Last week produced a triple win for expansion news, with a16z, Nu and Levita Magnetics all announcing South Florida expansions, in addition to fundraises, including Split Pay’s $125 million raise, and more on Refresh Miami, We have more news to report from recent days:
1
Related Ross buys Boca’s BRiC innocation center
To expand its presence in Boca Raton, real estate company Related Ross bought the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, a 124-acre office park that used to house IBM operations decades ago, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
“BRiC changed the course of technology once before for the region, and it will play an important role in what comes next,” said Stephen Ross, Related Ross’ CEO and chairman. “We have spent nearly 30 years investing in West Palm Beach, and this acquisition gives us the opportunity to bring that long-term commitment and experience to Boca Raton. We want to build on what is already working here and help create the conditions for more companies, talent and ideas to thrive.”
The sprawling office park sits at 5000 T-Rex Ave., between Yamato Road and Spanish River Boulevard. Related Ross “will continue operating BRiC as an office and technology campus while advancing a long-term vision for the property,” according to the company’s statement.
In recent years, BRiC has attracted healthcare, tech and finance industries to operate there while also promoting the arts and community events. These include D-Wave Quantum, which recently selected BRiC for its new corporate headquarters, transitioning from Palo Alto, California. Other companies at BRiC include Brainlabs, a media agency, and BRiC pioneer Mod Med.
Related Ross has yet to reveal specific plans for what they want to bring to BRiC, but indicated it would likely be a workplace environment with a curated mix of amenities, retail and restaurants.
2
WeWork study shows Miami as early AI adopters
A new WeWork analysis of U.S. Census data shows that Miami posted one of the strongest jumps in AI adoption among the nation’s largest 25 metros between January and July 2026. That’s a 5.8 percentage points growth over six months, reaching 26.4%, the analysis says.
What makes Miami’s story stand out is how accurately local businesses saw it coming. In January, Miami firms projected that 26.6% would be using AI by July. The actual figure came in at 26.4% — a miss of just 0.2 percentage points, the most accurate self-forecast of any major metro in the study. While most metros either significantly over- or underestimated their own adoption, Miami called it almost right.
Looking forward, 31.4% of Miami firms say they plan to use AI in the next six months, one of the most optimistic forward-looking projections among the 25 largest metros.
While overall adoption among the largest metros has increased from 17.7% in January 2026 to 21.7% in July, there is a gap between expectations and reality. In January, businesses predicted adoption would grow 4.7 percentage points over the next six months — but that forward expectation has since shrunk to2.8.
The national trend points toward growth in AI usage, with roughly 1 out of 5 U.S. businesses using AI in some part of its work. However, when looking closer, the data shows that adoption is higher in larger firms and specific industries. Companies with 250+ employees use AI at nearly double the rate compared to small companies with 1-4 employees.
Among office-driven sectors, the Information sector shows the highest adoption (43.7%), followed by Professional Services (37.6%) and Finance & Insurance (36%). On the other side of the spectrum sits the Retail (17.4%), and Arts and Entertainment (18.3%) industries.
In fact, 61.6% of businesses that do not plan to use AI in the next six months say it’s because AI isn’t applicable to their business at all.
3
Analysis: Miami in America’s tech top 5
A new study has named the 30 best cities in the country to work in tech, and Miami took the fourth highest spot.
The study by software developers marketplace Lemon.io analyzed the most populated 250 cities in America. Factors that went into the ranking included the the number of institutes offering computer programs, the average graduation rate for tech courses, the number of WiFi hotspots, andtTotal number of tech jobs available in the city.
In the study, Washington, DC, ranks first, with three times as many tech jobs available than the likes of other tech hubs such as San Francisco. California was the state that sees the most cities in the top 30 at 7, including San Jose and Anaheim.
However, Florida is tied as the second best represented state in the study, with three cities in the top 30. Miami leads at fourth overall, withh 3,895 WiFi hotspots and 1,167 tech employers rated three stars or higher on Glassdoor. Orlando follows at 13th with 1,209 hotspots, and Tampa at 20th with 2,191 tech jobs advertised. All three cities score below the national average on graduation rates for tech courses: 61% in Miami, 44% in Tampa and 42% in Orlando, among the lowest in the top 30.
4
Brightline unveils FLEX fares
Brightline has introduced new fare options offering guests more flexibility and choice. The new FLEX fares cater to guests traveling to or from Orlando who value complete flexibility, such as business travelers, international guests, and those whose travel plans may change after booking.
For its Smart and Premium service categories, passengers can now cancel for a full refund to their original form of payment or make same-day changes to another departure without paying a change fee or fare difference.
“We understand that travel plans can change, sometimes unexpectedly,” said Julie Sharenow, VP of Sales, Brightline Trains Florida. “That’s why we’re committed to offering fare options that provide our guests with the flexibility they need to book with confidence. By expanding choice and giving travelers greater control over their journeys, we’re making it easier for our guests to travel on their terms while continuing to deliver the exceptional experience they expect from us.”
