The Amendment 3 Poll, a $10B+ Palm Beach Pipeline, and Fort Lauderdale's Rise

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FLOW Florida Financial Intelligence Week Ending August 9, 2026 · Published Monday, August 10, 2026

The Amendment 3 Poll, a $10B+ Palm Beach Pipeline, Fort Lauderdale’s Rise — and the Organization That Saw It All Coming First A 64% voter poll confirms the property tax amendment will likely pass. Related Ross reveals a $10B+ Palm Beach County pipeline. Fort Lauderdale stages its most consequential infrastructure convergence in history. And the Florida International Funds Organization — which called Florida “a jurisdiction of choice” in 2013, before anyone else was saying it — is building the community infrastructure that turns all of it into actionable opportunity.

FLORIDA CAPITAL FLOWS

The Amendment 3 Poll: 64% Support Clears the 60% Threshold The most consequential data point this week is a poll number: 64%. A Sachs Media Group survey found that 64% of Florida voters would approve Amendment 3 — the $250,000 homestead property tax exemption. The constitutional amendment requires 60% voter approval. Current polling puts it 4 points above that threshold. Republican support: 87%. Independent support: 62%. The Pinellas County Property Appraiser confirmed this week: those establishing Florida residency by December 31, 2026 qualify for the full expanded exemption immediately when it takes effect. Those arriving after January 1, 2027 begin a five-year wait. The asymmetry of outcomes is clear. A UHNW principal who establishes Florida domicile by December 31 and the amendment fails has paid the administrative cost of an early residency transition. A UHNW principal who waits and the amendment passes has voluntarily accepted a five-year delay on a material tax benefit — potentially a seven-figure cumulative cost on a $10 million South Florida primary residence. The advisory firms having this conversation with eligible clients right now are earning differentiated credibility. The firms waiting for November are offering nothing distinctive.

AMENDMENT 3 REPUBLICAN / DECEMBER 31, REVENUE IMPACT SUPPORT (SACHS INDEPENDENT 2026 IF PASSED MEDIA) SUPPORT Deadline $12B/yr 64% 87% / 62% Establish FL domicile for Revenue Estimating Above 60% threshold Both above 60% threshold immediate exemption Conference estimate required

FORT LAUDERDALE: FLORIDA’S THIRD FINANCIAL DISTRICT

The Airport Expansion That Changes Everything Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is completing the most significant expansion in its history. Terminal 5 — a $404 million facility adding five new domestic gates — raises the total to 71 gates and opens mid-2026. JetBlue announced on July 8, 2026 the addition of 14 new Fort Lauderdale destinations, building a 130- to-150 daily flight one-stop LATAM and Caribbean gateway. JetBlue’s Fort Lauderdale departures have

increased 75% year-over-year. Spirit Airlines’ capacity pullback freed the gate infrastructure that made this possible. The result: Fort Lauderdale is transitioning from a secondary South Florida airport into a primary regional hub with an explicit LATAM connectivity mandate. For the financial community, the implication is direct. The $500B+ LATAM family office capital base that FLOW has documented throughout 2026 depends on accessible connectivity between South Florida and LATAM capitals. Fort Lauderdale now provides that connectivity with less congestion than MIA, 20 minutes from Brickell and Palm Beach. Every in-person LP relationship development trip to Bogota, Sao Paulo, or Mexico City just got more efficient.

The Broward County Convention Center + Omni Hotel: Southeast US’s Largest Meeting Destination The Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel opened in December 2025 — 801 rooms, directly connected to the expanded Broward County Convention Center, the largest convention center in the Southeast United States. Total campus: 1.2 million square feet, a 350,000-square-foot contiguous exhibition hall, a new 65,000-square-foot waterfront ballroom, 120,000 square feet of Omni meeting space, and a waterfront plaza with public access opening in 2026. South Florida now has fully operational, largest-in-Southeast-US convention infrastructure — within 20 miles of every financial institution in this series. Financial services conferences, hedge fund summits, family office investment forums, and private credit LP events that currently route to New York, Chicago, or Las Vegas now have a South Florida alternative with the hotel capacity, direct airport access, and LATAM connectivity that none of those markets can match.

