- March 28, 2024
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The roar of the crowd may have dimmed from his years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he earned a Super Bowl ring and three Pro Bowl picks, but former defensive end Simeon Rice is gearing up for a new game as an investor and redeveloper of affordable housing in Tampa.
Rice has partnered with Sight Properties LLC, a real estate consulting firm, to redevelop an apartment building that will open in early December, says Rob Wilson of the publicity firm French West Vaughan in Raleigh, N.C.
They plan to unveil the renovated 12-unit Il Nascondigilio (Italian for The Hideout) apartments, which were purchased as a foreclosure investment and renovated with preservation of it 1920s architectural features. Neighbors even rumor that the building once housed associates of gangster Al Capone.
Rice, who has been based in Tampa for more than a decade, believes the city is rebounding from the market crash and wants to be part of the recovery, says Wilson. With Sight Properties, Rice already has quietly invested in the restoration of several properties, prior to the upcoming grand opening.
In addition to his time with the Buccaneers, Rice played for the Arizona Cardinals and was signed by the Denver Broncos.
A latter-day Renaissance man, Rice also has tried his hand with the arts, specifically a film company he founded called Lucid Dream Entertainment. A little-known fact: He is a 2009 graduate of the New York Film Academy, says Wilson. Rice directed a short comedy, "When I was King," and has penned screenplays.