LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. — Neal Communities, southwest Florida’s premier, private homebuilder, recently received a Builder of the Year award from the Florida Green Building Coalition, marking the fifth consecutive time the builder has earned this honor since 2013.
At the March 23 ceremony, held in Orlando, Fla., Neal Communities bested four other builders and was given the award for the most single-family homes certified. Seven other awards were given out, including most multifamily homes certified, highest scoring single-family and multifamily home, highest scoring commercial project, highest scoring residential high-rise project, highest scoring local government (city and county) and the certifying agent of the year.
Drew Smith, Florida Building Commissioner – Green Building and founder of Two Trails Green Building Consulting, accepted the award on behalf of the builder.
“We are extremely proud to accept this award recognizing our green initiatives in the state,” said Cathy Engels, vice president of purchasing for Neal Communities. “It’s always an honor to receive this designation as we strive to provide our homeowners with the best benefits of green and energy-efficient living for a reduced cost.”
In 2015, the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) held a special 15-year anniversary celebration, and Neal Communities was named the No. 1 builder out of the top 15 builders from 2000-15.
The FGBC is the leading certifier of green projects in Florida. To date, it has 15,000 residential, more than 24 million square feet of commercial and high-rise, 53 land developments and 86 local governments participating in its certification programs. FGBC certification programs are the only standards developed with climate specific criteria to address issues caused by Florida’s hot-humid environment and natural disasters.
FGBC certified homes complete a technically rigorous building assessment and construction process to promote design and construction practices that reduce the negative environmental impacts of the building, improve occupant health and well-being and reduce operating costs for the owner.
Founded in 2000, the nonprofit is dedicated to improving the built environment and seeks to lead and promote sustainability with environmental, economic and social benefits through regional education and certification programs.
