Business Development in East Pembroke Pines

The City of Pembroke Pines is a South Florida suburb of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area. The voters in Pembroke Pines approved a bond issue regarding Economic Development in 2005, specifically addressing the issue of eastern development. City staff proposed a project to redevelop the older, eastern portion of the city in late 2008 because economic activity in the region has declined due to the population shifting to the newer, western front of the city. One of the noted key challenges of this redevelopment project is “to update the perceptions that eastern businesses can and will provide the same level of customer satisfaction as newer commercial areas.” My report aims to explore these perceptions, specifically that business owners in the east may be underprepared or otherwise different when compared to those in the west. It is important to understand the demographics of the small business population that drives the economy in east Pines in order to make informed policy decisions. I interviewed 55 businesses in the east and west regions of the City to find that there are no significant differences between how prepared entrepreneurs in the east and west are to open a small business. However, owners in the east are much more likely to hold negative opinions of the City government. Overall, resources are underused and under-promoted. I also found that attractive streetscapes act as an incentive for businesses to locate themselves in those regions. These findings suggest that the City should not only pursue the Streetscape Initiative with renewed vigor, but also invest in improving communication with and bolstering support for the small business community.