Eastward ho! The restoration of Hollywood: in terms of westward expansion, the city of Hollywood has been built out for years. But the redevelopment of its eastern downtown and beach area has just started to take off. What makes it attractive for developers and new residents is a low-rise, low-stress coastal environment that retains its authentic urban flavor. Plus location, location, location - Hollywood City Report

South Florida CEO, April, 2003 by Rochelle Broder-Singer

New Dynamics

The city administration itself is bracing for change, and not merely in terms of growth. "Our customer base is changing, they're younger residents, there are more activities," says Benson. To make the city more desirable, and to service the more demanding younger residents, Benson is working to improve morale and implement customer service enhancement programs throughout the city's 1,500-person workforce. "If our theme is economic development, then the types of services we provide should be geared toward economic development," he says.

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Nonetheless, the city continues to run into homeowner and condominium groups that oppose its development plans. It has tried to address their concerns with the aid of a new Office of Public Communications, as well as a budget officer who now crunches development numbers to make sure projects make sense for the city financially.

But, with the city determined to spread its wings, change seems inevitable in Hollywood. Just as the population has become more international, with increasing Hispanic, Asian and upwardly mobile Caribbean residents, the city is also working to make its business scope more international. In late 2002, it launched a trade agreement with the port city of Manaus, Brazil, which will bring goods from that country into South Florida, and use industrial space at Port Everglades and a showroom in downtown. The city is also working with sister city Herzliya, Israel, encouraging companies based in that technology haven to establish US operations in Hollywood. If they come, they will join such high-tech firms as aircraft parts manufacturer Heico and Concord Camera, which manufactures Polaroid products.

One expanding industry that capitalizes on the city's beachfront, downtown and historic single-family home districts is the film industry. "We refer to Hollywood quite often because Hollywood has some incredibly unique locations with a lot of character," says Elizabeth Wentworth, vice president of the Film and Television Commission of the Broward Alliance. Among the films that have used Hollywood as backdrop are "The Hours," "All About the Benjamins," "Cape Fear," "Body Heat" and the upcoming Denzel Washington movie "Out of Time."

Local firms that service the industry are expanding as well. Music composition firm Audacity is growing from 800 square feet to 2,000, while talent agency Famous Faces has upped its square footage to 3,500, from 1,100. The 19,000-square-foot Hollywood Production Center houses tenants that range from production company Tel-Air Studios to PBS and Warner Brothers Music.

Even as it nurtures new industries, however, the city's largest employers (besides itself) remain in health care and tourism. The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa alone employs 1,200, while Memorial Health Care System employs some 4,000 in Hollywood. The 50-year-old Memorial Regional Hospital, which is responsible for southern Broward County's indigent care, has 680 beds. "The spectrum of services that you find here at this hospital are comparable to what you would find in a large academic facility. The only two things that we don't do at this hospital are organ transplants and burns," says administrator J. E. Piriz, who oversees Memorial and the on-site Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. Both are in the process of expanding to accommodate growing patient loads. Piriz expects 90,000 emergency visits, 35,000 admissions and 4,400 baby deliveries this year. The hospital will soon introduce robotic cardiac and urology surgeries, and will be expanding its emergency department, cardiac and vascular institute and oncology programs, while adding more private rooms for younger, more affluent patients.