In 1938, Thomas G. Lee and his wife stood on 500 acres of Central Florida farmland. They saw more than fields—they saw potential. With hard work, they transformed their land into a thriving agricultural business, expanding to 2,400 acres of sorghum, hay, corn, and millet. But the Lees always saw beyond the fields. In 1981, they made a bold decision—annexing LeeVista into the City of Orlando, aligning with the growing Orlando International Airport. This strategic move turned farmland into an asset.
By 1982, Kathleen and Richard Lee secured financing to build essential infrastructure—roads, water, and sewer lines—despite facing 21% interest rates. The first major sale was a 291-room Holiday Inn, followed by a 492-room Marriott Hotel and a Class A office building. LeeVista was evolving—from fields to a thriving mixed-use development. By 2012, three generations of the Lee family were actively involved. Under their leadership, LeeVista became a premier mixed-use community with 700,000 square feet of office space, 2,000,000 square feet of industrial facilities, and 3,600 multi-family residential units.
Today, LeeVista is a regional asset, a place where businesses thrive, families live, and a family legacy endures. Guided by integrity, vision, and stewardship, the Lees continue to shape their legacy—building not just a community, but a lasting story.