The $2 Billion St. Regis Bahia Mar: Fort Lauderdale’s UHNW Anchor The St. Regis Resort & Residences, Bahia Mar is a $2 billion, 40-acre waterfront development at the iconic Bahia Mar marina. Developed by Related Group, Tate Capital, and Rok Acquisitions in collaboration with Marriott International. Two 23-story towers. 160 luxury condominiums from $3 million. A 197-key St. Regis hotel. A megayacht marina accommodating vessels up to 350 feet. 2029 delivery. Fort Lauderdale’s broader branded luxury pipeline includes the Waldorf Astoria Pompano Beach, Ritz- Carlton Pompano Beach, and Rosewood Hillsboro Beach all completing in 2026, with Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale Beach in active sales. The city is rapidly closing the gap with Miami in branded residential product — at lower entry prices and lower density. For UHNW buyers evaluating South Florida, Fort Lauderdale now competes directly with Palm Beach and Brickell on product quality, while offering material pricing and space advantages.

FIFO: THE ORGANIZATION THAT SAW IT COMING FIRST Thalius Hecksher said it in 2013 — when most of the financial community still viewed Florida as a lifestyle destination, not a business address. “Florida and the Southeast is becoming a great jurisdiction of choice for new and well-established managers.” That quote appeared in the New York Post on January 28, 2013 — in an article headlined ‘Wall St. Flees NY for Tax-Free Fla.’ Hecksher had relocated from Ireland to Fort Lauderdale the year before. At the time, Citadel was still in Chicago, Griffin’s Brickell tower was a decade away, and ‘Wall Street South’ was a phrase used mostly by Miami tourism boards. Hecksher used it to describe a business thesis — in print, on record, in the New York Post, in January 2013. Twelve years later, that thesis is the headline of every financial publication in the country. And Hecksher has built the infrastructure to support it. The Florida International Funds Organization — FIFO — is the fastest-growing network supporting asset managers and financial services firms in Florida. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FIFO serves hedge funds, private equity firms, family offices, institutional investors, and professional service providers across the full Florida financial ecosystem. Hecksher’s own words in 2026 capture how far the vision has traveled: “Over a decade ago I said Florida would rival the world’s major financial centers. Today Florida is not just competing with Dubai or Singapore — it is surpassing them. The future of asset management is being built here, right now.”

FIFO’s model is straightforward and differentiated. It does not replace the large industry conferences or the formal trade associations. It provides the community layer that sits between those formal structures and the one-on-one relationship. As Hecksher frames it: “The real power of FIFO is accessibility and collaboration. We give firms immediate access to a trusted community where relationships are built, opportunities are created, and businesses scale faster. In Florida, success is a team sport — and FIFO is where that team comes together.”

FIFO EVENTS CALENDAR — NOW TO YEAR-END 2026 FIFO has 10+ high-profile networking and industry events between now and December, anchored by two marquee occasions: • Wall Street South Summit (Formerly Nexgen Summit / ALTS on the Water) — FIFO’s flagship annual industry conference. The convening event for Florida’s financial services community, bringing together fund managers, institutional allocators, family offices, and service providers in a single structured forum. • Wall Street South Golf Day — The premier networking event for Florida’s investment community off the conference floor. High-conversion relationship building in the format that has closed more LP conversations than any formal pitch session. • Private luncheons, boardroom briefings, and exclusive roundtables spanning Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach — all curated for senior financial professionals who are building or growing Florida presence. Amendment 3 Connection: FIFO’s event calendar between now and year-end is the most efficient community infrastructure available to financial professionals who are evaluating Florida domicile before the December 31, 2026 deadline. The relationships built at FIFO events — with advisors who understand the amendment’s provisions, tax attorneys who can execute the transition, and peer fund managers who have completed the move — are the practical support structure that converts a decision to relocate into an executed plan. To join FIFO and access the full event calendar: florida.internationalfunds.org

RIA & WEALTH MANAGEMENT M&A

Related Ross: A $10 Billion-Plus Palm Beach County Pipeline Jordan Rathlev, Related Ross Executive Vice President, told 1,000 attendees at the MIAMI Realtors’ Rock the Market Palm Beach event on July 23 that Related Ross’s “sole effort and focus of a $10 billion-plus pipeline is here in Palm Beach County.” The Boca Raton Innovation Campus acquisition (1.7 million sqft) and Village Landing in Wellington (71 acres, mixed-use with hotel, school, restaurants, and shops) represent Related Ross’s expansion beyond West Palm Beach into a county-wide infrastructure build. The firm controls approximately 95% of trophy office product in West Palm Beach, with two new Class AA towers (1 million combined sqft) financed by a $772 million construction loan from Ares Management, Monarch Alternative Capital, and HPS Investment Partners — the largest construction loan ever recorded in Florida.

