Saunders Ralston Dantzler Realty

Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM

Job title

Managing Partner, Broker

Email

dean@saundersrealestate.com

Background

Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM is a Realtor®, real estate land broker, conservation easement specialist, and one of an elite group of Accredited Land Consultants.

He comes from a sixth-generation Florida agricultural family and earned a BSA from the University of Florida in Fruit Crops, Food and Resource Economics.

Growing up with an appreciation for Florida land would form a foundation for vital property-rights and conservation work throughout his career. Dean began his real estate career in 1982 and 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).

In 1992, Dean was elected to the Florida House of Representatives where he contributed to important conservation and property rights legislation. This legislation served as a significant catalyst that encouraged the State of Florida to buy conservation land.

In 1996, Dean formed a real estate brokerage firm that specialized in land and conservation easements. Over the years, commercial real estate services were added, culminating in the affiliation with the Coldwell Banker Commercial brand in early 2006.

Each year, Dean receives significant recognition for exemplary sales performance from both the Coldwell Banker Commercial global network and regional industry organizations. He earned the #1 Global Sales Professional in the entire worldwide Coldwell Banker Commercial affiliate network for2011, 2010, and 2008. He has led the company to Coldwell Banker Commercial's highest honor, the Commercial Elite award, five years for outstanding sales performance and customer service.

In 2003, Saunders was selected by the National Association of Realtors®, along with Alan Greenspan, then four-term chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, as one of the exclusive nine "Notables." As a Notable, Dean was considered by his peers to be among the influential in real estate nationally. In 2001, Dean became one of 1,000 brokers nationwide at that time to be certified as an Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) by the Realtors® Land Institute (RLI). He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).

Dean is a member Realtor® of the Lakeland Association of Realtors® (LAR), among others, including the Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors® (CFCAR) and the Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors®.(FGCAR).

Dean is the former chair of the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) which oversaw nearly 200,000 real estate licensees in 2001 and is past president of the Florida Chapter of Realtors® Land Institute.

As an industry authority, Dean is often published and quoted in a variety of respected journals, such as Florida Investor, Florida Real Estate Journal, and Florida Trend. He authored the benchmark and award-winning consumer publication "We Create Solutions: A Primer on Conservation Easements" and produces a popular real estate conference on a variety of current real estate market subjects. He is a sought-after speaker as a conservation and land expert who understands both sides of the equation; the needs of a landowner and the marketplaces' need for land on which to build and grow Florida's economy.

Dean resides in Lakeland, FL with wife, Gina, and their four children and 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" from well-known Florida wildlife artist,Thomas Brooks, and others.