Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside leaders and staff officially broke ground Thursday on the Lealman Heights community in unincorporated Lealman.
The development, at 4000 58th Avenue N., will feature 26 townhomes. Each two-story unit will have a three-bedroom layout of approximately 1,500 square feet.
“Habitat, over the last five years, has built nearly 100 homes in the Lealman community,” Habitat president and CEO Mike Sutton explained. “It’s an exciting place and a desirable place for our families to live.”
Infrastructure work on the project will commence “very very soon.” He added that the homes should be vertical by late 2027.
Sutton emphasized that Habitat’s model is not a handout.
“So, the biggest misconception is that we build homes and give them away for free,” Sutton said. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. The families we partner with have to have steady employment and show the ability to pay a mortgage.”
“Through the Habitat program, we remove the barriers to homeownership for them,” he continued. “So, they get a 0% interest mortgage with no down payment required and no private mortgage insurance.”
Sutton added that Habitat often collaborates with teachers, bus drivers, healthcare professionals and government employees.
“They’re the hardworking individuals and families in our community and Habitat is just working to anchor them here locally so they don’t have to worry about getting priced out,” he said. “We have to find a way to keep families here. Otherwise, they are going to continue to move out of Pinellas County.”
Lealman Heights residents will be selected based on their housing needs and interest in living in Lealman.
“In the past five years alone, we’ve seen 451 new affordable and workforce homes open their doors,” said Pinellas County Commissioner René Flowers at the Thursday event. “An additional 1,507 are scheduled to open within the next two to three years. Projects like this are critical.”
“We are so grateful and thankful to be able to partner because that’s what makes home ownership affordable and available,” she continued. “It’s partnerships. It’s not silos.”
State Representative Linda Chaney explained that the Lealman Heights development is an example of the continued investment in the area.
“We are creating a community and neighborhood that has reduced crime and beautification going on and families are moving in,” she said. “People are taking pride in where they live and it shows and the result of that is the tax base is going to go up.”
Former Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice was recognized at the gathering. A street in the Lealman Heights development will be named in his honor. Sutton explained that Justice encouraged Habitat staff to explore the Lealman community.
“There was an incredible need in five pockets in Pinellas County,” he explained. “One of those was unincorporated Lealman. So, that was the County’s responsibility. The other four belonged to a city.”
Justice argued that Lealman was attractive for multiple reasons. He explained that the area is between major interstates and is located high above sea level. Additionally, there were real estate opportunities to build affordable housing communities.
The former commissioner believes Habitat’s work is worth investing in.
“It’s an opportunity for people, if they apply themselves, work hard and make the effort, to achieve the American Dream,” Justice said. “It’s general wealth and stability for their kids.”
Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside website