"More opportunity, more new office building construction, more sublease opportunities and more attractive rents can be found in the 'burbs,'" Kaiser says. Sheer market size alone knocks out the CBD so far as office leasing volume is concerned, he says.

For example, the suburbs have 1.5 million sf of vacancy or 12% of availability, plus about 500,000 sf of sublease space. "This is compared to 625,000 sf of vacancy within the CBD, or 11% of availability, plus about 60,000 sf of sublease space," Kaiser points out.

Market size alone dictates most of the office deals for the rest of the year will be done outside the CBD, the broker maintains. For instance, the suburban market takes in Maitland, Winter Park, Lake Mary, University, Southwest Orlando and Southeast Orlando--"four times the size of Downtown," Kaiser says.

Besides size, rents will drive office deals to the suburbs quicker than they might Downtown. The suburban rent range is $18 per sf to $24 per sf versus $20 per sf to $27 per sf Downtown.

Large corporations that have selected the suburbs over the CBD in the last six months, Kaiser says, are Mitsubishi, Bank of New York and Canadian Imperial Bank Corp. "In addition, we have several 'burb relocations of Sprint PCS, Earthtech, Countrywide and CNA," he adds.

Jeffrey Bloom, an office broker at Arvida Realty Services Commercial Division in suburban Winter Park, FL, feels employers will do more deals in the CBD than in the suburbs over the next seven months.

He says employers will lease space Downtown because that's where many young professionals are living these days. They want to be near their jobs and not commute daily on traffic-choked highways.

"TV shows such as Ally McBeal are drawing younger professionals and employees to the glamour and allure of city life," Bloom says. "Some of the new developments Downtown, including renovated chic older buildings like One South Orange, the Empire Building and the Angebilt are catering to this type of lifestyle."

He says "the continued low unemployment rate will continue to cause employees to look to more interesting and inspiring places to work."

Bloom adds, "This fact, along with the continued burden on Central Florida roadways, makes the CBD more viable than even one or two years ago."