Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside, headquartered on Roosevelt Boulevard in Clearwater, landed the No. 2 spot among midsize companies on Florida Trend magazine's 2026 Best Companies To Work For In Florida list, the nonprofit announced Monday, Aug. 3.

The ranking, published in Florida Trend's August issue, places the affordable-housing builder second only to Melbourne-based Cypress Bank & Trust among the 53 midsize employers recognized statewide. It is the only Clearwater-headquartered organization in the top 10 of the midsize category.

The honor comes during a stretch of rapid growth for the 41-year-old nonprofit. Under President and CEO Mike Sutton, who has led the organization since March 2014, annual revenue has climbed from roughly $5 million to more than $35 million, and home production has jumped from about 20 units per year to more than 80. Sutton was separately named to the Tampa Bay Titan 100 Hall of Fame in July.

In its fiscal year ending June 30, Habitat Tampa Bay Gulfside closed on 80 new homes, logged 27,300 volunteer hours and added 238 bedrooms for 108 adults and 116 children across Pinellas, West Pasco and Hernando counties.

"Each home built and family served is its own milestone for us at Habitat," Sutton said in late June when the organization announced its record-setting 2024-25 year of 88 homes. "For us as a staff to be able to step back and see that we helped 88 families achieve their piece of the American dream by becoming homeowners, with a 0% interest mortgage, is just an incredible feeling."

The Florida Trend program, managed by Workforce Research Group and endorsed by the HR Florida State Council, evaluates workplace policies, employee satisfaction surveys and demographics. Companies must have at least 15 Florida-based workers and one year of operation to qualify. The midsize category covers employers with 50 to 249 employees; Habitat Tampa Bay Gulfside has approximately 96 staff members.

The organization offers up to 25 days of paid time off, 18 paid holidays, 100% employer-paid medical, dental and vision premiums, four weeks of paid parental leave, and a sabbatical program for long-tenured staff, according to its profile with the Children's Movement of Florida.

Habitat Tampa Bay Gulfside also operates a Homeowner Education Center at 13355 49th St. N. in Clearwater, where prospective buyers complete 38 homebuyer education classes before qualifying for a fixed-rate, 0% interest mortgage. Candidates must earn between 30% and 80% of the Area Median Income and contribute 350 to 450 hours of sweat equity.

Next up for the organization: a late-2026 groundbreaking on a 100-unit affordable townhome community on an 8-acre former church site at 833 Wyatt St. in Largo, purchased for $4.75 million. That project is expected to take two to three years to complete. Residents interested in volunteering or learning about homeownership can visit habitattbg.org.