LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (June 3, 2025) – Neal Communities, southwest Florida’s premier, private homebuilder, has donated $25,000 to Healthy Teens, an organization dedicated to the success and wellbeing of Florida teens in Manatee and Sarasota Counties.
Healthy Teens’ mission is to empower youth to make positive, healthy decisions, providing peer-based health and life skills education and mentoring to hundreds of local youths between the ages of 11 and 25 each year. The donation from Neal Communities will support this work by funding further education scholarships and local programming.
“Neal Communities’ generous donation of $25,000 to Healthy Teens is more than just a financial gift; it is an investment in our community’s future,” says Mary Ann Legler, APRN, Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors for Healthy Teens, Inc. “By funding scholarships for local youth who provide peer health education through their volunteer work with Healthy Teens, Neal Communities is empowering the next generation of leaders to shape healthier communities, one informed and passionate teen at a time. This contribution isn’t just about today—it’s about creating a lasting impact on the well-being of our youth and the entire community for years to come.”
The $25,000 sponsorship will partly be used to fund a scholarship contest for high-school seniors currently volunteering with Healthy Teens as Teen Health Educators. The scholarships were awarded at Healthy Teens’ flagship event, the annual Youth Health Awards which took place in May. Neal Communities was the presenting sponsor for the event.
“Healthy Teens provides a setting for students to learn about business, relationships and helping others,” says Pat Neal, founder and chairman of Neal Communities. “We are proud to invest in the region’s youth by supporting an organization that helps young people succeed in life.”
Founded in 2010, Healthy Teens has helped more than 175 Teen Health Educators receive leadership and public-speaking experience, provided peer education sessions for more than 10,000 teens, and worked with more than 60 organizations and agencies to help teens learn about topics such as mental health and resilience, substance abuse, peer pressure, bullying and much more.
Stacked with real-life extreme weather experience, these two coastal home builders have storm prep down to a science.
Home builders have a lot to protect when extreme weather is on the way—mid-construction projects, materials, model homes, and more.
After a record 18 storms, 11 hurricanes, and five Category 3-plus hurricanes last year, 2025 looks very similar. Colorado State University has released its early forecast for the season, which is slated with 17 storms, nine to become hurricanes, and four to reach Cat 3 and above.
Florida—boasting some of the strongest resiliency codes in the country—has its fair share of experience in extreme weather. So where better to look for storm prep advice than Florida home builders?
Ryan Johnson, vice president of operations at Neal Communities, and Mike Nunziata, division president of 13th Floor Homes, roll out some tried and true advice below.
Early prep is the best prep. Nunziata says, “The best advice I could offer would be to start early. Spending the time preparing early has undoubtedly helped us keep our teams and jobsites safe, communicate effectively through all stages of the event, recover quickly, and ultimately, avoid losses.”
Stopping work is often necessary. Neal Communities’ hurricane plan is put into effect depending on the level of alert for a storm. When a storm is confirmed, Johnson says there are different stages of what they do including stopping construction and securing mid-construction projects. “We’re pretty conservative on when work stops in preparation for a potential storm,” Johnson explains. “Additionally, our people have to protect their own property too, so we take that into consideration when preparing.”
Name your point person (or people). Johnson says each community gets a point person that will take charge of their respective community to make sure everything is put into place, and to be the point of contact following a storm. Neal Communities has contracts with people who aren’t exactly going to be busy during storm prep. Landscaping companies, for example, help clean up jobsites and eliminate potential debris that can become airborne.
Secure the sites. Neal has a storm committee that meets a few times a day after advisories come out to decide what the teams are going to do next. In many instances, tie beams must be poured to secure walls of homes under construction, Johnson says. And if dumpsters can’t get emptied in time, dumpsters are filled with dirt or sand to prevent them and the contents inside from causing damage. “Municipalities themselves have regulations of what needs to be done at different levels of alert,” Johnson adds.
Get those documents. Call rosters, insurance contacts, and insurance policies are likely needed following a storm. Nunziata says it’s a necessity to have them ready, “Make sure you will have ready access to critical documentation in advance of the storm. The easiest way to accomplish this is with hard copies distributed to your team. To the extent that it’s not feasible for certain documentation, try to back-up and save documents locally as grid failures and cellular service can be spotty in the aftermath of a storm. Satellite phones and internet connections (e.g., Starlink) are also a good option if you need to access the internet or place calls.”
Keep your teams safe. As Johnson mentions, Neal Communities is conservative when it comes to storm prep and stopping work. He says, “When storms come, we give our employees off probably 48 hours ahead of a storm comes. When the schools close, the employees with children have to stay home, right? So, we let them work from home. And then after the storm, the same thing.”
