Dean Saunders
Managing Director/ Senior Advisor, SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate
Lakeland, FL 33803
Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM is Founder, Managing Director, & Senior Advisor at SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate in Lakeland, Florida
Phone (863) 774-3522
Mobile (863) 287-8340
Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM is Founder, Managing Director, & Senior Advisor at SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate in Lakeland, Florida
Specialties
Investment Sales Broker
Property Types
Land
Markets
Orlando, Tampa/St Petersburg, Southwest Florida
Languages
English
Bio
Since 1985, Dean has specialized in Florida land and conservation easements. He served in the US Senate as Agricultural Liaison, Special Assistant, and Director of External Affairs to US Senator Lawton Chiles, then Governor Chiles (D-FL). From 1992 to 1996 he served in the Florida House of Representatives. Combining a passion for supporting landowner property rights while also conserving natural land in Florida, Dean proposed and became one of three main sponsors of the Bert J. Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act. This legislation later evolved into Florida’s conservation easements programs. The concept of state-owned conservation easements was truly revolutionary 25 years ago, but the success of this idea is recognized today as a tremendous positive impact on our state. He comes from an eighth-generation Florida agricultural family, earned a BSA from the University of Florida in Fruit Crops, Food and Resource Economics, and is a recognized Florida land and conservation easement authority. In 1996, Dean formed the real estate brokerage firm Saunders Real Estate, LLC, and was affiliated with the Coldwell Banker Commercial brand in early 2006. This affiliation brought a national and global presence to the firm. In 2019, Saunders Real Estate affiliated with the SVN Shared Value Network®, a globally recognized commercial real estate brand united by a shared vision of creating value with clients, colleagues, and communities. The brokerage is also more fully integrated with its sister company, Saunders Ralston Dantzler Realty, a comprehensive commercial real estate brokerage, to become SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate. As an industry authority, Dean is published and quoted in a variety of respected journals, such as The Land Report, Florida Investor, Florida Trend, and Florida Forests. He authored the benchmark, award-winning consumer publication, “We Create Solutions: A Primer on Conservation Easements” and produced a real estate Florida land conference based upon his innovative work through the Lay of the Land Market Report. The report is the only source for verified Florida land sales and values for specific land property types. Dean resides in Lakeland, FL, with his wife, Gina, and enjoys spending quality time with their children and grandchildren. He is an avid hunter with numerous trophy mounts. Each year, the Saunders family commissions an original painting to add to The Saunders Collection: Natural Lands of Florida and Agricultural Heritage from well-known Florida wildlife artists. Dean specializes in Legacy Ranches, Large Acreage Land, Citrus Groves, Timberland, and Conservation Easements.
Education
Affiliations