Wells Fargo One Flagler: Open This Month Wells Fargo’s Wealth & Investment Management office at One Flagler in West Palm Beach is opening this month. Approximately 100 senior executives are relocating. The divisional HQ relocation is now operationally active — senior WIM leadership is in West Palm Beach, meeting local clients and allocators from a Florida address. 360 Rosemary, meanwhile, is 100% leased with parking levels converted to offices. The scarcity of West Palm Beach trophy office space is acute and structural.

BANKING / INSURANCE / PRIVATE CREDIT

Fort Lauderdale Private Credit Opportunities

The Fort Lauderdale infrastructure convergence has specific private credit implications beyond the headline numbers. The $1.3 billion Broward County Convention Center district is permanent institutional hospitality infrastructure drawing large-scale conferences to Broward County year-round. That sustains consistent demand for adjacent hotel, retail, and mixed-use credit. The $2 billion St. Regis Bahia Mar — with 2029 delivery — will require significant construction financing in the 2026-2028 window. For non-bank construction lenders active in the Brickell market, Fort Lauderdale’s expanding luxury development pipeline is the natural geographic next move with comparable collateral quality and institutional sponsor profiles. Bal Harbour’s $14.5 million condo sale on August 4 — $3,600 per square foot, a 35% return from the 2023 purchase price — confirms the luxury collateral repricing is spreading across all South Florida premium submarkets, not just Brickell and Palm Beach. UHNW credit managers underwriting securities- backed lending against South Florida collateral should be updating their floor assumptions accordingly.

INSTITUTIONAL & ALLOCATOR MOVES

Vanderbilt’s $520M West Palm Beach Campus Resolves the Talent Constraint Vanderbilt University’s $520 million West Palm Beach graduate campus — approved with Stephen Ross committing $300 million — places the Owen Graduate School of Management alongside engineering, computing, and an innovation hub in the Palm Beach financial district. FLOW identified the talent bifurcation between Florida and New York in May: New York attracts 10 mid-career professionals from elite schools for every one that chooses Florida. The Vanderbilt campus begins resolving that constraint. Firms establishing West Palm Beach presence before the first cohort graduates will have first access to the talent pipeline.

Fort Lauderdale as Institutional Convening Infrastructure The Broward County Convention Center is now the most capable large-event venue in the Southeast US. Combined with the 801-room Omni Hotel, waterfront plaza, and Fort Lauderdale’s 71-gate airport, the infrastructure can accommodate any financial services conference, family office summit, or institutional LP day that currently routes to New York or Chicago. For FIFO, this infrastructure is not incidental — Fort Lauderdale is the operating base from which the Wall Street South Summit, Wall Street Golf Day, and the 10+ events between now and year-end are being built.

OFAC GL 60: 73 Days Remaining OFAC’s General License 60 authorizing Venezuela earthquake relief transactions expires October 23, 2026. Approximately 73 days from today. Miami-based wealth managers and RIAs with Venezuelan client exposure should be in active compliance review mode.

DEAL RADAR

DEAL / MOVE DETAIL

Amendment 3: 64% support (Sachs Published July 9, 2026 · Above 60% threshold · Republicans Media poll) 87%, Independents 62% · Pinellas Property Appraiser FAQ published August 9 confirms Dec 31, 2026 deadline for immediate exemption eligibility

FIFO — Florida International Funds Fastest-growing asset manager network in Florida · Fort Organization Lauderdale HQ · Founded by Thalius Hecksher (relocated 2012 from Ireland) · Hedge funds, PE, family offices, institutional investors, service providers · Partner: South Florida Business & Wealth (750K+ readers) · florida.internationalfunds.org

Wall Street South Summit + Golf FIFO’s marquee annual events · 10+ high-profile networking Day — Q4 2026 events between now and year-end · 9th Annual Nexgen Summit at Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show · Private luncheons with Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis · Full calendar at florida.internationalfunds.org/events

FLL Terminal 5: $404M, 71 total 5 new domestic gates · JetBlue anchor tenant · JetBlue: 14 new gates, opens mid-2026 FLL destinations (July 8, 2026) · 130→150 daily flights by Dec 2026 (+75% YoY) · One-stop LATAM/Caribbean hub status confirmed

