Sean Strickler, President, West Florida Division, PulteGroup

July 2026 — Invest: spoke with Sean Strickler, president of PulteGroup’s West Florida Division, about Tampa Bay’s housing market, the launch of Explore by Del Webb, and how PulteGroup is addressing affordability pressures. “We have a structural shortage of housing, not only in Florida, but in the country, and that is driving demand for new homes,” Strickler said.

What changes have had the biggest impact on PulteGroup’s West Florida operations over the past year?

The last year has been a little bit choppy because of global uncertainty, interest rate fluctuations, and affordability pressures. For a brief period, interest rates fell into the 6% range and below on a 30-year fixed rate, and then they moved back into the upper sixes. We have also seen what has happened to gas prices, so affordability remains a concern.

That being said, the Florida economy, our Florida business, and Tampa in particular have been especially resilient. Florida has always been a draw because of no state income tax, sunshine, beaches, and other factors, but now we have a strong underlying economy that is diversified and not 100% tied to tourism. That has helped hold the market up.

If you look at our performance at PulteGroup over the last 12 months, we have weathered the storm and navigated those conditions well. Our order growth is strong, and we have seen positive sales trends across Florida.

There are certainly headwinds, and a lot of them are centered on affordability and consumer confidence. But there is also underlying demand. We have a structural shortage of housing, not only in Florida, but in the country, and so there continues to be demand for housing. Buyers are taking a measured approach as they determine the right time to jump into the market.

What does the launch of Explore by Del Webb in West Florida say about how PulteGroup views this market?

We are extremely excited. We launched an Explore by Del Webb community in Parrish, between Tampa and Sarasota.

PulteGroup owns Del Webb, which has always built luxurious lifestyle resort retirement communities designed for buyers who are 55 or better. Those communities include gorgeous amenities, beautiful entryways, and a strong lifestyle component. It is no secret that when people retire, a lot of them move to Florida.

The Baby Boomer generation, which that brand traditionally targets, is moving further into retirement age. Gen Xers are now the next wave of buyers. Many buyers also desire everything Del Webb stands for: the beautiful clubhouse, maintenance-free living, yard care, and beautiful entryways. But they do not necessarily want to live in a 55-plus community.

Explore by Del Webb builds on everything Del Webb has stood for since the 1960s, but it brings a more modern edge and is designed for buyers seeking a resort-style lifestyle with the flexibility of a non-age-restricted community. The community we are grand opening in Parrish has many of the same aspects that a Del Webb community typically would have, including beautiful single-level homes, tile roofs, low-maintenance living, paver driveways, and a clubhouse with an integrated bar and grill that opens up to the pool and the inside of the clubhouse.

We are also excited to be building a lazy river, which will be a unique amenity offering for the market. It is a brand being rolled out with Gen X buyers in mind, while welcoming buyers in a variety of life stages.

What trends are you seeing in the Tampa Bay housing market as a whole?

We are still seeing in-migration and impressive job growth, including job growth in high-income positions. Tampa Bay also has large mixed-use job creators, including Gasworx, Water Street, and Speros, as well as a huge expansion going on at the airport. All of that is creating jobs.

Affordability is made up of housing prices, income, and interest rates. We are seeing incomes rise, which is great. House pricing has stabilized, and builders are able to offer unique interest rates to buyers to help bridge the affordability gap. A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage might be in the mid-sixes, but builders are able to help buyers secure more favorable financing options.

That helps with affordability, but it is not around forever. We are seeing interest rate buydowns and pricing pressure normalize. As that happens, some of those buydowns and incentives will start to come off the table. 

It is incumbent upon everyone in the new homebuilding industry to try to offer incremental affordability to buyers. We are doing that by working with trade partners to identify efficiencies. Land development is starting to come down a little bit, but land prices are still sticky, particularly in A and B locations. In some further-out locations, land acquisition prices are starting to come down a little bit. There is no magic bullet to solve the affordability issue, but over time, I think it will work itself out.

How does PulteGroup approach community engagement in Tampa Bay?

We are very involved with and partner with the local builders association and local municipalities. Part of that involves helping educate municipalities on rising impact fees and permit fees and what those costs can mean for home affordability.

One of the benefits of PulteGroup is that, unlike many homebuilders that might only serve a buyer at one stage of life, we have brands for buyers across all stages of life. Centex serves first-time homebuyers. Pulte Homes serves buyers in their second or third move-up. Del Webb serves active adults 55 and older, while Explore by Del Webb is designed for buyers seeking a resort lifestyle with the flexibility of a non-age-restricted community. We are built for the long term and serve buyers at different stages of their lives. Because of that, we are diversified and built for the ups and downs of the homebuilding industry.

Community-wise, Pulte is built on a foundation of wanting to make the communities where we operate better. We have partnered locally with the Children’s Home Network and over the last 10 years raised over $2 million to benefit that organization, which helps underprivileged children and families get back on the path to success.

We are also very active in supporting veterans both within Pulte and outside. Through PulteGroup’s Built to Honor program, the West Florida Division will be donating our seventh and eighth mortgage-free homes to deserving veterans later this year. We are doing our part to give back and remain engaged with trade partners, local municipalities, land sellers, and developers.

How do you view residential construction’s role in supporting Tampa Bay’s economic expansion?

Homeownership has long been the American dream. It is a way for families to build wealth, accumulate equity, and put down roots. A big headwind right now is affordability, and we are addressing that in several ways.

Housing not only provides a great place to live and raise families, but it is also a job creator and a huge economic driver. All of the jobs coming into the greater West Florida market mean those people need a place to live.

We want to make sure we have a diversified offering. That includes townhomes, because when you increase density and build attached housing, you can offer a home at a lower price than a single-family detached home. 

Another way we are addressing affordability is by stretching our geographic footprint. Areas like northern Pasco County, Hernando County, Manatee County, and Polk County offer more favorable land prices as you move away from the city center, which allows us to deliver incremental affordability to buyers.

What are your key priorities for PulteGroup in West Florida over the next three to five years?

It is no surprise that Tampa is land constrained. We cannot build to the west because of the Gulf, and there are challenges related to where urban services, city water, and city sewer are available.

We see 2026 as a year of normalization, where pricing is stabilizing. Many builders are transitioning away from putting a lot of speculative homes into the ground, and PulteGroup is moving more toward a build-to-order model, where we build a home from scratch with a buyer.

During COVID, our cycle times had ballooned to nine or 10 months. They are now around four to five months, so it is not as important to have an inventory home already in the ground. We can build a home from scratch, let buyers select their colors, options, and homesite, and deliver the home they want.

We expect to continue seeing a shift toward more build-to-order homes and fewer spec homes. This approach allows buyers greater personalization throughout the process.

We are extremely bullish on Florida. Over the last 12 months, there has been a lot of turbulence, volatility, and concern, but Florida continues to shine. We are optimistic about the long-term outlook for Florida, especially with the addition of Explore by Del Webb.

We think it addresses an unmet need in the market and we look forward to expanding the brand throughout Florida.