MIAMI-If 2008 was bad, 2009 was worse for Florida’s commercial real estate market. But Florida started to regain its stability in 2010 as leasing activity picked up, investors started making moves, and rental rates and property values began stabilizing. So says a Florida Market Perspectives assessment from CB Richard Ellis.

“2010 will be remembered as the year that Florida began a slow and steady climb out of the recession,” says Mary Jo Eaton, senior managing director for CBRE in Florida. “Market dynamics have started to improve and we’re seeing increased activity and interest throughout the state.”

According to CBRE, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Southwest Florida counties all saw positive net absorption in the retail, office and industrial sectors by year-end. The Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa Bay markets all saw improvements in these sectors, either reporting positive or flat rates of net absorption or experiencing sharp declines in rates of negative absorption.