Meet and assess. Both Johnson and Nunziata agree that when it’s safe to assess damage, that is when recovery work begins. “Resources, such as materials and labor, should be mobilized, with a focus on restoring essential services like water, electricity, and transportation. Once immediate needs are addressed, structural repairs and reconstruction should begin, adhering to updated building codes to increase resilience. Community services are crucial, as well as environmental cleanup and hazard mitigation. Finally, ongoing monitoring and feedback help adjust efforts and ensure long-term sustainability in recovery,” Nunziata says.
Help homeowners how you can. Known for “doing the right thing,” Neal Communities always aims to fix damage if something wasn’t done right. “What happens with these storms, like last year, is you might only get a 90 mile an hour wind and roof tiles are mostly for 150 miles an hour so the warranty doesn’t cover it, but we actually went out and fixed all our roofs. We build houses that are mostly designed for 150 mile an hour wind so if you really think about it—if we got 80 to 100 mile an hour winds—something probably wasn’t installed correctly. We want to make it right.” Johnson also says they wouldn’t want to make a new homeowner who just closed on their brand-new home to have to make a claim. Last year, the home builder spent roughly $4 to $5 million extra on warranty expenses to fix storm related damage across the communities, but not a single house flooded or had structural damage, Johnson says.
Strapped with plenty of experience and very sturdy building codes, Florida has storm prep figured out. However, last year’s record storm definitely left the state’s home builders—and many other affected areas—turning their attention to better preparations.
Nunziata adds, “Effects of the 2024 storms on Southeast Florida were somewhat unexpected given landfall on Florida’s west coast. We saw several tornadoes, not a common occurrence here, move through our market and cause significant damage. Last year was a wake-up call and reminder to our builders that it pays to be prepared even when a direct impact isn’t expected.”
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (April 2, 2025) – At least 79 employees of Neal Communities (new home builder in Southwest Florida) will participate in the company’s second annual Volunteer Week, celebrated during National Volunteer Week (April 21-25). The employees will volunteer with 10 different non-profit organizations throughout Southwest Florida.
The company has long supported philanthropy and employee volunteerism through corporate gifts and individual volunteering opportunities. The week-long coordinated event was an evolution of Neal Communities core belief that “Where You Live Matters” and commitment to giving back.
Among the volunteer organizations that will welcome Neal employees are:
SMART (Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy), which provides equine-assisted therapeutic services to serve individuals in the Sarasota/Manatee community. Services are designed to benefit participants physically, socially, cognitively, and emotionally through work with equines and trained volunteers. Neal volunteers will help prep horse stalls on April 21 from 8:30 – 11 a.m.
Sarasota County Parks on April 22 from 10 a.m. – noon, where volunteers will assist in a litter cleanup at Ackerman Park, a dog-friendly park with an unpaved trail, playground and picnic pavilions located near I-75.
Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue, an animal shelter and adoption center, on April 25 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., where volunteers will make interactive dog treats and assist with animal activities, such as walking or yard play.
Palma Sola Botanical Park on April 25 from 2 – 4:30 p.m., where volunteers will celebrate National Arbor Day by helping Palma Sola hand out free trees to members of the community.
Throughout the week, employees will also volunteer at: PACE Center for Girls, which partners with community agencies in Manatee County to provide girls with a multitude of resources to best meet their development and social service needs; the Haven, which provides support and programs for adults and children with disabilities to enhance quality of life; Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee County, Habitat for Humanity Pinellas, United Way Suncoast and Lee Weatherington Boys and Girls Club.
“Through partnerships with impactful local organizations, we’re creating meaningful opportunities for our employees to give back and create positive change,” says Tashara Carmichael, vice president of Human Resources for Neal Communities. “The level of engagement from our team demonstrates the compassion and character of our workforce; I couldn’t be prouder of their dedication to community service.”
Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week promotes and shows appreciation for volunteerism and volunteering. Many organizations host special events to celebrate volunteers, engage community members, and spread awareness about volunteer opportunities. A National Volunteer Week proclamation has been issued by the President of the Unites States each year since the holiday’s inception. In the U.S., National Volunteer week is organized by the Points of Light foundation.
Neal Communities prepares for pricing changes while trying to keep costs down
Pat Neal and his team at home builder Neal Communities are bracing for President Trump’s potential tariffs. They have spent months trying to anticipate and prepare for the fallout.
About 7% of the goods used in residential construction are imported, primarily from Canada, Mexico and China, which face Trump’s tariff threats. That could increase the cost of building a single-family home by $7,500 to $10,000, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
“It’s crunchtime,” said Zander Devlin, who oversees the Sarasota, Fla., company’s purchasing division. “A very uncertain thing is about to happen.”
Neal Communities’ mad scramble in the final days before the prospect of new tariffs illustrates how these duties are poised to ripple through the housing industry. It is an indication of how these tariffs can affect the cost of a new home and stress the overall housing market, which recently has been showing some signs of life.
Neal Communities is planning to swap the Canadian lumber it typically uses for U.S.-grown Southern yellow pine.
