For 50 years, Itzhak “Itchko” Ezratti has shaped Florida. Not just through homebuilding, but through communities and charitable landscapes. As the founder and chairman of GL Homes, Itzhak Ezratti has overseen the milestone of more than 100,000 residents living in a GL Homes community across both Florida coasts, from Palm Beach County to Naples to Port St. Lucie. 

Today, GL Homes employs hundreds of people and ranks among the top private home builders in the country. This milestone is a half-century of families finding their homes, and communities built to last.

Homes and Communities Built Across Florida

When Itzhak Ezratti founded GL Homes in 1976, his first project was in Hollywood, Florida. What followed was one of the most sustained runs in Florida home-building history.

GL Homes grew into one of Florida’s most recognized home builders by focusing on large, master-planned communities designed around how people actually live. The Valencia brand — GL Homes’ signature active-adult community concept — launched and has since grown to more than 12,000 homes across its communities. The Bridges and Lotus brands followed, serving families seeking resort-style amenities and luxury design at a range of price points.

Builder Magazine has consistently recognized GL Homes on its annual Builder 100 list, confirming the company’s standing as one of the top largest privately held home builders in the United States. Across every brand and every market cycle, the constant has been a commitment to building communities where people genuinely want to live.

Civic Infrastructure: Building Beyond the Home

The full scope of Itzhak Ezratti’s impact on Florida becomes clearest when you look beyond the homes themselves. GL Homes has donated land for schools, parks, libraries, fire and police stations and civic centers. These public assets serve Florida residents for generations beyond the homes themselves.

One recent example: the 32,000-square-foot Canyon Branch Library in Boynton Beach opened on land donated by GL Homes. That kind of contribution doesn’t show up in a home sales count, but it reflects the philosophy that Itzhak Ezratti built into GL Homes from the beginning. He believes the company’s responsibility to a community doesn’t end at the property line. For Itzhak Ezratti, building a community has always meant investing in the infrastructure that makes it worth living in.

Philanthropy: Three Pillars, Lasting Impact

Giving back has always been part of GL Homes’ identity, and under Itzhak Ezratti’s leadership, that commitment became a structured, enduring program with real reach across Florida. GL Homes Philanthropy organizes the company’s charitable work around three core areas: hunger relief, housing stability and children’s education.

On hunger, GL Homes has partnered with Feeding South Florida and The Lord’s Place Meal Mobile which delivers meals and outreach services to individuals facing homelessness in Palm Beach County. The goal of these initiatives is to help address food insecurity across the region.

On housing stability, GL Homes has supported Habitat for Humanity chapters across Florida. Through the Make a House a Home initiative, GL Homes also donates surplus building materials, furnishings and household goods to organizations like Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Gulfstream Goodwill, helping families transitioning from homelessness furnish their homes.

On education and youth development, GL Homes Philanthropy supports the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, Broward, Lee County, Collier County and St. Lucie County, along with the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County and youth-focused nonprofits across the state. 

GL Homes’ Passion for Playgrounds initiative creates safe outdoor spaces for children in underserved areas, while the Summer of Service program engages GL Homes employees directly in community volunteer efforts. Taken together, these three pillars reflect a company that measures its success not only in homes delivered, but in lives meaningfully supported.

Employment and Economic Impact

GL Homes has invested in its people with the same long-term thinking it brings to its communities. It’s been building careers in Florida as long as it has been building homes. With hundreds of employees, the company is a significant employer in Florida’s construction and development sector, and a remarkably stable one. The average manager tenure at GL Homes exceeds 22 years, a figure that stands out in any industry.

That longevity reflects something real about the culture Itzhak Ezratti built. Long-tenured employees don’t stay because of obligations. Instead they stay because they believe in the work. For many, GL Homes isn’t just a job, it’s a career, built alongside the communities they help create. That stability, in turn, shows up in the quality and consistency that GL Homes homebuyers experience decade after decade.

The Handoff: A Legacy Continuing

In 2016, Itzhak Ezratti transitioned to chairman of GL Homes and handed day-to-day leadership to his son, Misha Ezratti, who became president after years working across various divisions of the company. 

Misha Ezratti has since expanded GL Homes with the launch of many new communities, and deepened the company’s philanthropic reach. The founding principles established by Itzhak, including integrity, quality and long-term thinking, remain at the center of how GL Homes operates. The transition is less a changing of the guard than a continuation of the same vision, carried forward by someone who grew up inside it.

Looking Forward

Fifty years in, Itzhak Ezratti’s contribution to Florida is measured in more than square footage. It’s measured in the families housed, the civic infrastructure created, the meals provided and the careers built. GL Homes was founded on the belief that hard work, integrity and quality craftsmanship would thrive in the marketplace. Half a century later, the record bears that out — and the work continues.