Top St. Pete developer, former ambassador dead at 93

Business giant Mel Sembler was a top donor to the Bushes and conservative causes.

By Jim Stinson
| 5:00 p.m. November 2, 2023
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

Tampa Bay-Lakeland

St. Petersburg businessman Melvin "Mel" Sembler has died at the age of 93.

Sembler founded Sembler Co., a development firm, in 1962. It is a company that now specializes in grocery-anchored retail development. By 2020, after Sembler had passed leadership off to his son, Greg, the firm had developed more than 350 projects, encompassing 29 million square feet.

In 2020, it managed about 10 million square feet of leased and managed space.