Prominent St. Petersburg businessman and philanthropist Bill Edwards, whose reach spanned real estate, sports and the arts throughout the Tampa Bay region, died Thursday morning. He was 81.
Joanne Edwards, his wife of 23 years, told the Tampa Bay Times that he had multiple organ failure and died in the hospital with pneumonia.
“He did a lot for the community. He did a lot for everybody,” she said. “He was just an extraordinary soul.”
Born Edward Francis Sylvia III, he grew up poor as one of six children born to a taxi driver in New Bedford, Mass., earned a Purple Heart in the Vietnam War and came to town on vacation to escape the Michigan cold. He never went back.
He founded Mortgage Investors Corp., the nation’s largest VA mortgage lender, which had a home right on Central Avenue.
That success enabled Edwards to dabble in music promotion and distribution, open a recording studio, buy the Tampa Bay Rowdies, renovate JannusLive and the Club at Treasure Island, redevelop the Sundial shoppingplaza and manage the city-owned Mahaffey Theater for 15 years.
He also started the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts and donated millions to All Children’s Hospital. Last year, the Tampa Bay Lightning honored Edwards as a Lightning Community Hero.
Years ago, the Tampa Bay Times published a graphic that mapped out his holdings across a Monopoly board dubbed “Billopoly.” In response, Edwards at the time quipped, “They didn’t get it all. … There’s not enough squares on the board.”
Edwards was blunt and business-oriented, but enjoyed being around the limelight and entertainment industry. He found a kindred spirit in former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, whom he tapped to be the president of the Edwards Group for five years. Together, they worked on redeveloping Sundial shopping plaza downtown.
Baker recalled that with Sundial, like many projects, Edwards didn’t want to just rebuild it but make it first class for the community.
“He was very strong-willed,” Baker said. “He had a real passion for making things better. And for helping folks.”
Bill Edwards takes questions from reporters after a news conference to announce the Rays buying the Rowdies in 2018.
Edwards lent his planes to veterans around the country who needed to travel to access medical care. In 2011, he was the largest donor in history to that program, Veterans Airlift Command.
Edwards served in the U.S. Marine Corps. In the tail end of his tour in Vietnam, he tripped a mine while on a mission and was shot in the leg by a sniper.
He avoided amputation of his leg. Later on, he changed his name to distance himself from the war.
Baker recalled when Edwards wanted to rebuild the Royal Theater in Midtown, then occupied by the Boys and Girls Club of St. Petersburg, Edwards spent $250,000 on studio equipment for children.
Edwards didn’t shy from spending money to make money. He bought a majority stake in the Tampa Bay Rowdies and flushed its home, Al Lang Stadium, with cash.
He held major league aspirations for the Rowdies and led a successful voter referendum in 2017 that would allow expanding the stadium to help make that happen. Edwards sold the team to the Tampa Bay Rays the following year.
Bill Edwards addresses the audience during a news conference to announce the Rays buying the Rowdies in 2018.
Edwards operated the Mahaffey Theater for 15 years up until earlier this year. He told a reporter he poured more than $12 million of his own money into the city-run facility.
Joe Santiago, who left the Mahaffey last year after managing it throughout that time, said Edwards empowered his employees. That’s why his businesses were so successful.
“The list goes on and on of all the things he did,” Santiago said. “Anything Bill touched kind of turned to gold.”
Ignacio Barron Viela, President and CEO of The Florida Orchestra, the Mahaffey’s main tenant, said in a statement that Edwards “set a tremendous example of supporting the arts in St. Petersburg and helped many arts organizations here pursue their goals.”
In a Facebook post, Mayor Ken Welch called Edwards a leader whose impact on the community cannot be overstated.
“St. Pete is better because of his work and his legacy will continue on through all those impacted by him,” Welch wrote.
In addition to his wife Joanne, Edwards is survived by daughter Michelle Sylvia, son Michael Sylvia, stepson Derek VanHoose and daughters Katie and Allie Edwards. His firstborn, Edward Sylvia, died in 2020.
His family has not made funeral arrangements.