April 2016
Acknowledgements The FIU Metropolitan Center sincerely thanks the City of Deerfield Beach elected officials, Economic Development Task Force, business leaders and residents involved in the Citywide Economic Development Strategy planning process. Their active engagement and commitment throughout the planning process was essential to the success of the Citywide Economic Development Strategy. Elected Officials Jean M. Robb, Mayor Richard Rosenzweig, Vice Mayor Bill Ganz, Commissioner Joseph P. Miller, Commissioner Gloria J. Battle, Commissioner Economic Development Task Force Betty Masi, Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce President David Mirantz, Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce Past President David Santucci, Assistant City Manager Kris Mory, Director of Economic Development Eric Power, Director of Planning and Development Services i
The City of Deerfield Beach SWOT Summary and Resident Survey was prepared by the Metropolitan Center at Florida International University. The Metropolitan Center is an applied research and training institute in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs. It provides policy solutions to public, private and non-profit organizations in South Florida. Established in 1997, the Metropolitan Center has an impressive track record of providing quality services to communities through various social science research studies including economic development plans, housing needs assessments, community indicator studies, economic impact analyses, surveys and focus groups. In addition, the Metropolitan Center has organized workshops, conferences and retreats as well as public opinion forums to address specific urban issues. The SWOT and Resident Survey was developed by: Principal Investigator Edward Murray, Ph.D., AICP Associate Director, FIU Metropolitan Center Contributing Author Metropolitan Center Contributing Researchers Maria Ilcheva, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate Daniela Waltersdorfer, Graduate Research Assistant Nohely Alvarez, Research Associate Kevin T. Greiner, MUP, JD Senior Fellow, FIU Metropolitan Center Copyright Florida International University Metropolitan Center All rights reserved. NO PART OF THE REPORT MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM, EXCEPT FOR BRIEF QUOTATIONS NOT TO EXCEED ONE THOUSAND WORDS IN A REVIEW OR PROFESSIONAL WORK, WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY. ii
City of Deerfield Beach SWOT Summary and Resident Survey Table of Contents SWOT ANALYSIS... 1 RESIDENT SURVEY... 5 Target Industries and Economic Growth in the City of Deerfield Beach... 9 Priority Economic Development Projects for Deerfield Beach... 12 iii
City of Deerfield Beach SWOT Summary and Resident Survey SWOT ANALYSIS Effective economic development strategies rely on a process of identifying opportunities and building on local strengths while addressing challenges and shoring up weaknesses. The search for new economic opportunity requires knowing where to look, and sometimes taking a different look at the local economic landscape to uncover opportunities that at first blush may not be obvious. The following SWOT Analysis marks the conclusion of the first of three phases of the City of Deerfield Beach Strategic Planning Process. The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis of the City of Deerfield Beach combines the previous Economic and Competitive Analysis (Report I) with subsequent stakeholder focus groups and interviews and a resident survey to evaluate the City s overall economic assets, opportunities and challenges. The Competitive Analysis revealed strengths and opportunities that together create a desirable business environment in Deerfield Beach with the potential for enhancing the City s economic well-being and overall quality of life for its residents. It also points out challenges that must be addressed for Deerfield Beach to reach its full potential. The SWOT was performed using three categories of analysis Quality of Life, Business Environment and Population and Workforce which together serve as the critical determinants of economic development performance. The success of the Citywide Economic Development Strategy is dependent on developing and enhancing these determinants and addressing any obstacles or challenges that may exist. 1
Quality of Life Coastal Community Strengths Family-friendly Beaches Vibrant A1A Quality Healthcare Broward Health North Hospital General Housing Affordability Relative to Nearby Cities Weaknesses Lack of a Sense of Place Limited Quality Retail and Dining Options Ease of Beach Access from Central Core Area Lack of a City Center Parking Garage Unfriendly Pedestrian and Bicyclist Environment Creative Approach to Pioneer Grove Downtown Plan Opportunities Market Central Location and Highway Access Attractive to Businesses and Residents Mixed-use Downtown Plan Can Elevate the Vitality and Image of the City to Attract New Businesses, Residents and Visitors Threats Perceived Disconnect within the Central Core Area Negative Image Concerning Crime Poorly Performing Public Schools Public Infrastructure Improvements Can Expand Pedestrian and Bicyclist Connectivity to the Downtown and Beach 2