March 25 (Eight Days Out): Lumber in Limbo
To dodge the potential lumber price spikes, Neal planned to switch to U.S.-grown Southern yellow pine instead of his traditional Canadian spruce, which faces additional tariffs of 25%. While he can likely absorb the potential cost increases for the firm’s current projects, he will probably have to raise prices for new homes.
To avoid that scenario, Neal plans to adjust his project plans to account for the firmer, less elastic material of the American pine. He met last week with his truss supplier who proceeded to re-engineer the blueprints for the trusses of 57 of his home models. Each redesign costs an extra $600.
“I was looking for price reductions,” he said. “I didn’t get price reductions.”
March 26 (Seven Days Out): Warning Letters Stack Up
Before his kids woke up for school, Steven Wojcechowskyj, the vice president of purchasing of the company’s Southern division, sipped his coffee and skimmed his email. This morning, like many others since the tariff proposals were announced, he spotted a warning letter from a supplier forecasting a potential price increase.
This time it was for electrical devices like switches, outlets and panels.
Wojcechowskyj estimated that he’s received about 50 of these warning letters over the past several months, each of which requires him to re-evaluate material contracts he thought were locked in.
“It feels like I’m doubling back a lot,” he said. That time would have been spent planning future projects.
The company has been stockpiling garage doors, roofing, flooring tiles, electrical fixtures and appliances—along with copper and aluminum wires.
March 27 (Six Days Out): Gambling on Inventory
Devlin, the company’s vice president of purchasing, was supposed to be spending his time on vacation, fishing in Peru. But he found himself taking calls with his plumbing-fixture supplier. The supplier notified him of a price increase of up to 12% for things like sinks and bath faucets.
He would like to estimate all of his costs for the coming year and place orders in advance. But that requires making bets on an uncertain future.
“People are starting to put dollar figures on what is going to happen April 2,” Devlin said, “without knowing what’s going to happen April 2.”
Garage doors, for example, used to cost the company $1,283 per unit, but its supplier warned that the tariffs would make them up to 18% more expensive.
His team has been building elaborate inventory spreadsheets since February to track all the materials and their corresponding price increases. But they can only do so many projections.
That’s one reason he has been stockpiling things like garage doors, roofing, flooring tiles, electrical fixtures and appliances, along with copper and aluminum wires.
The potential tariffs could increase the cost of building a single-family home by $7,500 to $10,000, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
But that leads to other problems. The company doesn’t have a lot of extra storage space to hoard surplus inventory. During the Covid supply-chain disruptions, they squeezed their stockpiles into their offices and conference rooms. They assumed that would be a one-time event.
“We don’t want to order all this material and put it in the shop, not knowing what the next six months are going to look like,” Devlin said.
There isn’t much empty warehouse space available so they are thinking of setting up mobile storage rooms or shipping containers on their land, though that could add costs and time to their projects.
At the same time, it’s a full-time job trying to keep up with the various materials that are already being affected by the threat of tariffs.
“It makes our job extremely busy,” Wojcechowskyj said. “You kind of scratch your head like, I didn’t know that tiny component would be affected.”
March 30 (Three Days Out): Canceled Sales
For Neal’s sales team, the end of each month is usually a gold rush. With the April 2 tariff deadline days away, Sunday felt like the opposite. Christina Potts, a sales manager within the luxury home division of Neal’s company, learned from one of her associates that a customer had backed out of a land lot reservation yet again.
The prospective buyer told Potts’s team that they were canceling because they wanted “to see what might happen in the next few months.”
That’s not normal. Potts said customers’ reasons for canceling tend to be much more concrete: divorce, job loss or an unexpected relocation. But this kind of reasoning has become increasingly common, she said, reflecting consumers’ doubts about making a big purchase in the uncertainty of the current economic climate.
“Buyers are taking longer or not deciding,” she said. “It’s a big combination of the uncertainty of the world right now.”
Jennifer Joslin, in black jacket, leads the company’s design team, and Christina Potts is a sales manager in the luxury home division.
March 31 (Two Days Out): Shifting on the Fly
Ten days after Jennifer Joslin, the head of Neal’s design team, learned of a price increase to the China-sourced black pigment in her roofing, she was still waiting on the alternative roofing materials to arrive.
Her team had to go back to reselect other roofing materials and will have to make sure they align with the existing color palettes.
Meanwhile, Joslin checked in with the suppliers for other items like countertops, which she knew were imported from Canada. She dreads the uncomfortable conversations with customers who ask for a certain material that is no longer an option.
“If they have their heart set on something, it’s just a difficult conversation with a buyer,” Joslin said.
Neal Communities expects that the tariffs could force the company to increase prices for their new projects.
April 1 (One Day Out):
A day away from the tariff announcements, the staff at Neal Communities was still trying to shore up its business. But employees could do little more than hope for the best at this point.
“We’re a day away,” said Devlin. “It’s really just waiting to see what Trump comes out and says.”
