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Meet Rebuilding Together CEO
Mark Wilson reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Jose Garcia got his start leading non-profits as a young immigrant from Venezuela in the 1980s. Now, he's using that work ethic he learned from his heritage to help our community as the CEO of Rebuilding Together Greater Florida.
The backstory:
Garcia has always been hands-on and his work ethic started when he was a young man in Venezuela.
"I was sure I had to work work work. I knew the only way to be successful is to be the best of me and to show the best of me," Garcia explained.
Courtesy: Jose Garcia
It's what led him to the United States in 1988.
Garcia said, "I came to this country with the idea of learning the language because I felt it was needed."
What we know:
That work ethic shines through Rebuilding Together, where he's the CEO.
"Opportunities came along, and I always said these are trains that pass through your life and unless you jump, you're going to miss it and if you miss it, you will regret it," Garcia explained. "I had the opportunity to jump on those trains and here we are."
But his title doesn't keep him in the office.
His organization helps homeowners with urgent repairs to windows and roofs, or disaster relief right after a storm, and even homeowner education.
Garcia said, "we need to spread the wealth and help as many people as possible for them to come back to their homes."
Why you should care:
He said there's an affordable housing crisis in our community and the need is great. On top of that, the housing stock is low.
"Prices are rising, people are making the same money, houses are deteriorating when they're trying to buy one," Garcia added.
Last year, his organization repaired three-hundred-and-sixty homes. After Hurricane Ian in 2022, they did eleven-hundred homes.
They don't just respond after hurricanes either.
"When we talk about a storm, it doesn't have to be a Cat 3 or Cat 4 hurricane," he said. "It can be a tropical storm, enough to bring water into the house and damage the house."
Big picture view:
He added the crisis is keeping families from the American Dream, which is a dream he knows takes time to achieve.
"I also believe in the American Dream," he explained. "Within two to three years, I purchased my only condominium in Washington, DC."
While he knows not everyone will get the chance to achieve it, he's going to try to give them a brighter future.
"If we repair those homes, they will be passed down to the next generation. A son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter, someone in the family so they will stay as affordable as possible in the future," he responded.
Because he knows they are what's valuable in our community.
"In the end, it's the hugs and gratitude from the homeowners that are as valuable as any other funding I can raise throughout the year," he said.
What's next:
Another sign that he will never lose his work ethic, he said that when he retires, he plans on getting his Masters or Ph.D.
He said that was the only thing he'd tell his younger self to do.
The Source: FOX 13 gathered the information for this story from an interview with the CEO of Rebuilding Together Greater Florida.