Image courtesy of Traton Homes.

Marietta—based Traton Homes is expanding into Florida and has hired industry veteran Mike Burgess as president of its new division in the state.

With 30 years of experience in the homebuilding industry, Burgess was most recently vice president of D.R. Horton‘s division in Greenville, S.C. He worked with builders and developers in Virginia and Idaho before joining the company’s Florida division in 2010. In 2017, he was named to his most-recent post within the homebuilder.

“Mike brings the necessary skill set to lead our expansion into the Florida market,” Traton Homes COO Chris Poston said in a press release. “Florida is an important part of our strategic-growth plans, and we are excited to bring Traton quality and craftsmanship to a new group of homebuyers.”

Traton will begin building in Florida’s Bay and Walton counties this year. Cessna Landing, a community of 19 homes located in Santa Rosa, is one of the company’s first Florida projects.

Traton will establish an office in Bay County and is working to fill various office and field positions there. The homebuilder plans to “aggressively” expand its Florida operations in 2022, focusing primarily on the Panhandle area.