U.S. Retail Supply Is Tightening, But Few Developers Plan To Build New Product
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
For decades, business owners operating in the Sunshine State shared a common, frustrating grievance: Florida was the only state in the nation that levied a sales tax on commercial real estate leases. Whether you were renting a boutique on Delray Beach’s Atlantic Avenue or a corporate office space in Tampa, a percentage of your revenue went straight to the state as a tax on your rent.
That heavy operational burden is officially a thing of the past.
Following a multi-year phaseout, Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 7031, completely repealing Section 212.031 of the Florida Statutes. This landmark legislation completely eliminated both the state sales tax and all local county discretionary surtaxes on commercial real property leases. For local business owners, this historic tax repeal provides massive financial relief, fundamentally changing the math behind retail leasing and corporate expansion across Florida.
Here is what you need to know about the repeal and how it directly affects your bottom line.
Walk into almost any bustling retail plaza from Palm Beach County down to the Tampa Bay area, and you are bound to notice a significant shift in the tenant mix. Nestled between your favorite local coffee shop and a boutique clothing store, you are increasingly likely to find an urgent care center, a specialized physical therapy clinic, or a modern dental studio.
Welcome to the era of "Medtail"—the strategic intersection of healthcare delivery and traditional retail real estate.
An estimated 20% of leased retail space nationwide is now dedicated to medical operations. As healthcare providers aggressively pursue "retail-like" access strategies to serve expanding populations, landlords have a unique opportunity. Shifting your property management strategy to welcome healthcare tenants is one of the most lucrative ways to future-proof a retail asset.
Here is why retail property owners are actively betting on medical tenants, and what you need to know to capitalize on the trend.
Only 64.2 million square feet of new retail space was under construction nationwide during the first quarter of 2026, a decline of roughly 8% from 70 million square feet in Q1 2025 and well below the 10-year average of 90 million square feet, according to CoStar Group data. The pullback in construction reflects a difficult development environment as sharp rises in land prices, construction costs, and interest rates over recent years have pushed required rents well above prevailing market levels for many retail formats. Beyond cost pressures, developers remain cautious following years of heightened supply risk awareness, while competition for sites from higher-density residential, industrial, and mixed-use projects further constrains retail development opportunities, particularly in infill locations. Despite tight construction pipelines, retail transaction volume reached $15.3 billion in Q1 2026, up 5% year-over-year, with national vacancy at 4.4% and institutional investors expanding allocations to the sector as retailers favor measured, capital-disciplined expansion strategies.
The average viral trend on TikTok lasts just five to 10 days before attention shifts, and with 42% of Gen Z consumers in the U.S. discovering new products on TikTok, brands need to move much faster than the traditional six to 24 month product-to-shelf timeline. TikTok has become a powerful launchpad for products with over 1.04 billion active monthly users, putting retail cycles into overdrive as brands capitalize on the platform's ability to spark viral moments and drive high demand. Examples include chef influencer Tineke Younger's viral mac and cheese recipe leading to a Nestlé Carnation collaboration for limited-edition Kickin' Jalapeño Flavored Evaporated Milk, and the infamous "Labubu" dolls generating 1.4 million-plus TikTok posts leading to chaotic scenes in UK stores. Gen Z-focused brands like Halara, Edikted, and Cider are testing physical retail through pop-up stores to create immersive brand experiences and translate TikTok buzz into real-world engagement using temporary store formats with flexible fixture setups and trend-responsive visuals.
The University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment fell 10% in May 2026 to 44.8, marking the third consecutive monthly decline and dropping just below the previous historical low seen in June 2022, as supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continued to lift gasoline prices. The Current Conditions Index plunged 12.8% to 45.8 and is down 22% year-over-year, while the Index of Consumer Expectations declined 8.3% to 44.1, with consumers anticipating business conditions will worsen over both short and long time horizons. Nearly 40% of consumers offered unsolicited comments about gas prices during interviews, up from 33% the previous month, with lower-income consumers and those without college degrees posting particularly strong declines as these groups are more sensitive to increases in gas costs, which have risen sharply by more than 50% since the start of the Iran conflict. Consumers expect prices to rise 4.8% over the next year, up from 4.7% in April, with longer-term inflation expectations also climbing sharply, raising concerns that inflation will spread beyond fuel prices even in the long run