What J Square Developers does

J Square Developers (also operating as J2 Developers; legal entity J Square Realty Associates) is a privately held, for-profit real estate development and advisory firm headquartered at 248 Mirror Lake Drive North, St. Petersburg, Florida. Founded (per the company history timeline) in 2014 by Jay Miller after 20+ years in retail real estate development, the firm specializes in identifying underutilized infill sites across the Florida Gulf Coast and redeveloping or repositioning them for contemporary national retailers, mixed-use users, and luxury residential buyers. Core capabilities span site selection, master planning, complex entitlement navigation, retail lease negotiation, construction oversight, asset management, property management, commercial brokerage, and public-private partnership structuring. Notable delivered projects include the Saint James Townhomes (2020, sold out prior to completion), Quattro Beach Drive (2016), 4th Street Garden Shops (adaptive re-use of a 1940 Art Deco auto dealership), and freestanding Trader Joe's and The Vitamin Shoppe stores (the first Trader Joe's in Pinellas County). The firm's underlying technology stack is not a software platform - the moat rests on Jay Miller's relationships with national retailers (Trader Joe's, Starbucks, Wawa, O'Reilly's Auto Parts, Whole Foods Market, Target, The Gap, The Cheesecake Factory, Circle K, F45 Fitness, The Vitamin Shoppe) and on over 100 retail lease transactions negotiated across his career.

The revenue model mixes professional services (third-party fee development, advisory, entitlements, project budgeting), transaction fees (commercial brokerage commissions on retail lease deals), and managed services (recurring asset and property management fees on developed real estate). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, varying with project scope, complexity, and client requirements. GTM is enterprise field sales: direct outreach to national retail real estate committees for build-to-suit and redevelopment mandates, plus advisory engagements with Florida property owners on a third-party basis. Marketing relies on a basic corporate website, project case studies, testimonials, and Greater St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce participation rather than digital channels. Active pipeline projects include Sunrise Plaza Shopping Center (a 40,000 s.f. Whole Foods Market-anchored redevelopment with freestanding Starbucks in NE St. Petersburg) and Orange Station, the mixed-use Edge Central Development Partners joint venture with DDA Development and Backstreet Capital LLC redeveloping a 2.1-acre former police station site in the Edge District (50,000 s.f. Class A office, 102 residential units, 15,000 s.f. retail, 600-car public-private garage, slated late 2023). The firm employs 1-10 people and is privately held with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent company backing; ownership is concentrated with founder Jay Miller (President), who holds a Florida real estate broker license.

Name

J Square Developers

Legal name

J Square Realty Associates

Website

https://j2developers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

J Square Developers is a privately held St. Petersburg, Florida real estate development firm (founded 2014) that identifies underutilized infill sites and redevelops them for national retailers, mixed-use users, and luxury residential buyers across the Tampa Bay and Florida Gulf Coast markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Development Services

NAICS

Land Subdivision (2372)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Land & Development Site Brokerage (BPAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)

Keywords

• Real estate development
• Commercial brokerage
• Site selection services
• Build-to-suit development
• Property management

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Petersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Fee Development Services: Advisory and development services provided to property owners on a third-party basis. J Square develops retail centers and freestanding sites, earning development fees for project management, planning, entitlements, and construction oversight.
2. Retail Lease Negotiations: The company negotiates retail lease transactions with tenants for developed properties, earning brokerage commissions. Projects include large mixed-use developments and infill retail sites.
3. Asset and Property Management: Ongoing asset management and property management services for developed real estate, providing recurring revenue from managed properties.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

J Square Developers is a Florida-based real estate development and advisory firm that identifies underutilized infill sites in the Tampa Bay / West Central Florida market and redevelops them for contemporary national retailers and residential communities. The firm provides end-to-end development services — site selection, entitlements, project budgeting, construction oversight, asset and property management — and also earns brokerage commissions through retail lease negotiations for third-party property owners.

Product overview

J Square Developers is a real estate development company offering a unified set of commercial real estate services including development, retail advisory, and commercial brokerage. The company specializes in identifying underutilized sites and developing them for contemporary retailers and residents. Services include Fee Development Services, Asset Management, Property Management, Site Selection, Public Private Partnerships, Project Budgets, Entitlements, and Retail Merchandising. The company also executes a National Retailer Build-to-Suit Program for national tenants and develops residential projects. Notable projects include Sunrise Plaza Shopping Center (anchored by Whole Foods Market), Orange Station (mixed-use development in Edge District), Saint James Townhomes, Quattro Beach Drive, Trader Joes and The Vitamin Shoppe, and 4th Street Garden Shops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Development
• Retail Advisory
• Commercial Brokerage
• Fee Development Services
• Asset Management
• Property Management

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ retail lease transactions negotiated
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Edge Central Development Partners (Joint Venture: J Square, DDA Development, Backstreet Capital LLC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019J Square is a co-developer in Edge Central Development Partners, a joint venture with DDA Development and Backstreet Capital LLC, selected by the City of St. Petersburg to redevelop a 2.1-acre block in the Edge District. The mixed-use project includes 50,000 s.f. of Class A office space, 102 residential units, 15,000 s.f. of ground floor retail, and a 600-car public-private parking garage, with completion slated for late 2023.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SRS Real Estate Partners: National retail CRE services firm delivering brokerage, development, and capital markets services to retailers, investors, and developers. Directly comparable in retail site selection, build-to-suit advisory, and landlord representation.
• Mid-America Real Estate Corporation: Retail-focused commercial real estate firm providing brokerage, asset management, and development services for retail centers. Comparable niche focus on retail real estate with tenant rep and landlord services for national chains.
• Retail Strategies: Boutique retail real estate advisory and site selection firm supporting municipalities, property owners, and retailers with market research, broker services, and development advisory. Comparable as a relationship-driven firm targeting the same national-retailer and property-owner customer base.
• The Shopping Center Group: Retail-specialized commercial real estate brokerage and advisory firm providing tenant representation, site selection, and landlord services. Highly comparable as a mid-sized retail CRE services firm with similar national-retailer relationships and brokerage-led GTM.
• Ripco Real Estate: Retail-specialized commercial real estate investment sales, brokerage, and advisory firm. Comparable in providing retail tenant rep, investment sales, and landlord services for shopping centers and freestanding retail.

Broad incumbents

• Colliers International: Global commercial real estate services firm with full-service retail brokerage, project management, and development advisory. Comparable retail tenant rep and project services, but at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio than a boutique infill developer.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm with a strong retail practice covering brokerage, asset services, valuation, and project management. Overlaps in retail tenant representation and development advisory for national retailers.
• Marcus & Millichap: National commercial real estate investment sales and financing firm with a dedicated retail division. Comparable in retail investment advisory and tenant/landlord services, though primarily transactional and capital-markets focused rather than ground-up development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/j-square-developers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about J Square Developers