Central Florida industrial space, serving the third-largest state from the middle.
The I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando is where Florida's population gets served. Everything in the state is a day's drive, which matters more here than national reach, because the Florida consumer base is the point. Orlando vacancy has climbed past ten percent on a wave of speculative construction, and that is where the leverage is.
Where the leverage sits right now.
Orlando vacancy of 10.2 percent is up from 9.6 percent a year ago, and absorption of 252,000 square feet is modest against 2.9 million square feet under construction. Supply is outrunning demand. Landlords of new speculative product, especially in the southwest corridor toward Polk County, are competing hard for the requirements that exist.
Asking rent of $10.29 rose from $9.17 a year ago, a 12 percent increase into a rising-vacancy market. That is face rate, not effective rate. The gap between the two is where the deal is, and it is wider now than the asking rent suggests.
Central Florida is a Florida play. One-day ground reaches 12 percent of the US population, nearly all of it inside the state, and two-day reaches 58 percent. If the operation serves Florida, this is the right market. If it serves the Southeast, Atlanta or Savannah does the job with better reach and lower rent.
What the major brokerages report.
Each firm tracks a slightly different building set, and in some markets a different metric, so the figures differ. We show all of them rather than average them, because an average of three different definitions describes nothing. Where the spread matters to a negotiation, we say so above.
| Firm | Quarter | Vacancy | Asking rent | Net absorption | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBRE Orlando cbre.com | Q2 2026 | 10.2% | $10.29 per sq. ft. | +252,000 sq. ft. | 2.9M sq. ft. |
Reach, infrastructure, and labor.
Share of the US population within 450 road-equivalent miles (one-day ground) and 1,000 miles (two-day ground) of the market center, computed against population-weighted centroids of all 3,125 US counties (2020 Census). Bands approximate FedEx and UPS Ground zone tables within roughly 10 percent and are for comparing markets, not quoting transit times.
Sources: ofis.trade.gov, taxfoundation.org
Where the buildings are.
Around Orlando International, Lake Nona and SR-417. Air cargo, high-value distribution and the newest product near the airport.
US-441 and SR-429. Building products, food distribution and regional service operations.
Kissimmee, Davenport and the Lakeland corridor. The big-box speculative wave and most of the current vacancy.
I-4 and SR-417 north of Orlando. Mid-size distribution and manufacturing with lower land costs.
Plant City, Lakeland and east Tampa. The Tampa Bay distribution core, with the CSX Central Florida intermodal terminal at Winter Haven between the two metros.
The operations that choose Central Florida.
We represent tenants and buyers only. No landlord listings in Central Florida, so every building in the market is a candidate and every negotiation is on your side of the table. See the operations we serve.
Evaluating Central Florida?
Tell us the size, timing, and operation. We will come back with a curated shortlist and a read on where the leverage is in this market right now.