Presenting

OPPOSITE PAGE: A rendering of the lobby of Arnold's new project, The Salvador. TOP: Arnold and his wife Susan at their wedding ceremony in Thailand and their wedding par ty of friends and family. BOTTOM LEFT: Arnold with his new Tesla. BOTTOM RIGHT: Close up of the oversized tablet style computer interface on the dashboard of the Tesla. participate in something different. We've done some housing for the homeless and affordable housing for people in Tampa. Q: Are you involved with any other initiatives? I'm also involved in another group of business leaders that are tr ying to remediate homelessness. It's fortunate that I have a background in affordable housing , so I understand how to navigate the rules with the city, state and the county. We've been able to meet some new people and do some good things and keep my wife happy, which is important. e other thing that I haven't done before is being appointed to the Planning Commission, which covers four jurisdictions: the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, the City of Temple Terrace and the City of Plant City. I get to keep my finger on the pulse of what is going on and I've enjoyed it. I don't know if I' ll run for another term. When I came here I didn't know anybody, so I didn't have any contacts. We've been able to do fairly well here and I think that's a testament to the business environment. You come in and if you can get it done, you can do it. Nobody is really holding you back. e local government of Tampa has been ver y supportive. Mayor Buck horn has been ver y pro development for four years and was just re-elected. Mayor K riseman in St. Pete has only been in office about a year, but he's pro development too. I think they are tr ying to do what they need to do to help the region grow, which is nice. I've been in other cities where they don't want development, but I don't feel that here. If you have something that is well conceived, you can get it done and the city actually helps. ere's only so much available land in St. Pete. ere's not too many parcels le and that's a challenge. ere's talk that some of the retailers along Central Avenue will get priced out because things will eventually get so expensive it's going to push out the younger crowd. I think that would be bad for the city – you really need both. St. Pete is a welcoming , open place to live so that is part of the character. Q: How are sales progressing at e Salvador? With the condo project, we're half sold and we have a real mix – we have people in their 30s, we have people in their 60s. Ever y unit except for two are for people who are going to live here. ere are really no investor units at all. We're going to be a Green Certified Building , which we think is the first condo project in St. Pete to do so and that's been ver y aractive to a lot of people. We're also going to be ver y animal friendly, which is another part of what St. Pete is all about. Young people, old people, ever ybody has dog so we focused on that too. It's nice to do things that you are interested in and like. I feel really fortunate. Q: How long have you worked with your business partner? I've worked with my current business partner for five years and it's been a really good partnership. I like work ing with partners. I don't like to be the lone wolf. When things go good, you can share things and have fun. e development business is ver y stressful at times but it's also fun. Who would have thought I'd be doing this? I'd rather do this than practice law, that's for sure! FloridaHomesMag.com | 33 The Arnold wedding party in Thailand!

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