Small-bay to bulk: Tampa's industrial inventory in transition

From pre-1960 through the 2000s, average industrial building sizes in Tampa remained consistent, ranging from 59,000 to 84,000 square feet across six decades of development, producing an abundance of small/mid-bay buildings that account for approximately 74% of total inventory and still define the character of much of the market today. That changed in the 2010-20s, as average building sizes increased to 165,000 sf and 214,000 sf, with newer buildings now roughly 2.5x to 3.5x larger than most legacy cohorts despite representing only 25% of inventory.
This matters because newer buildings are not competing for tenants in the same way as older inventory. Older buildings remain critical for smaller, infill-oriented users, while new construction reflects Tampa’s emergence as a bulk logistics market. New supply is not replacing Tampa’s legacy industrial stock; it is changing the type of industrial product Tampa offers. For landlords and developers alike, this suggests legacy industrial stock may be more insulated than headline supply growth implies, as older inventory and new bulk construction are increasingly serving different tenants entirely.

May 20, 2026

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