Patrick Zalupski created a significant Jacksonville-based company when he founded Dream Finders Homes Inc. in 2008.
Under Zalupski’s leadership, the homebuilding firm grew to become a Fortune 1000 company with $4.4 billion in 2024 revenue.
Zalupski’s notoriety expanded beyond Jacksonville in mid-2025 when he became the lead investor of a group seeking to buy the Tampa Bay Rays.
The group succeeded in purchasing the major league baseball team in September for a reported $1.7 billion.
Zalupski’s personal stake in the Rays has not been disclosed but he remains the controlling shareholder of Dream Finders with 64.3% of the stock, based on the most recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Zalupski’s shares were worth about $1.88 billion in early September, shortly before the Rays deal was completed, when Dream Finders’ stock reached its 2025 peak trading price of $31.50.
However, the stock has been sliding since then as the company lowered its forecast for home sales in a difficult housing market.
The stock fell to a 2025 low of $17.61 in late November, reducing the value of Zalupski’s stake to about $1.05 billion.
Zalupski remains chairman and CEO of Dream Finders and has not made any public comments about his role with the company possibly changing after acquiring the Rays.
Jacksonville Aviation Authority CEO Mark VanLoh spent 2025 negotiating partnerships, advancing Concourse B progress, receiving a JAA contract extension with a salary increase and putting out fires.
In November, the JAA CEO evaluation committee unanimously approved a three-year contract extension that brings with it a 10% raise.
VanLoh also would be eligible for a 25% bonus based on his new salary when his goals are reviewed in November 2026 that would boost his total compensation to $531,250. A full board vote on the extension and compensation increase could occur as early as January.
In October, VanLoh oversaw the topping out of Jacksonville International Airport’s Concourse B, which will add six American Airlines gates.
That will also include new dining options, including Cantina Louie, Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, V Pizza and Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q. Concourse construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, along with a 2,000-space parking garage.
In June, VanLoh announced jet manufacturer Otto Aerospace would establish a manufacturing and production facility to build its jet at Cecil Airport.
The announcement came after the Jacksonville City Council approved a $20 million incentive package for the aircraft company in the form of a 20-year, 75% Recapture Enhanced Value Grant for Otto.
Otto, based in Texas, plans to relocate its headquarters to Jacksonville. In total, the move is expected to create a workforce of about 1,200 locally.
The first test flight of the Phantom 3500 is planned in 2027, with certification and deliveries targeted for 2030.
The summer didn’t come without challenges. In May the southern portion of the hourly garage at JIA caught fire, resulting in the loss of 500 spaces. JAA said it will cost about $38 million to demolish and rebuild the structure and it anticipates a revenue loss of about $3.7 million.