivals. He has recently handled music for clients that include Tesla, Google, IBM and Microsoft — all at South Florida events.
“We went from pretty much a dead year to, starting in the last three months, everything turned around,” he said, “and the event industry here has now blown up — we’re sold out every weekend.”
The newcomers are more likely to have more money these days — along with an aggressive willingness to spend it, given how uncertain life has now become, Fermin said.
“We’re seeing clients with larger budgets than ever before,” he said. “A lot of destination weddings — and a lot of new corporate clients from New York City and California. Pretty much all of Silicon Valley is here now.”
Not everybody is winning out at the same pace, however. Cruz acknowledges that some longtime customers are experiencing sticker shock from an increase in event prices. That cost growth is not solely the result of local factors — but it does mean that those who have not seen an increase in their capital stacks may be getting left behind.
“Some of the ones who were regulars may be saying, ‘This used to be this much — I used to pay X’. We did, too. Unfortunately, those are not the costs anymore.”
But Cruz says that overall, it’s a good time to be in business in South Florida.
“[The influx] has created a lot more work — people are making more and there’s just so many openings, everyone is hiring,” she said. “If you’re looking for opportunity, Florida is the place to be.”
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“This signals that government
and several Michelinstarred restaurants across the U.S. And a sushi bar with ingredients sourced from Japan and top-shelf wine, champagne and liquor included.
The ship partnered with
world-renowned lyricist Sir Tim Rice for entertainment and celebrity Dr. Andrew Weil for spa services. The 12th deck has a whirlpool hot tub surrounded by 15 semi-open private cabanas with a television, a refrigerator and a ceiling fan, with some cabanas offering spa services.
When in port, one of the lower decks of the ship opens up to become a “marina,” where guests can take out a range of boats and water toys like kayaks, paddle boats and Hobie catamarans. Zodiac boats offer guests the chance for sightseeing as well as water skiing, banana boating and tubing.
The Seabourn Ovation resumed sailing in July 2021 and requires all passengers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as proof of a negative COVID-19 test done within 48 hours of boarding.
“There is no such thing as COVID-zero,” Leibowitz