Builder advocate to retire

Michael Reitmann, the longtime building industry advocate, told the board of the Lee Building Industry Association he plans to step down from his post as executive vice president next July.

Reitmann, who will turn 71 next month, has led the Lee builders' association for 26 years and has been the public face of the builder lobby, tirelessly defending the industry from regulators and politicians seeking to curb growth in Lee County.

He leaves at a time when politicians chastened by the economic downturn are most favorably disposed to the building industry.

Reitmann's family emigrated to the U.S. through Ellis Island from Austria when he was 10 years old and settled in Ohio. He has been a leading proponent of the building industry for 37 years.

Before joining the Lee Building Industry Association, he was the national training director for the National Association of Home Builders for 10 years. After starting his career teaching German to university students in Jacksonville, he led the Northeast Florida Builders Association for a year.

The Lee Building Industry Association has begun a national search for Reitmann's replacement (those who are interested can email [email protected]).