President of Sarasota architecture firm to retire after 32 years

After more than 30 years at the helm of the architecture firm bearing his name, Clifford M. Scholz will step down as president of Clifford M. Scholz Architects (CMSA). 

The Sarasota architecture firm has helped design spaces from the local Jaguar and Lexus dealerships to Plantation Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers since Scholz founded CMSA in 1992. It has also worked on a host of commercial and residential projects, including luxury gulf and bayfront homes, throughout southwest Florida.

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Scholz will transition out of his leadership role on Dec. 31 and continue as a design consultant in a limited capacity, according to a statement.

“After a long and fulfilling career, it’s time for me to step into the next chapter of my life,” Scholz says in a statement. “I’m confident that CMSA is in excellent hands moving forward and will continue to make a positive impact on architectural design in the Southwest Florida region.”

Richard Oswald and Daniel Shaffer, who became partners in 2018, will continue to lead CMSA as president and and vice president, respectively. The leadership transition has been planned since the duo established their partnership, according to a statement.

“We are so fortunate to have had the vision and leadership that Clifford provided for all these years,” Oswald says in a statement.

In total, Scholz has spent 55 years in architectural design, the statement says.

“He has shared an invaluable wealth of information with us,” Shaffer says, “and we look forward to continuing his legacy of excellence in our communities.”

This article was updated to reflect that Richard Oswald will be president and Daniel Shaffer will be vice president of CMSA.