Leasing medical office in Broward and Palm Beach.

By Chase Farache, Broker Associate, Silver Lining Realty Group. Updated October 2026.

Start with jurisdiction

Medical use is allowed or restricted at the city level, so the first question is which government controls the parcel. Broward County's planning office provides zoning for the Broward Municipal Services District; property inside a city follows that city's code. In Palm Beach County, the county's Planning, Zoning and Building department administers the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) and handles permits for unincorporated areas, while cities such as Boca Raton, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach apply their own codes.

Fort Lauderdale is a good example of how specific this gets. As of October 1, 2026, the City requires a Certificate of Use confirming a business is permitted at its location before a new business can get a Business Tax Receipt. Other cities have their own steps. Ask for a written zoning verification before you sign, and make the lease contingent on it. The Broward zoning guide lays out the process.

What makes a space work for medical

• Plumbing. Sinks in exam rooms, additional restrooms and sterilization areas need supply and drain lines. Second-generation medical suites with existing plumbing usually cost less to adapt.
• Power and HVAC. Imaging and lab equipment can need dedicated circuits. Ask what after-hours HVAC costs if you see patients early or late.
• Parking. Patients, staff and turnover add up. Count spaces against your actual patient schedule.
• Accessibility. The ADA Title III manual lists professional offices of health care providers as public accommodations, and says landlord and tenant are both fully responsible for compliance, with any lease allocation effective only between the two of them. Check the entrance, route, restrooms and parking before you sign.
• Code classification. Outpatient offices are generally Group B under the Florida Building Code. Sedation or general anesthesia can bring in ambulatory care facility requirements. See the build-out guide.

Measurement matters more in medical buildings because shared lobbies, corridors and restrooms are spread across tenants through a load factor. BOMA's current office standard is ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2024. Ask which standard and edition the landlord used, and compare offers on usable square feet as well as rentable.

Licensing that affects the lease

Your licensing path affects the suite you need and how long the lease must run before you can open:

• Under s. 400.9905, F.S., an entity that provides health care services and bills for reimbursement is a "clinic" requiring an AHCA license unless an exemption applies. Exemptions include practices wholly owned and directly supervised by one or more physicians, among others.
• Under ss. 395.002 and 395.003, F.S., an ambulatory surgical center, meaning a facility whose primary purpose is elective surgery with discharge within 24 hours, needs an AHCA license. An office maintained by a physician for the practice of medicine is not an ASC, but one certified or seeking Medicare certification as an ASC must be licensed.
• Under s. 205.194, F.S., applicants for a local business tax receipt in a regulated profession must show an active state license first.

Build the licensing timeline into the lease: a rent commencement date tied to permits and certificate of occupancy, and a contingency if licensing is delayed.

Lease clauses medical tenants should negotiate

1. Permitted use broad enough for your specialty and future services.
2. Exclusive use so the landlord does not lease next door to a direct competitor, if you can get it.
3. Assignment and subletting that allow a transfer to a buyer of the practice or to a new entity owned by the same physicians, without a recapture right.
4. Improvement allowance and plans approval with deadlines, plus clear restoration obligations at lease end.
5. Expense structure. Know whether it is gross, modified gross or NNN, and cap controllable expenses. See NNN vs gross and CAM charges.
6. Medical waste, signage and hours handled in writing.
7. Renewal options long enough to justify your build-out spend.
8. Relocation clause struck, or limited so the landlord pays for an equivalent build-out.

Florida rules that apply to every commercial lease

Chapter 83, Part I of the Florida Statutes governs nonresidential tenancies. A few provisions matter to tenants:

• If the lease is silent, a landlord can seek removal after 3 days' written notice for unpaid rent, or 15 days' notice to cure another material breach (s. 83.20).
• A landlord has a statutory lien on a tenant's property usually kept on the premises (s. 83.08). Equipment lenders often ask landlords to subordinate it, so negotiate a waiver form in advance if you finance imaging or other equipment.
• Holding over after the term without consent can expose a tenant to a demand for double rent (s. 83.06).

One cost that has gone away: Florida's sales tax on commercial rent, including county surtax, is repealed for rental periods beginning on or after October 1, 2025 (DOR TIP 25A01-04). Details are in the sales tax guide.

Don't forget personal property. Medical equipment and furniture are tangible personal property; the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser lists April 1 as the deadline for tangible personal property returns.

Searching by market

Start with the county pages, Broward County medical office and Palm Beach County medical office, or go to a city: Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs, Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach. Thinking of owning instead? Read buy vs lease medical office. To start a search, call or text (561) 715-7222.

Not legal or tax advice. Laws, codes and local rules change; confirm current requirements with your attorney, CPA, architect or the permitting office before you act.