Corporate landlords in Tampa Bay evict at higher rates

Welcome back to our monthly LinkedIn newsletter, Business Brief, where we round up Tampa Bay's top business news and trends.

As the Hillsborough County courthouse emptied around her, Ayesha Evans sat on a bench and wept. Her family would be evicted from their Valrico home early the next morning. 

Theirs was one of at least 250 evictions filed in Hillsborough last year by Invitation Homes, a real estate investment firm with a significant footprint in the Tampa Bay area’s rental market.

Investment firms control thousands of single-family rentals across the region. A Times analysis of court data shows Tampa Bay’s largest corporate landlords also are more aggressive in pursuing eviction cases.

Read Part 4 of Buying up the Bay, our series exploring how the rise of real estate investors influences the local housing market.

If you missed the other installments, be sure to catch up on this special report from the beginning at tampabay.com/buyingupthebay.

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Four friends bought the 9-acre island between Apollo Beach and MacDill Air Force Base a little more than six years ago and turned it into an offshore party venue. Now, they’re selling it.

What’s it like to own the island anyway? Hear from the current owners.

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Today's Business Brief was compiled by Alexandra Urban.