According to Mayor Rich Baker, St. Petersburg Redeveloping troubled areas has always been the job of every man and woman elected mayor, but Rick Baker has taken neighborhood redevelopment on with a serious passion.

He was first elected mayor in 2001 and re-elected in 2005. Before taking office, he practiced corporate and business law for 20 years, serving as president of Fisher and Sauls PA, a law firm founded in St. Petersburg in 1936.

Frank Dagostino -- CEO, SimDag LLCConstruction costs forced SimDag to raise the sales price of condominium units in its latest downtown Tampa project, but Frank Dagostino can see that Trump Tower Tampa looks to become one of the keys to moving people in downtown.

Toni Everett -- President, The Toni Everett Co. Born and raised in Florida, Everett received her bachelor's degree from Rollins College in Winter Park and has been associated with many community development organizations in the Tampa Bay area including the Committee of One Hundred, the Industrial Task Force and the Waterfront Development Task Force.

Moreover, Everett has been the chair and founder of the Tampa Junior Dance Coalition and a board member of both the Tampa Historical Society.

For the Jacksonville-based LandMar, Harvey is responsible for managing community development, sales and marketing projects in the Gulf Coast region. He already is involved with LandMar's Grand Hampton community in New Tampa and the Southern Hills Country Club in Hernando County.

Ben Kugler -- President, Triangle Development Inc.

Nearly two years ago, Kugler's company announced it was going to build two 15-story towers on the site overlooking the bay. However, that has since expanded to four towers and more than 400 condominium units thanks to the large amount of interest in downtown living in Clearwater.

Ken Mamula -- President, Florida Southeast DevelopmentHe may be based in Tampa, but Ken Mamula isn't afraid to spread his wings to nearby markets. That includes the 12-story Lakeshore Towers apartment building, the 323-unit Windmeadows Apartments, the Butler Plaza shopping center and 130 acres of vacant land.

Edward R. Oelschlaeger -- President, EcoGroup Inc. New Port is being built on 52 acres of "reinvented" waterfront that will include 1,750 town homes as well as a community park, a renovated 200-slip marina, restaurants, stores and a public park.

Oelschlaeger is no stranger to success. Blake Whitney Thompson -- President, The Blake Whitney Thompson Co.

By M. Sese
http://realestatepress.org