ICSC@FLORIDA 2026: 3 takeaways from a working conference 🏢 1️⃣ Social media works. More people recognized me from LinkedIn/YouTube this year than ever — didn't have to explain what we buy, they already knew. Generated a few off-market and pre-market leads I'm still working. If you show up and actually work it, there's real ROI in content. 2️⃣ The opening reception is the best networking of the whole conference. I got there 5 min early and it was already roaring — next year I'm going 45 min out. Also counted ~180 students registered this year. That's the future of this industry showing up early, and that matters. 3️⃣ Florida vacancy is tight. Retailers are struggling to find space that fits their box, and landlords are sitting on 99-100% leased centers. The real question on both sides of the table: how do you programmatically upgrade tenant mix while you're full? Leverage is tilting back toward landlords. Bonus: tried the digital business card this year — worked great for capturing physical cards too. Was surprised how many people still don't have any card, digital or physical. (Guessing they skipped my prep video 👀) 100% recommend ICSC@FLORIDA. You get out of it what you put in — prep, work the floor, follow up. PS — see you at the next one. #ICSC #ICSCCreator #Partnership @ICSC – at Miami Lakes, FL

I’ve been in commercial real estate for 26 years, and I’ve come to realize something: Our business has two calendars. There’s the calendar year. And then there’s the commercial real estate “school year.” And for me, that school year starts in August. Think about the rhythm of our business. ICSC Las Vegas happens in May. Then summer arrives. Deals are still getting worked on, but people start traveling, vacations kick in, and getting everyone on the phone becomes a little harder. The pace just feels different. Then August arrives. And for the Florida retail real estate community, @ICSC ICSC@FLORIDA has always felt a little like back to school. You see people you haven’t seen in two or three months. You reconnect with brokers, retailers, owners, lenders, developers, attorneys — people you’ve worked with for years. You hear what everyone has been working on. New deals start getting discussed. And suddenly, you can feel the momentum coming back. From there, activity starts building. August. September. October. November. December. Then Q1 arrives, everyone is pushing to get deals across the finish line, and that momentum continues through the spring until it crescendos again around ICSC Las Vegas. And then the cycle starts over. Maybe it’s because so many of us spent 16-plus years conditioned to think of August as the beginning of a new year. But even after 26 years in this business, ICSC@FLORIDA still gives me that back-to-school feeling. New year. New opportunities. New relationships. And plenty of familiar faces. If you’re part of the retail real estate industry in Florida, come join us at ICSC@FLORIDA. And if you see me there, come say hello. Let’s kick off the 2026–2027 CRE school year together. #ICSC #ICSCCreator #Partnership @ICSC – at Miami Lakes, FL

The fastest way to get better at leasing? Learn acquisitions. The fastest way to get better at acquisitions? Learn leasing. Asset management? Learn capital markets. Debt? Learn leasing and asset management. The best commercial real estate professionals don’t just understand their own role — they understand how the entire deal works. Acquisitions, capital markets, leasing, property management and asset management are all part of the same flywheel. Every decision affects the next person, the next department and ultimately the value of the asset. The more you understand the disciplines around your own, the better you become at your primary job. One of the best ways to broaden that perspective is to learn directly from people across every part of the industry — and that’s one of the reasons I’m looking forward to @ICSC ICSC@FLORIDA. If you’re attending, challenge yourself to meet someone who works in a completely different part of the business than you do. You may be surprised how much it helps you level up in your own lane. #ICSC #ICSCCreator #Partnership – at Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Homestead used to be $15-18/SF rents. Now I'm hearing $50-60/SF triple net. That's not a typo. That's an exurb. According to C+CT, 11 of the 15 fastest-growing communities in the country are exurbs (places at least 30 miles from the city center). Celina, TX grew almost 25% in a single year. Why retail cares: retail follows rooftops. New residents haven't formed shopping habits yet, and they're furnishing an entire house from scratch. That's a rare window to earn loyalty before anyone else does. Right now residential growth is outpacing retail development in a lot of these markets. The question isn't whether people will shop it's whether developers can build fast enough to catch up. Live in an exurb? Leasing space in one? Tell me what you're seeing. PS — I'll be at ICSC@FLORIDA Aug 30-Sept 1. Come say hi and grab a selfie. icsc.com/news-and-views/icsc… #ICSC #ICSCCreator #Partnership @ICSC

I'm excited to once again be part of the ICSC Creators Network, this time for ICSC@FLORIDA! This event is especially meaningful to me. It’s in my home state, and I’ve been attending for more than 25 years. Over that time, I’ve seen the retail real estate industry evolve through multiple cycles, but the energy around the sector right now feels particularly strong. Occupancy remains high, quality shopping centers are in demand, and competition for good deals continues to heat up. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with industry friends, learning from the conversations happening across the market, sharing highlights from the conference, and hopefully finding a few opportunities along the way. See you in Orlando Florida August 30, 2026! @ICSC #ICSC #ICSCCreator #Partnership – at Miami Lakes, FL