WLRN's Inaugural Sunshine Economy Summit Brings Gubernatorial Candidates and South Florida Leaders to Fort Lauderdale
Premier Guide Miami ·
WLRN will host its inaugural Sunshine Economy Summit on September 23, 2026 at the Downtown Event Center in Fort Lauderdale — bringing Florida's two gubernatorial nominees into separate, moderated conversations about their economic priorities ahead of the November election. David Jolly (Democratic nominee) and Byron Donalds (Republican nominee) will each address the decisions shaping South Florida's future, anchoring a day-long gathering focused on housing, insurance, workforce, and regional investment.
“The economy is not abstract. It is the cost of a home, the future of a business and whether people can build a life here. We’re bringing the people making consequential decisions into a conversation about what those decisions mean for the communities we serve.”
The summit, presented by Platinum Sponsor Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, will feature a housing panel with Related Group President & CEO Jon Paul Pérez and Merrimac Ventures managing partners Dev and Nitin Motwani, examining pressure on buyers and renters, Canadian tariff impacts on construction, and rising cost of capital. A philanthropy conversation will pair Jorge M. Pérez with Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Broward, on closing economic gaps through charitable investment.
Regional mayors will join two separate panels: Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean J. Trantalis, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Doral Mayor Christi Fraga, and Lake Worth Beach Mayor Betty Resch will address property tax revenues, economic development, and immigration’s effects on the workforce. Industry sessions will cover aviation investment with HEICO’s Victor H. Mendelson and Willis Lease Finance Corp. CEO Austin C. Willis, and the economic impact of sports and tourism with Florida Panthers President of Business Operations Michael White. WLRN journalists Carlton Gillespie and Wilkine Brutus will moderate panels alongside host Tom Hudson.
The Sunshine Economy Summit takes place at the Downtown Event Center, 416 NE 1st Street, Fort Lauderdale. Lunch is included for registered guests. Registration and ticket information are available at wlrn.org.