Tampa Bay single-family rental developers break ground on $30M Ocala project
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 27, 2022

A partnership of Tampa Bay developers is pursuing its second single-family rental project in Ocala.

Mize and Sefair of Tampa and Pinellas Park-based Belleair Development Group will break ground this spring on the Keys at Ocala II, spanning 32 acres at 5451 SW 66th St. in Ocala. The developers closed on the land in October, and total development costs are $30 million.

Keys at Ocala II will have 146 units. The developers' first Ocala project has 80 units.

Single-family rental communities — housing developments purpose-built for rentals — have surged in popularity across the U.S. since the Covid-19 pandemic began. The partnership of Mize and Sefair and Belleair Development Group are pursuing developments around Tampa Bay and Central Florida; separately, Mize and Sefair have partnered with Invitation Homes on a project in Brandon.

Keys at Ocala II is across the street from a 1,000-acre master-planned community, Jay Mize, principal of Mize and Sefair, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Many big-box retailers and higher-end commercial tenants are targeting Ocala, he said, and the World Equestrian Center, which opened in 2021, is also an economic driver.

"We love the Ocala market," Mize said.