Pace of housing starts uneven across South Florida

Builders broke ground for fewer single family homes and townhouses last year in Palm Beach County while housing starts rose in Broward County and Miami-Dade County.

Research firm Metrostudy reported 1,964 housing starts in Palm Beach County in 2016, down 12 percent from 2015, and 8 percent below the 2014 level.

Limited land availability constrains the development of single-family homes and townhouses. in the northern tier of tri-county South Florida.

David Cobb, regional president of Metrostudy, cited short-term problems that some builders encountered last year in acquiring and preparing lots for single-family homes and townhouses.

Cobb also told the Sun-Sentinel he expected an increase in housing starts in Palm Beach County: “There’s not been a falloff in the interest for new houses.”

Truly Burton, executive vice president of the Builders Association of South Florida, told the Sun-Sentinel that such metropolitan areas as Orlando and Atlanta have “more room to spread out. We don’t have that.”

In Broward County, builders had 1,386 housing starts last year, 5 percent more than in 2015 and 17 percent above the level of 2014.

Housing starts increased to 2,810 in Miami-Dade County last year, up 18 percent from 2015 and almost even with 2014. [Sun-Sentinel] — Mike Seemuth