Business Environment Strengths Central, Strategic Location Transportation Access Land Availability 355 available acres supporting up to 43,000 new jobs A Significant, Interconnected and Diversified Local Economy Growth of Key Business Service Industries to Support New Business Expansion Leading International Trade, Life Sciences and Creative Design Cluster Firms One of Florida s Leading Advanced Industry Sectors Locations Opportunities Market Central Location and Access as Distinct Competitive Advantage Market Mixed-use Downtown Plan for Business Attraction and Retention Tri-Rail Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) opportunity could create development prototype Develop a Wider Range of Housing Types and Locations Create Gateways that identify the City as a Special Place Ethnic Retailing Indigenous Business Growth Connect Tourism and Economic Development Marketing Publicize City s Improved Building Permit Process Weaknesses Lack of a Dedicated Local Economic Development Delivery System Relatively High Millage Rate Limited State and Local Incentives Low Wage Job Growth Local Businesses in Need of Qualified Employees Underdeveloped Commercial Corridors and Plazas Undefined and Improved Gateways Relatively Older Housing Supply and Limited Choice Threats Past Perception of a non-business friendly environment in City Hall 3
Population and Workforce Strengths Significant Labor Force Participation Range of Occupations Increasing Ethnicity Diversity Fast Growing under 20 Year of Age Population Opportunities Getting Residents into New Jobs Created in Deerfield Beach Developing and Marketing Job and Vocational Training Improve STEM Learning opportunities in the City Expanding Cultural Diversity Opportunities with the Brazilian Community and Other Ethnic Groups Weaknesses Declining Household and Family Incomes Demographic Shifts in Household Income Overall Educational Attainment Significantly Less than Broward County Poor Local Jobs Pipeline Limited Housing Choices Type and Location Threats Decrease in the Prime Workforce Age (20-44) Population Higher Poverty Rates than Broward County Lack of Quality Education and Career Paths Sense of unwelcomeness within the Brazilian Community 4
RESIDENT SURVEY The City of Deerfield Beach Resident Survey was administered as part of the Economic Development Strategic Planning Process. The FIU Metropolitan Center team, with guidance from City staff, interviewed key community, business and institutional stakeholders who have significant economic interests and concerns. The Project Team presented preliminary analysis findings and identified base concerns and economic development issues to the groups. The stakeholder interviews were then used to help shape a short list of economic development priorities and issues of importance that informed the development of a resident survey questionnaire. The survey was made available to all stakeholders through a link on City s website. This survey data was used to inform the development of the final Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP) and presented at public EDSP planning sessions. A total of 249 survey responses were collected online. Below is a summary of the survey results. Summary of Findings Respondent Characteristics The majority of respondents were female (56%) The overwhelming majority (80%) identified themselves as White, 6 percent as Black/African American and 9 percent as Latino/Hispanic Age Group 18-34 5% 35-54 33% Approximately one-third of respondents are in the prime working age group of 35-54 years of age, and another one-third in the 55-64 years of age group Only 5 percent of respondents were younger than 35 years of age 65+ 28% 55-64 34% The majority of responses were from individuals with college degrees EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Professional Degree 7% Graduate Degree 23% College Graduate 40% Only eight percent of respondents indicated they do not have a college degree Some College High School or GED 8% 21% 5
Most respondents were owners (89%) Approximately half of respondents work in Deerfield Beach (52%) o 55 percent work full-time. o 8 percent work part-time o 1 percent were unemployed o 26 percent were retired Of those who were employed, 42 percent work for the private sector, 36 percent are self-employed, 19 percent are in government jobs, and 4 percent work for nonprofits R E S P O N D E N T I N D U S T R Y S E C T O R S Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Other Services (except Public Administration) Finance and Insurance 9.4% 8.7% 13.8% Public Administration (government) 8.0% Educational Services 8.0% Health Care and Social Assistance Management of Companies and Enterprises Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 7.2% 6.5% 6.5% Retail Trade 5.8% Manufacturing 5.8% Overall Perceptions The survey reveals overwhelmingly positive views on the City of Deerfield Beach as significant majorities of respondents indicated they see themselves living in Deerfield Beach in the next three to five years (83.7%) and would recommend the city as a place to live and work (78.5%). 6
I SEE MYSELF LIVING IN DEERFIELD BEACH THREE TO FIVE YEARS FROM NOW. I WOULD RECOMMEND DEERFIELD BEACH AS A PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK. No, 3.6% Unsure, 12.8% No, 11.3% Unsure, 10.3% Yes, 83.7% Yes, 78.5% 7
