Difficult to develop

The Florida developers who survived the downturn are often the ones who can put the toughest deals together.

Take Bowen Arnold, for example.

Arnold's firm, DDA Development, specializes in developing housing for low-income people. These are tough projects to put together because they involve finding sites that aren't usually on the market, and they require dealing with government agencies, banks and private investors who will partner on deals that can last as long as 15 years.