Presenting

A Floridian by birth, Bowen A rnold embodies the casual confidence of the new 40-something generation of developers shaping the landscape of our cities on the Gulf Coast today. e flashy Donald Trump style egomaniac developers of the Baby Boomer generation are a stark contrast to this current crop of Gen X land-misters. A rnold, like many of his peers, possesses a laid back, self assured demeanor. He has the confidence of someone who has craed an impressive career and enjoyable lifestyle through hard work and due diligence but lacks the arrogance that can oen follow such success. Instead, A rnold is down to earth and relatable. A er growing up in Miami and graduating from the University of Miami, A rnold worked a few years before going to law school. When he graduated, he was offered an opportunity to work on a development project. at sounded like a good idea to him, considering the option was going to work at the boom in a law firm, where he would be expected to sign away his life in billable hours. For our inter view we met at e Dali to take the images featured here. e iconic museum is the inspiration for his new high-rise residential building , e Salvador, being built across the street, and also featured in our cover stor y. A er we finished our photo shoot, we decided to relocate to a nearby coffee shop to chat. In a casual, but happy tone like a k id with a new toy, A rnold offered to drive me over in his new car. When he drove up in his shiny new cobalt blue Tesla, I couldn't resist tak ing a few shots of him and his new prize. e silent and luxurious, high tech auto is a perfect match for its fascinating owner. As we seled at a table in the chaer filled, lively seing of Kuala coffee, he readily shared his private and professional journey and his fulfilling new life in Tampa Bay. Q: Aer law school you set out into the unknown world of development. How did that unfold for you? We developed projects in nine different states. We did a lot of affordable housing , tax credit program, section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code. I like the idea of traveling so I worked on projects in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas and then in Louisiana. We ended up in Baton Rogue for a few years doing five housing projects. It gave me a chance to travel and also to do some nice projects, but now, I am focused on this region. Q: Have you decided to stay put here? Yes, I've been in Tampa now eight years and I got married a year and a half ago. So yes, I am focused on this region now – Tampa and St. Pete. We did an apartment project in St. Pete two years ago called Campbell Landings. at was really successful. We had a great experience in St. Pete. We were one of the first projects that started aer the downturn and market correction, and I think we were the first of several apartment projects that were permied. We had a good experience with local government, so we wanted to do another project here. We really like St. Pete. is piece of property with the Salvador came up nine months ago. We really liked it so we tied it up quick ly. We thought there was a good opportunity here and we really like the downtown corridor. I've done other downtown projects in other places like Baton Rogue where it's pre y suburban. We like suburban development but, I am really energized by cities and the idea of doing something in downtown St. Pete or downtown Tampa is exciting. You get a chance to be a part of the momentum, a chance to make a difference. Q: Do you feel that the energ y is different in St. Pete? I spend a lot of time between St. Pete and Tampa. I don't think I see a huge difference between the two, but St. Pete is further ahead of Tampa. ey have all of the water development that was done 50 years ago, so the water is a big part of downtown St. Pete. We don't have it as prominently in Tampa but there are developments there that are coming. Tampa has a ton of potential so we're excited about both. I don't know if I could pick one market over the other. FloridaHomesMag.com | 31 A We thought there was a good opportunity here and we really like the downtown corridor in St Petersburg. By Jules Lewis Gibson FASCINATING FLORIDIAN Continued on page 32 " "

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