Nelson Knight, EVP and chief investment officer of Apple Hospitality, says, “Through these attractively priced transactions, we adjusted our market exposure in ways that we feel will further enhance the strength and stability of our hospitality platform.”

In the past year, 206,300 new private-sector jobs were created in Florida overall and 24,300 private-sector jobs were created in February 2019.

When the merger closes, the company will retain the Cousins name and will trade under the ticker symbol CUZ.

The workforce housing investor is targeting another strong acquisition year, with Denver and Orlando among its target markets.