NEW COWORKING OFFICES
Swiss-based International Workplace Group (IWG) will open 33 new coworking spaces across Florida, including five in the tri-county area (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties). These offices, ranging from 6,000 to 155,000 square feet, will open between now and the first quarter of 2027. IWG will also open a Spaces coworking location in South Beach, taking over the space vacated by WeWork six months ago. IWG operates over 3,000 locations worldwide.
FORWARD EXPANDS
Forward Global, a leading international risk management firm, has opened an office in Miami. This marks its second U.S. location after Washington, D.C. Forward Global generates $100 million in revenue and has over 350 professionals across six cities worldwide.
AIR CORRIDOR ESTABLISHED
Pharma.Aero, along with Hong Kong and Miami International airports and Cathay Cargo, has successfully validated the Hong Kong-Miami pharmaceutical air corridor. This project builds on the previous Corridor 2.0 work, ensuring a dedicated, secure, and efficient transport route for shipping time and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products, such as vaccines and other medicines.
NEW FBO TERMINAL
International Flight Center (IFC) will open its new 10,500-square-foot FBO terminal at Miami Executive Airport this month. The facility includes lounges, snooze rooms, a conference room, and a café. This follows the completion of IFC’s 84,000-square-foot hangar complex.
CYBERSECURITY DEAL
Telefónica Tech, a division of the Spanish telecom giant, now manages cybersecurity for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, providing services like threat detection, incident response, and digital risk protection to safeguard data and ensure operational continuity.
NEW MIAMI DUBAI CHAMBER
The Miami-Dubai Chamber of Commerce has officially launched, co-founded by Yolanda Perez and Nick Naamou to promote trade, investment, and collaboration between the two global business hubs. The launch event took place on December 10, 2024, at the Capital Club in Dubai.
E1 MIAMI GP ANNOUNCED
The world’s first all-electric global powerboat series has announced that it will host its 2025 season finale in Miami. The E1 Miami GP, the series’ first North American race, is set for November 2025 at Virginia Key near Miami Marine Stadium. Previous races were held in Monaco, Hong Kong, and Venice.
CLIMATECH UPDATES
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has awarded $1 million to address coastal flooding, including in South Florida. The funding, part of the Biden Administration’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will be shared by five universities: the University of Miami, Florida International University, Drexel, CUNY, and Columbia. Also, Miami Climate 365 (MC365), a new year-round initiative addressing Miami-Dade’s environmental challenges, debuts with Miami Climate Week, March 23–29, 2025. Backed by $250,000 from the Knight Foundation, MC365 builds on South Florida’s designation as a U.S. Department of Commerce ClimateReady Tech Hub. And finally, the Continuum, including Miami-based Seaworthy Collective, received $13.9 million from NOAA’s Ocean Enterprise Accelerators program to support eco-friendly solutions for ocean and coastal challenges. The funding will create a network of blue economy accelerators to help startups develop resilience-focused technologies.
FLIGHT UPDATES
Following its November bankruptcy, Spirit Airlines has cut 84 flights across South Florida airports, including routes to Haiti, which remain suspended. Flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to destinations such as El Salvador, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Peru, and Jamaica will also be reduced or eliminated. Similarly, American Airlines is scaling back its Miami-Buenos Aires service from three to two daily flights and temporarily suspending its Miami-Paris route in May due to Boeing delays. Additionally, American Airlines has postponed resuming its Miami-Haiti flights in February, citing escalating violence, while Spirit and JetBlue have suspended operations after their planes were hit by gunfire. Despite these reductions, new opportunities are emerging in South Florida’s aviation landscape. Avianca Airlines has announced new flights from Miami to San José, Costa Rica. Icelandair will expand its North American presence with a new Miami service starting January 6, 2026, operating three times weekly with Airbus A321LR jets. Low-cost airline Arajet, following U.S. Department of Transportation approval in December, plans to launch daily flights between Miami International Airport and Santo Domingo or Punta Cana by next summer. Furthermore, American Airlines is strengthening its network in the Caribbean and Latin America with its inaugural flight from Miami to La Romana, Dominican Republic, launched on December 5.
SWISS CARGO PARTNERSHIP
Aviation company Swissport has launched a new air cargo handling partnership with Dominican Republic-based SKYhigh Airlines at Miami International Airport. SKYhigh Airlines now operates 20 freighters a week, though Swissport has not yet clarified how many of these flights will be serviced in Miami.
MIAMI PORTS BREAK RECORDS
Miami International Airport (MIA) set a new passenger record on December 21, surpassing 200,000 travelers in a single day for the first time in its history. The milestone, driven by a bustling holiday season, reflects a surge in domestic travel, growth in international flights, and new airline partnerships. Latin American and Caribbean destinations played a key role in fueling this passenger boom. Meanwhile, PortMiami celebrated a significant milestone with the arrival of the CMA CGM Argentina, the largest container ship ever to dock at a Florida port. The 15,000-TEU vessel, built in 2019 and flying the Maltese flag, arrived from Savannah, Georgia. Following its stop in Miami, the ship will continue its journey through the Suez Canal en route to Shanghai, China.
