JLL has added another member to its South Florida team as Daniel Gardner joined the brokerage to help grow its retail business in a region with overall high demand for that property type.
Gardner joins the brokerage as vice president of retail and will be based at JLL’s Fort Lauderdale, Florida, office at Bank of America Plaza in downtown. In his new role, Gardner will focus on retail tenant and landlord representation.
“As South Florida continues to attract top-tier retailers drawn by its strong consumer base and economic momentum, Daniel’s deep market insight and client-first mentality will be a key advantage,” said Dan McGowan, executive managing director and broker lead for JLL in South Florida, in a statement from JLL.
In South Florida, the retail market remains tight, with a historically low availability rate of 4%. Across the entire region, only about 14 million square feet of space is available, 20% below the long-term historical norm, according to a report from CoStar Market Analytics.
However, not all South Florida retail markets are performing as well. Downtown Miami has a high retail availability level relative to the area’s population, according to CoStar. "Unlike most South Florida submarkets, downtown Miami has seen an increase in inventory in the last few years, driving the area’s retail availability rate from lows of 10.8% in early 2022 to 12.7% as of the first quarter of 2025," the report said.
The brokerage has added multiple team members over the past year, having tapped then Denver-based McGowan to lead the South Florida office in January. The move was followed by the additions of Ryan Levy to the group’s occupier services team in February. Sean Black and Tyler de la Peña followed when they joined JLL’s office team in April.
McGowan highlighted Gardner's experience working with national retail brands that would allow the company to expand in that area.
Gardner most recently served as a director at Katz & Associates. In his prior role, he represented national retailers such as Walmart, Chick-fil-A, Ulta, Five Below, Daiso, Foot Locker, Vitamin Shoppe, Qdoba and Curaleaf in Florida.