BUYING UP THE BAY

A Tampa Bay Times special report

Part 1: How corporate investors are taking over Tampa Bay’s neighborhoods

Experts say the outsized impact of just a handful of companies can squeeze individual buyers out of the housing market.

Part 2: This private equity firm built a Tampa Bay rental empire

As Progress Residential has grown, some tenants accuse the company of putting profits over people

Part 3: Are real estate investors pushing out St. Petersburg's Black residents?

Experts worry longtime residents are pushed out by rising prices.

Part 4: Large real estate investors 'clogging the court system,' evicting at higher rates

Experts say the concentration of ownership squeezes individual buyers out of the housing market

Part 5: Florida homes owned by corporate investors: 117,000 — and counting

Firms with ties to Wall Street and private equity now own more than 10% of Florida’s single-family rentals, a rate five times higher than the national average, the Times has found.

Part 6: Florida lawmakers stay quiet as corporations buy thousands of homes

Regulations for corporate landlords are few and far between in the Sunshine State.

Part 7: Tenants battle vermin, sewage in investor-owned mobile home parks

An investment firm known for its controversial tactics bought more than 60 Florida communities.

Additional reporting
Private equity owns nearly 25% of Tampa Bay apartments, new research shows

The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area had the seventh highest concentration of private equity owned apartments in the country. Rent increased 49% from 2019 to 2023. Read more.

5 takeaways from Buying up the Bay

The Tampa Bay Times published seven stories in 2024 documenting the rise in corporate homeownership across the region and state. Here are the highlights. Read more.

About the reporters
Teghan Simonton - Data Reporter, Business and Health
Teghan Simonton

is a business and health data reporter. Read more.

Rebecca Liebson - Real Estate Reporter
Rebecca Liebson

is a real estate reporter at the Tampa Bay Times. Read more.