Florida Real Estate Conference Features Economist’s Message of Cautious Optimism

June 17, 2025

Eric Kalis

Key Florida commercial real estate sectors are expected to maintain their development and investment appeal amid ongoing broader economic challenges, according to U.S. Bank economist Eric Freedman. One of the state’s biggest annual real estate conferences, Urban Land Institute’s 2025 Florida Summit in Bonita Springs, was highlighted by Freedman’s nuanced look at the current economic landscape and its implications for Florida real estate during his keynote presentation.

Freedman began by sharing important takeaways about the general economic outlook for the rest of 2025 and the beginning of 2026:

Addressing the perpetual question of when the Federal Reserve will start cutting the benchmark interest rate, Freedman predicted “maybe” one rate cut this year at most. He underscored the significant impact of the Fed’s actions, noting that rate hikes starting in 2022 were larger and faster than at any time in the last 40 years. Despite these aggressive measures, inflation is proving persistent, with expectations for it to stick around 3% in the U.S. for the foreseeable future.
As for the anxiety-inducing possibility of a full-on recession, Freedman does not expect the U.S. economy to get to that point but that “we’ll get real close.” The conventional sentiment from economists is that the U.S. should experience slowing, but solid, growth over the next year.
Smaller financial institutions essentially hold the cards for the commercial real estate sector, accounting for about 70% of all U.S. commercial real estate loans. The confidence – or lack thereof – dictates credit availability in the category.

Shifting focus to the implications for the commercial real estate professionals in attendance at the ULI Florida Summit, Freedman noted that the weaker the economy gets, the harder employers will enforce return-to-office policies. Any substantive shift in workplace models could provide a much-needed boost to Florida office real estate owners and developers.

Freedman remains bullish on Florida multifamily real estate, as continuing soft buyer demand for housing will further support the rental sector. He cautioned that experience and “operating chops” are paramount in today’s market, so late-in-the-game players without such attributes could face challenges in a competitive sector.

BoardroomPR’s Public Relations and Social Media experts make sure to attend important real estate conferences in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando and beyond. On May 29, our firm sponsored Bisnow’s annual Broward County State of the Market event, where we set up our mobile production studio and interviewed top developers and other real estate leaders.

Participating in events sponsored by organizations like ULI and Bisnow enables team members to stay ahead of the curve on relevant industry trends, topics and issues. Senior Vice President Eric Kalis, who co-chairs BoardroomPR’s real estate public relations practice, is very involved with ULI and other real estate organizations.