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James Shimberg, Sr., 84, Created Tampa's Suburbs
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James H. Shimberg, Sr. |
James H. "Jim" Shimberg, Sr., a member of the National Housing Hall of Fame, NAHB national vice president, founding trustee of the National Housing Endowment and one of the first developers of suburban communities in the Tampa, Fla. area, died of lung cancer on June 15. He was 84.
A New York native, Shimberg came to Tampa in 1958 and, with his brother Hinks Shimberg and partner Charles LaMonte, launched a development business that began with 30 houses in South Tampa.
Over the next five decades, Shimberg built more than 7,000 homes in the Tampa area and was a recognized leader of Tampa’s housing industry.
"He was the unofficial housing guru when I was mayor,” said Sandy Freedman, Tampa mayor from 1986 to 1995. “He gave us great advice and helped us in numerous ways."
Shimberg served as president of the Tampa Home Builders Association and the Florida Home Builders Association. He was inducted into the Housing Hall of Fame in 1985.
Through the years, Shimberg also helped develop two Tampa hospitals — University Community Hospital and Pepin Heart Hospital. He also was a longtime advocate of workforce housing in the Tampa area.
Shimberg began building houses for first-time home buyers in the 1960s when he developed Town ’N Country Park Community, one of the first suburban communities to offer affordable housing for working residents in the Tampa Bay area.
In 1991, the Shimberg family established the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing at the University of Florida, dedicated to developing solutions for creating safe, decent and affordable housing throughout Florida and establishing the state as an international model for developing and delivering affordable housing.
In February, Shimberg was named the Outstanding Citizen of the Year in Tampa by the Tampa Metro Civitan Club for his leadership and 50 years of service to the community.
"He was a real visionary who helped shape this community. He helped make Tampa what it is today," said Pam Iorio, the current Tampa mayor.
Born in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1923, Shimberg served in the Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces during World War II, rising to the rank of first lieutenant. After the war, he attended the University of Chicago Law School, where he received his law degree in 1949, and practiced law in New York before moving to Tampa in 1958.
Shimberg is survived by his wife, Amy; three sons, James, Jr., Robert and Richard; two daughters, Nancy and Janet; 15 grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
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