All Aboard Florida Critical Step Forward

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—All Aboard Florida, the developers of a high-speed rail service that will run along the Florida East Coast Railway, just picked its generation contractor for its Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations. Moss & Associates is the big winner. The firm will start construction at the end of the first quarter.

“This announcement is another step forward as All Aboard Florida moves into the construction and implementation phase,” says P. Michael Reininger, president of All Aboard Florida. “Moss & Associates has a world-class reputation and is the right firm to help us deliver our Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations.”

The All Aboard stations are expected to generate significant economic impact to the State of Florida. According to a recent economic impact study, the project is should create $6.4 billion in direct economic impact to Florida's economy over the next eight years. That includes $653 million in federal, state, and local government tax revenue through 2021.

The project should create over 10,000 jobs on average per year through rail line construction, and over 5,000 jobs on average per year after rail line construction is completed through 2021. More specifically, in Broward and Palm Beach County, the project will create more than 1,400 rail-line construction jobs, generating $161.8 million in labor income.

“Upon completion, All Aboard Florida will provide a unique solution to South Florida's transportation challenges as the region continues to grow,” says Bob Moss, chairman and CEO of Moss. Site work on the Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach station sites will begin in the next few weeks with vertical construction starting at the end of the first quarter.

The 60,000-square-foot Fort Lauderdale station and platform will include a modern, multi-story lobby spanning an elevated passenger lounge area for travelers, and parking facilities. Reininger expects it to drive new visitors into downtown and the surrounding cultural, economic, and shopping destinations. The station's location provides connections to the Sun Trolley, Broward County Transit system, future Wave Streetcar and planned Tri-Rail station.

Also 600,000 square feet, the West Palm Beach station will sit at Quadrille Boulevard, between Datura and Evernia Streets. That's near the CityPlace mixed-use development, shops and restaurants of Clematis Street, and several art institutions.

Ken Krasnow, managing director of CBRE in South Florida,  predicts Transit Oriented Design (TOD) will be a regular mantra in real estate circles. He says, “All Aboard Florida's high-speed rail line will create an unprecedented opportunity for new mixed-use development  on vacant land surrounding future rail stations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, creating the denser, vibrant, 'live-work-play' environment that everyone, from Millennials to Baby Boomers, is craving.”