Broward CC + Omni Fort $1.3B project · 1.2M sqft total convention space · 350K sqft Lauderdale Hotel contiguous exhibition · 801-room Omni (opened Dec 18, 2025) · Largest convention center in Southeast US · Waterfront plaza completing 2026

St. Regis Resort & Residences, $2B · 40-acre waterfront at Bahia Mar marina · Two 23-story Bahia Mar, FLL towers, 160 condos from $3M · 197-key St. Regis hotel · Megayacht marina (350ft) · Related Group + Marriott · Delivery 2029

Related Ross: $10B+ Palm Beach Disclosed July 23 · Boca Raton Innovation Campus (1.7M sqft) · County pipeline Village Landing Wellington (71 acres) · 15 + 10 CityPlace WPB (1M sqft, $772M construction loan from Ares, Monarch, HPS — FL record)

Wells Fargo WIM One Flagler — ~100 senior executives relocating to West Palm Beach · $2.4T in August 2026 opening client assets · Co-tenants: OceanSound Partners, GTCR, GoldenTree, Paulson & Co · WIM divisional HQ now operationally active in Florida 360 Rosemary WPB: 100% leased, Goldman Sachs, Point72, Elliott Management, JPMorgan · Zero parking → offices trophy WPB office availability · Related Ross building next 1M sqft with largest-ever FL construction loan

Bal Harbour: $14.5M at $3,600/sqft 35% return from 2023 purchase price · Confirms luxury collateral (August 4) repricing across all S. FL premium submarkets · Bal Harbour now approaching Brickell/Palm Beach floor pricing assumptions

3 STRATEGIC INSIGHTS FOR MANAGERS

01 Fort Lauderdale Is Now Florida’s Third Financial District — and FIFO Is the Community Infrastructure That Makes It Accessible The airport hub. The Southeast US’s largest convention center. The $2 billion St. Regis Bahia Mar. These three infrastructure events are not coincidentally converging on Fort Lauderdale. They are the expression of a capital formation thesis that Thalius Hecksher articulated in 2013 when he described Florida as “a jurisdiction of choice” and chose Fort Lauderdale as his operating base. The FIFO community he built — the fastest-growing asset manager network in Florida — is the practical infrastructure that connects fund managers, allocators, family offices, and service providers to each other in this market. For managers evaluating Florida presence decisions, Fort Lauderdale now offers a third option that most strategic frameworks haven’t included: LATAM hub airport, Southeast US’s largest conference venue, growing UHNW residential base, and a pre-built community network in FIFO that provides immediate access to the relationships that take years to develop from scratch.

02 The Amendment 3 Polling Data Converts the Domicile Advisory Conversation from Optional to Urgent At 64% support — four points above the 60% threshold — the amendment’s passage is the statistically probable outcome. The asymmetry of outcomes strongly favors acting before December 31, 2026. For a UHNW principal with a $10 million South Florida primary residence and a $100,000+ annual non-school property tax bill, the five-year delay that comes with arriving in January 2027 instead of December 2026 compounds into a seven-figure opportunity cost. The advisors who are running this arithmetic for eligible clients right now — and connecting those clients to the community of practitioners in Florida through events like the FIFO calendar — are offering something that purely transactional advisory relationships cannot replicate.

03 Florida’s Community Infrastructure Is Now as Important as Its Tax Infrastructure The tax argument for Florida has been documented, quantified, and repeated for five years. It is no longer a differentiating insight. What is still underappreciated is the community infrastructure: the relationships, events, and peer networks that make it possible to actually build a business in Florida rather than simply relocate one. FIFO’s 10+ events between now and year-end — the Wall Street South Summit, the Golf Day, the Boat Show Summit, the private luncheons with elected officials — represent the relationship infrastructure that converts a Florida address into a Florida practice. The Wall Street South Summit is specifically designed to provide the convening moment that the New York conference calendar provides in the Northeast. For managers who have relocated senior leadership to Florida but have not yet embedded in the local financial community, FIFO’s event calendar is the most efficient on-ramp to the relationships that generate LP introductions, co-investment opportunities, and service provider recommendations. The tax saves capital. The community deploys it.

FLOW — Florida Financial Intelligence · For institutional use · Not investment advice