Sydney W. Kitson is Chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, a Florida-based real estate company specializing in the creation and development of master-planned communities, commercial properties and golf courses.

Kitson is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Kitson had a notable career in the National Football League, playing offensive guard for both the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. Upon his retirement from professional football, he began his career in real estate by founding a company that, from 1986 to 1992, was responsible for the development and sale of residential communities, commercial properties, retail stores, medical offices and senior housing units. In 1992, he helped create the residential division of Gale & Wentworth, and became its President and Chief Operating Officer in 1996. From 1996 through 1999, he was responsible for overseeing the development of numerous successful master-planned communities, including Cherry Valley (Montgomery Township, NJ) and Ibis Golf & Country Club (West Palm Beach, FL). He founded Kitson & Partners in 2000, locating the firm’s company headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

In 2006, Kitson completed the historic purchase of Babcock Ranch in Southwest Florida, encompassing more than 92,000 acres – an area five times the size of the island of Manhattan. Over 80% of the original land purchase, some 73,000 acres within Charlotte and Lee counties, has been preserved by the State of Florida and Lee County, in the largest single land preservation agreement in the state’s history. On the remaining land, Kitson & Partners will build an extraordinary, sustainable, environmentally-friendly green community where residents will live, work, learn and play amidst the natural splendor of Florida’s undeveloped wilderness. Babcock Ranch is an exceptional example of environmental preservation and responsible growth.

Kitson & Partners currently owns and operates numerous retail shopping centers, totaling more than 1.6 million square feet. In addition, Kitson & Partners is developing multi-use properties located throughout Florida that include residential, hotels, apartments and commercial space.

Syd Kitson is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, lectures at Princeton University, sits on the Policy Advisory Board for the Florida Solar Energy Center, serves on the Board of Directors for both the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation, and is a member of the Florida Council of 100. Kitson is a member of the NFL Alumni Association and the National Football League Players’ Association. In 2000, Syd received the Rainbow Award from the Adam Walsh Children’s Foundation.