The City s Economy Respondents were asked to rate various aspects of the City s economy on a scale from poor to excellent. Six aspects of the City s economy were rated as Excellent or Good by the majority of respondents. Deerfield Beach s favorable geographic location in terms of access is reflected in a majority of respondents rating transportation access as excellent or good. A majority also rated as excellent or good other aspects of the Deerfield Beach economy that are important for business growth access to banks and credit and access to quality professional services. Conversely, there were seven aspects of the city s economy that were rated only fair or poor by respondents. Approximately twothird of respondents are dissatisfied with taxation in the City, both local government and state taxes. Availability and cost of parking is also a major area of concern. A S P E C T S O F T H E C I T Y ' S E C O N O M Y R A T E D E X C E L L E N T O R G O O D B Y M A J O R I T Y Access to banks and credit Transportation access to interstate highways Access to quality professional services (marketing, printing, attorneys, etc.) Transportation access via local roads Infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, bridge) conditions Deerfield Beach s Brand Identity Excellent/Good 54.5% 54.3% 52.7% 66.0% 60.7% 76.2% A S P E C T S O F T H E C I T Y ' S E C O N O M Y R A T E D F A I R O R P O O R B Y M A J O R I T Y Fair/Poor In addition to the economic aspects presented in the two figures, other areas in which there was not a clear majority of opinions included: Availability of entry-level jobs, particularly for new workers (33% rated Excellent/Good, 36% rated Fair/Poor) Availability and quality of workers (27% Excellent/Good, 45% Fair/Poor) Availability and cost of commercial/business space (24% Excellent/Good, 32% Fair/Poor) Taxes - City taxes Taxes County & State Availability and cost of parking for customers Quality of schools in the city Availability of high-skilled jobs 67.2% 65.4% 59.5% 56.8% 54.4% Local Government support and services for small businesses (22% Excellent/Good, 40% Fair/Poor) Availability of good paying jobs City government services to business owners code enforcement, permits, plan review, etc. 53.4% 53.1% 8
Target Industries and Economic Growth in the City of Deerfield Beach Respondents were asked to rank the importance of the creation of new jobs for Deerfield Beach s economic growth in each industry. Responses ranked from 1 to 5, with 5 being most important, and 1 being not important or does not matter. Based on the responses provided, the respondents chose industries that are already well-represented in Deerfield Beach as opposed to new or developing industries which may be desirable from a future economic development perspective. TARGET INDUSTRIES: IMPORTANCE OF CREATION OF NEW JOBS Extremely/Very Important Health Care 84.9% Tourism Education and Alternative Educational Services Arts, Entertainment, Recreation Information Technology Hotels & Hospitality Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Marine Industry Production & Services Retail Trade Waste Management and Remediation Utilities Real Estate 82.6% 77.2% 76.6% 76.1% 74.2% 74.0% 73.3% 68.9% 64.8% 64.8% 64.8% The responses show a wide array of industries considered important for job growth, but there were some that seemed of lesser importance than others. Industries which received the smallest percentages of responses ranking them as extremely or very important for job creation included: Aerospace & Aviation (38.1%) Warehousing, Distribution and Logistics (45.4%) Legal (45.9%) Wholesale Trade (48.2%) Manufacturing (49.1%) The responses also suggest that residents envision a diversified economy for the City, as almost all sectors are considered important by a majority of respondents. The following figure shows the sectors 9
with the highest percentages of respondents who indicated they consider these sectors only slightly important or not important at all. DEERFIELD BEACH INDUSTRIES THAT ARE SLIGHTLY IMPORTANT OR NOT IMPORTANT Slightly/Not at all Aerospace & Aviation 24.8% Arts, Entertainment, Recreation 23.4% Manufacturing 20.2% Warehousing, Distribution and Logistics 18.4% Social Services 15.9% Wholesale Trade 14.7% Legal Creative Industries Film, Media, Design, and New Media Construction 11.9% 10.6% 14.6% Real Estate 10.0% 10
Economic Development Strategies for Deerfield Beach Respondents were asked to indicate how important each economic development strategy is to creating jobs and generating economic development opportunities for Deerfield Beach. The scale is from 5 being most important, to 1 being not important or does not matter. A dozen strategies were rated as extremely or very important by over two-thirds of respondents. The only strategy which was considered of highest importance for the smallest percentage of respondents was for the city to provide incentives for affordable/workforce housing (48.2%). ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES RATED AS EXTREMELY OR VERY IMPORTANT Extremely/Very Important Clean up and beautify streets and neighborhoods 87.5% Promote local industries 85.5% Provide resources to improve City Public Schools 85.4% Redevelop abandoned/underperforming areas and communities, in particular Commission District 2 84.7% Promote local tourism in the City 82.8% Further streamline the City s permitting and other regulatory processes Increase and improve worker job training to improve workers skills 75.1% 80.0% Invest more in parks, public space and recreation 74.8% Develop recreation facilities, arts and cultural amenities 74.5% Provide resources to expand community college/higher education offerings Create financial incentives to develop new businesses/industries Provide financial incentives to existing businesses to expand and create jobs 73.2% 73.0% 70.8% * 11
