ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. (Feb. 24, 2023)—With soaring demand and rising costs, Tampa Bay leaders are trying to tackle the housing crisis from multiple angles. One of them is simply concrete, with local CEOs rolling up their sleeves and putting on hard hats—all to help build a home for a family in need.   

“Sometimes it literally takes getting boots on the ground—and as we hammer away together, we’ll be one step closer to changing the lives of a family right in our hometown,” said Ron Christaldi, Managing Partner of Shumaker’s Tampa law office and CEO of Shumaker Advisors Florida.  

It’s all part of Habitat for Humanity’s “CEO Build Hillsborough County,” which brings together C-suite and executive corporate leaders to help build a home. Today, Christaldi and a team of Shumaker employees took part in a half-day build shift, alongside a Habitat partner family in St. Pete. In addition, Shumaker contributed $2,500 toward the cause. After CEOs from across Tampa Bay complete their team shifts, the house is expected to be finished this summer. 

This is one of several initiatives underway to address Tampa Bay’s housing crisis. In St. Pete, Mayor Ken Welch is working to bring new affordable housing units to the Trop site. In Tampa, Mayor Jane Castor has a goal to add 10,000 new affordable housing units by 2027. Other efforts include Tampa’s new Tenant Services Team that helps with everything from rental assistance to legal services for housing-related issues, a new housing information line, and new development projects to add hundreds of new affordable housing apartments like the West River development project and Rome Yard in West Tampa. 

Ron, a business lawyer representing clients in complex transactions and litigation, is well-known for his legal acumen and for building relationships within the community. Named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the nation and one of the top 100 lawyers in the State of Florida, Ron is a past chair of the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.   

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