5
GBI Biomanufacturing names new CEO
GBI Biomanufacturing, a contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in complex biologics, announced the appointment of Jesse McCool as Chief Executive Officer. McCool joined GBI in late 2025 and most recently served as President and Chief Operating Officer.
Since joining GBI, Dr. McCool has led initiatives focused on commercial readiness, operational excellence, inspection readiness, and strengthening the company’s delivery capabilities. Under his leadership, GBI successfully continued its commercial-readiness program for its client’s Biologics License Application submission, improved project execution to strengthen client satisfaction and support longer-term partnerships and introduced innovative new service offerings into the market. McCool has also helped reinvigorate technology and innovation at GBI, which has been a core part of GBI’s identity over its thirty-four-year history.
As CEO, McCool will lead GBI’s continued transformation into a commercial-scale manufacturing partner while expanding the company’s early-stage capabilities across monoclonal antibodies, bispecific antibodies, recombinant proteins, ADCs & bioconjugates, cell-based products, and other complex biologics.
6
The Source offers Google Career Certificate opportunity
Through a partnership between Grow with Google and nonprofit Get Tech Knowledge, The Source, a Grow with Google Partner, will connect its Tech Tuesdays community with Google Career Certificate scholarships at no cost to eligible participants, with a focus on expanding access for minority and historically underserved communities across South Florida.
Expected to launch in the coming months, the initiative will provide professionals and young adults with opportunities to build new skills, advance their careers and prepare for in-demand fields. While placing particular emphasis on reaching minority and historically underserved communities, the opportunity is designed to be inclusive and accessible to individuals from all backgrounds.
Held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at the Center for Black Innovation in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood, Tech Tuesdays was created by The Source to make technology, entrepreneurship, professional development and meaningful industry connections more accessible.
Grow with Google launched the Google Career Certificates in 2018 to support skilling for in-demand fields. The certificates are available in Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing and E-Commerce, IT Support, Project Management and User Experience (UX) Design. The certificates do not require a degree or experience and can be completed online within 3-6 months of part-time study. More than 500,000 people have graduated from the program globally, including 200,000 in the U.S., and 75% of graduates report a positive career impact, such as a new job, higher pay or a promotion, within six months of completion.
7
Jobs, jobs, jobs
Chewy – Fulfillment Coordinator
Chewy – IT Site Support Manager II
DoorLoop – Customer Support Specialist
Gail – Customer Success Account Manager
Kaseya – Director of Customer Marketing Commercial
Lennar – Sr Data Scientist, People Analytics
Mythical Labs – Marketing Operations & Data Manager
Nubank – Staff Software Engineer – Digital Experience Platform
Nubank – Sr Media Specialist
Ramp – GTM Business Systems Analyst – Post Sales
Papa – Sr Manager Client Success
Payabli – Principal Payments Engineer
Payabli – Staff Machine Learning Engineer
Find more opportunities on Refresh Miami’s job board here.
8-PLUS
Opportunity knocks
- SPARC South Florida is back. It’s South Florida’s regional competition for the global Startup World Cup, where the grand prize is a cool $1 million at the world finals in San Francisco. The competition is open to South Florida founders across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Finalists in the local round will pitch in September. The winner of the local contest till compete in SF in October. But you can’t win if you don’t enter. Learn more and apply by Sept. 13 (deadline extended) at SparcSouthFlorida.com.
- eMerge Americas’ SMB Growth Lab, powered by JPMorganChase + Momentum Miami, helps Miami-Dade small and medium-sized businesses embrace digital transformation and unlock sustainable growth. Last year the cohort grew from 30 to 61 SMBs, and the results followed: new customers, new revenue, and connections that are still paying off today. Apply here.
- Are you Miami curious? Maybe you’re ready for more sunshine or tired of state income taxes. Maybe you’re just looking for your next adventure. The challenge usually isn’t the city, it’s figuring out how to make the move make sense – the right role, the right company, the right connections. If you’ve been thinking about Miami, check out moveto.miami, powered by Refresh Miami. We’re here to help.
ICYMI
·* Big expansion news: a16z plants American Dynamism base in West Palm Beach
· Brazil’s digital bank Nu starts up in US through partnership, offering ‘customer-obsessed’ features
· Fund raises: Split Pay raises $125M to give your paycheck better timing
· DermaSensor raises $5M and opens community round on Wefunder amid commercial growth
· In the spotlight: Koywe’s answer to slow international payments started with a lifelong friendship
· Joe Russo helped build Palm Beach Tech. Now he’s building from it.
- And much more paywall-free #MiamiTech news here!
Have news to report? Email Nancy Dahlberg at nancy@refreshmiami.com and follow her on X @ndahlberg and on LinkedIn. Subscribe to Refresh Miami’s free weekly newsletter here featuring startup news, tech job opportunities and events.
- 8+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News from BRiC, Related Ross, WeWork, GBI, Brightline, The Source & more – September 14, 2026
- a16z plants American Dynamism base in West Palm Beach – September 10, 2026
- DermaSensor raises$5M and opens community round on Wefunder amid commercial growth – September 9, 2026
