SARASOTA, Fla. – Joel Freedman, one of southwest Florida’s most experienced and highly regarded land-planning consultants, is joining Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC.
Shumaker Advisors Florida provides public and private sector clients with a broad range of expertise and services at the federal, state and local levels. As part of this collaboration, Freedman joins the group as the director of land planning.
Utilizing a multi-state network, Shumaker Advisors Florida works closely with clients in the areas of land planning and development, healthcare, agriculture, environmental, retirement planning and related industries, providing a bridge to government and governmental agencies, which oversee these highly regulated areas.
The founder and president of Freedman Consulting and Development, LLC, Freedman will continue to provide land planning and land development consulting services to the private and public sectors. As director of land planning, he will also provide practical and strategic advice to clients on a project’s approach – from conception to completion – and will act as a liaison between developers, property owners and government entities.
During his almost 40 years of practice, Freedman has been involved in a wide variety of well-known and well-planned developments, including condominium and apartment projects, subdivisions, hotels, mixed-use projects, shopping centers, governmental projects, public and private parking garages, resort developments and developments of regional impact. Freedman also has extensive experience in urban land planning and submitting and obtaining approval of Comprehensive Plan Amendments, rezonings, special exceptions, entitlements, project development permits and orders and more, with an overall goal to streamline the process.
“I see this collaboration as a natural fit,” said Freedman. “Joining this group of already-established consultants offers an opportunity to continue to assist my established client roster while also helping an even wider variety of clients with challenging issues.”
Ronald Christaldi, president and CEO of Shumaker Advisors Florida, leads the Florida team.
“The addition of Joel further bolsters this growing group’s specialties,” said Christaldi. “Shumaker Advisors recognizes the importance of strategy in all phases of our client’s success. It’s a group of professionals that our clients can tap into, but so can others. Our goal is to truly understand the needs of our clients and be aware of the inner workings of competitive and other industries so that we can have a tailored and goal-oriented advantage to our clients. It’s truly a win-win.”
Freedman’s project experience includes Payne Park Village, The Jewel, State Street parking garage, Pineapple Square, Hotel Indigo, Hyatt Regency Sarasota, Whole Foods Market Centre, Ed Smith Stadium Sports Complex renovation, among many others. He also served as the planner and project manager for site selection and planning of the downtown transportation center for the City of St. Petersburg.
Freedman earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Texas A&M University and holds a bachelor’s degree in natural resource management from Utah State University. He was a former three-term chair of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.
About Shumaker Advisors
An established group of thought leaders, Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC provides a full-service suite of expertise and strategic insight in the areas of land planning, issue management, coalition building, public affairs and communication strategies. The group utilizes its multi-state network to serve clients in a wide range of sectors.
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