Lots of land

The jobs boom in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region is having an outsized impact on north Manatee County — good news for John Neal.

The president of Neal Land Ventures and son of prominent homebuilder Pat Neal, John Neal recently helped coordinate and close two land deals in north Manatee County that totaled more than $20 million. In both cases, Neal cites the need for more housing around St. Petersburg, just south of the Skyway Bridge, as a primary factor that motivated the land buyers.

Neal is also confident the housing market surge has more room to thrive, despite chatter from some industry analysts that it's ripe for a correction. “We should always see cycles,” he says, “but I don't believe we will have a big downturn.”