Builders started construction of fewer houses in Miami-Dade County and Palm Beach County in the first quarter, compared with the same period last year, but started more in Broward County.
Research firm Metrostudy also reported that house-construction starts in Broward increased to 441 in the January-March period, up 52 percent from the same period last year.
Starts in Parkland accounted for the overall growth in Broward. CalAtlantic, Lennar and Toll Brothers are among the active home builders in Parkland.
House-construction starts in Miami-Dade during the first quarter dropped to 705, down 8 percent fro the same period last year.
First-quarter starts in Palm Beach County fell to 446, down 21 percent from last year.
The tri-county total of 1,526 house-construction starts in the first quarter was well below the pace of 2007, when South Florida builders were starting construction of about 2,000 houses per quarter. [Sun-Sentinel] – Mike Seemuth