April Rodriguez will serve as Designated Broker for Florida with a focus on securing compliant properties to support the state’s medical cannabis market.
MIAMI, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, February 23, 2023 — Zoned Properties® Inc. (the “Company”) (OTCQB: ZDPY), a leading real estate development firm for emerging and highly regulated industries, including legalized cannabis, today announced the launch of its new brokerage office in Florida. April Rodriguez will serve as Designated Broker for the state’s growing medical cannabis market.
“We are thrilled to expand our national brokerage and create a local presence in Florida,” stated Berekk Blackwell, President and COO at Zoned Properties. “Florida is one of the largest medical cannabis marketplaces in the U.S. and requires local real estate expertise so that real estate projects remain compliant with state laws. April Rodriguez has established herself as an advocate, educator, and real estate professional in Florida’s medical cannabis industry. She is not only an asset to our team but to the Florida market.”
Rodriguez, who is based out of Miami, Florida, has been involved in the Florida real estate market for more than 20 years. Most recently, she served as a licensed broker associate in commercial and residential real estate at The Keyes Company where she specialized in the rapidly growing medical cannabis industry and established the company’s first cannabis division in 2019. In this role, she helped four cannabis healthcare providers expand with a combined 56 new locations across Florida, Colorado and California. She has also advised multiple cannabis-oriented dispensaries secure compliant real estate spaces throughout Florida.
Cannabis usage for medical purposes is legal in Florida, leading to more than $1 billion in sales annually. The state will open up applications for medical marijuana licenses in late April, the first time since 2017. While marijuana for recreational use is still illegal in Florida, the push for legalization is strong, and the measure may be on the 2024 ballot.
“I’m excited to join the Zoned Properties team and represent Florida at such an exciting time in the industry,” said April Rodriguez, Designated Broker for Zoned Properties Brokerage in Florida. “I am passionate about the cannabis industry and helping cannabis businesses find compliant locations so they can continue their work of helping Florida medical cannabis patients. Zoned Properties’ proptech and expertise paired with my knowledge of the local market makes it possible for companies to find compliant and properly zoned properties.”
A driven real estate professional, Rodriguez is licensed in the states of Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Vermont, and Georgia. She is also a member of the Florida Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. As a cannabis advocate, she is a founding member and Director of Strategic Partnerships of the National Woman’s Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.
“My interest in bridging the gap between the cannabis industry and real estate is personal,” Rodriguez shared. “In late 2008, my father was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which sparked my interest in cannabis and its medicinal benefits. In 2013, he passed away, and that experience further motivated me to build awareness of the benefits of cannabis and make sure that those who provide medicinal cannabis have quality, compliant real estate spaces to do so.”
For cannabis businesses looking for compliant locations, Zoned Properties has multiple divisions to support the cannabis industry’s commercial real estate sector, including Property Technology, Site Identification Advisory, Commercial Brokerage, and a Property Investment Portfolio.
For more information on Zoned Properties’ advisory and brokerage services for the Florida medical cannabis market, visit www.zonedproperties.com.
About Zoned Properties, Inc.
Zoned Properties is a leading real estate development firm for emerging and highly regulated industries, including regulated cannabis. The company is redefining the approach to commercial real estate investment through its integrated growth services.
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Zoned Properties has developed a full spectrum of integrated growth services to support its real estate development model; the Company’s Property Technology, Advisory Services, Commercial Brokerage, and Investment Portfolio collectively cross-pollinate within the model to drive project value associated with complex real estate projects. With national experience and a team of experts devoted to the emerging cannabis industry, Zoned Properties is addressing the specific needs of a modern market in highly regulated industries.
Zoned Properties is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the Forbes Real Estate Council. Zoned Properties does not grow, harvest, sell or distribute cannabis or any substances regulated under United States law such as the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, as amended (the “CSA”). Zoned Properties corporate headquarters are located at 8360 E. Raintree Dr., Suite 230, Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, call 877-360-8839 or visit www.ZonedProperties.com.