Lobbyist Richard Gentry has resigned as Legislative Counsel of the Florida Home Builders Association to become a private attorney, lobbyist and legislative consultant.
“Richard Gentry gave the Florida Home Builders Association 23 years of excellent service,” said FHBA Chief Executive Officer J. Emmett Reed, CAE. “While he has chosen to enter private practice, Richard will remain a friend to our association and someone we hope will always be available to us for support and counsel.”
Gentry has formed Gentry & Associates in Tallahassee.
“The best friends I have today are associated with my years at FHBA,” said Gentry. “I’m leaving ‘home’ but the family ties remain.”
Gentry said that while his heart remains with housing industry goals, he is energized by new challenges. “I’ll be dealing with a broader range of issues and there’s a certain excitement about that,” said Gentry.
Reed announced that Douglas Buck will continue in his role as FHBA’s Director of Governmental Affairs and oversee the association’s legislative staff and operations.
General Counsel Keith Hetrick, Political Affairs Director Wayne Bertsch, Technical Services Director Jack Glenn and Legislative Assistant Robin Erb will all continue their current roles on the legislative staff.
A graduate of the University of Miami law school and Leadership Florida, Gentry joined FHBA in 1983, leaving his assignment as an attorney with the state’s Bureau of Land Sales and Condominiums.
Gentry became FHBA’s chief lobbyist in 1990 and for the next 16 years played a lead role in such key housing issues as growth management, infrastructure funding, property rights, affordable housing, and the state’s uniform building code.
He was also a prime mover behind the growth of FHBA’s Political Action Committee that invests more than a million dollars in each election cycle to elect pro-housing, pro-business candidates to the Florida Cabinet and Legislature.