Priority Economic Development Projects for Deerfield Beach Respondents were asked to assign a priority for each initiative from a list of economic development opportunities for the City. Respondents were then asked to rate each choice as 1) Top Priority, so funding and effort should not be cut for that initiative; 2) High Priority but spending could be trimmed; 3) Low Priority so spending could be cut significantly; or 4) Not a Priority, so that program spending can be eliminated. Most of the suggested projects which respondents ranked received top or high priority rankings. The two projects with less than a majority of respondents ranking them as top or high were Explore business opportunities created by newcomers to the City from Latin America (33.2%) and Redevelop the former golf course as a new mixed-use, walkable residential community (44.2%). PRIORITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS Top/High Priority Low/No Priority Develop a clean beach initiative 83.7% 15.8% Explore collaborative economic development opportunities with neighboring communities such as Boca Raton and Pompano Beach 75.3% 23.3% Develop a program for business façade improvements 66.8% 29.1% Add new housing types to attract young professionals and empty nesters 63.3% 35.7% Expand housing and neighborhood revitalization efforts in District 2 (West of Dixie Highway to include Hillsboro Boulevard and surrounding Redevelop Pioneer Grove as a new Town Center with shops, housing, and a more pedestrian-friendly environment 62.8% 61.5% 34.7% 30.8% 12
Some projects were rated as either low or no priority by a high percentage of respondents. The figure below shows the projects which received the largest percentages of low priority rankings. Only one project had a larger percentage of respondents ranking it as low/no priority than a top/high priority. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: HIGH PERCENTAGE RANKING AS LOW OR NO PRIORITY Low/No Priority Top/High Priority Explore business opportunities created by newcomers to the City from Latin America Provide more support for festivals and other events to celebrate the City s cultural diversity Improve and upgrade the Cove as a mixeduse (retail, office, housing, hotel) center 43.6% 42.3% 59.8% 51.3% 55.6% 33.2% Redevelop the former golf course as a new mixed-use, walkable residential community Promote Smart Growth policies including higher density, mixed-use development along Hillsboro Boulevard Redevelop the former golf course as a new parks and recreation complex 41.3% 40.2% 39.8% 44.2% 55.2% 56.6% 13
RATINGS FOR ASPECTS OF THE CITY'S ECONOMY Excellent/Good Fair/Poor Access to banks and credit Transportation access to interstate highways Access to quality professional services (marketing, printing, attorneys, etc.) Transportation access via local roads Infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, bridge) conditions Deerfield Beach s Brand Identity Availability of entry-level jobs, particularly for new workers Availability and cost of parking for customers Taxes County & State Taxes - City taxes City government services to business owners code enforcement, permits, plan review, etc. Availability and quality of workers Availability and cost of commercial/business space Quality of schools in the city Access to market information explaining Deerfield Beach s economic strengths and opportunities Local Government support and services for small businesses Availability of good paying jobs Upward job and career mobility in the City Availability of high-skilled jobs 76.2% 66.0% 60.7% 54.5% 54.3% 52.7% 32.7% 31.1% 28.4% 28.3% 27.2% 26.7% 23.8% 22.4% 21.7% 21.7% 18.5% 14.2% 14.1% 17.7% 31.9% 30.3% 42.2% 45.3% 41.3% 35.9% 59.5% 65.4% 67.2% 53.1% 45.0% 31.7% 56.8% 48.3% 40.2% 53.4% 49.2% 54.4% 14
Business Invesment and Support Beautification and Recreation Community Investment City of Deerfield Beach Public Involvement: SWOT Summary and Resident Survey PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS RATING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES OF HIGHEST IMPORTANCE Provide resources to improve City Public Schools 85.4% Redevelop abandoned/underperforming areas and communities, in particular Commission District 2 Increase and improve worker job training to improve workers skills Provide resources to expand community college/higher education offerings Create Special Improvement Districts for downtown and main street commercial districts 84.7% 75.1% 73.2% 69.3% Provide incentives for affordable/workforce housing 48.2% Clean up and beautify streets and neighborhoods 87.5% Invest more in parks, public space and recreation 74.8% Develop recreation facilities, arts and cultural amenities Support festivals and events that celebrate the City s cultural and ethnic diversity Promote local industries 64.5% 74.5% 85.5% Promote local tourism in the City Create financial incentives to develop new businesses/industries Provide financial incentives to existing businesses to expand and create jobs Implement a Community Benefits Agreement program for new companies moving into the City Provide development loan financing businesses to start economic activity Create a new economic development agency focused on the City s economic growth and development Provide grants to businesses to start economic activity 82.8% 73.0% 70.8% 66.7% 65.2% 64.6% 62.7% 15
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