Prolific builder Pat Neal: Developers must help improve region's infrastructure

While there is a popular sentiment among some state residents that “Florida is full” in an attempt to discourage more Northerners from relocating here, the reality is growth is not slowing and there isn’t much anyone can do to stop it — short of closing the border.

Since a stop sign at the state line isn’t a likely option, it is more important than ever to better prepare for that inevitable growth.

As a homebuilder, my primary job is to build homes and create communities for that influx of new residents. But for all developers, we can’t stop by saying “if we build it, they will come” since the growth that fuels our businesses is also straining the current infrastructure. Changes are necessary to keep up with the growth, while continuing to be good stewards of the environment, representing a balancing act for every homebuilder in the region. In short, it’s time for all of us to work together, through public-private partnerships to affect that positive change. 

The Florida Legislature and taxpayer groups have both been promoting the idea of public-private partnerships for public works projects. A recent publication by TaxWatch, a nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute, advocates sponsoring the ideas of public-private partnerships for state and local government. The TaxWatch publication cites “the gap between Florida’s infrastructure needs and what Florida currently has is nearly $2.59 trillion over 10 years. By year 2039, a continued underinvestment in Florida’s infrastructure at current rates will have serious economic consequences — $10 trillion in lost Gross Domestic Product (GDP), more than three million lost jobs and $2.4 trillion in lost exports.”

In Southwest Florida, one infrastructure change that will make a difference is my plan for the Manasota Beach Road in Sarasota County, a public-private partnership that focuses on a 2.1-mile link that would connect Wellen Park to the Placida Peninsula and State Road 776. This falls under our Economic Stimulus Working group, which received approval under Florida’s new public-private partnership law. 

This type of plan shows the public that a consistent focus on completing much-needed projects benefits both the local citizens and the community at large. 

Working with both Sarasota and Manatee counties on county requests for our Economic Stimulus Working group to build stalled roads in both communities has resulted in the completion of 10 such projects. Grants have been made in the 2025 Florida Legislature for public-private partnerships that sponsored both state highways and a multi-use recreational trail (MURT) connecting south Sarasota County with Venice. 

The Florida Legislature has recognized the savings of 30% on all road construction using public-private partnerships to employ private enterprise concepts for public works projects. That is not a small sum. Following this path with other projects can result in similar savings, which can only be a positive for the region. 

This is not the first time we have worked with government entities to help complete much-needed infrastructure projects through a public-private partnership. Among the past results of these efforts are a variety of projects related to the Fort Hamer Bridge in 2011-2014, working with Manatee County to create the development and plans for that bridge, including changing the comprehensive plan, de-federalizing the structure and creating a new funding plan for the bridge, a project that had been stalled since 1913.

A more recent example in Sarasota County is the county’s emergency request to rebuild the sidewalks and pedestrian access points on Bay Road following a car/bicycle accident involving an 11-year-old bicyclist. The pedestrian access was rebuilt within 60 days after our public-private partner received a waiver from the Southwest Florida Water Management District and constructed the facilities at 26% of the budgeted cost. 

By communicating with governments, mitigating impacts, introducing private enterprise concepts, staying engaged and finding a successful conclusion, we have been able to move along the construction of more than 10 transportation projects in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties and the City of Venice. Working under the structure of public-private partnerships has proven to be a winner in the long run and it is up to each of us to find solutions that enable the region to handle its growth — not just for today but for generations to come. 

Pat Neal co-founded Lakewood Ranch-based Neal Communities in 1970. The company has since built more than 25,000 homes in multiple counties on the west coast of Florida. Neal was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1974 and the Florida Senate in 1986. A Republican, he championed environmental causes and was the Senate sponsor of Florida’s first comprehensive wetlands law.