Otto Divosta

Otto Divosta (born June 11, 1934[1]) was a principal partner of a major home development company based out of South Florida. In the 1970s he developed a process for building multi-family homes in an assembly line fashion. DiVosta and Clifford F. Burg form Burg & DiVosta Corp. to combine Burg's construction experience with DiVosta's development company. Since the 60s, DiVosta has built 40,000 homes in Florida. DiVosta sold his company to Pulte Homes in 1998.[2]

He developed a quick-setting cement used in 1981 to build a three bedroom, two bath home, with two car garage, in seven hours and 35 minutes. The house was auctioned off with proceeds to be donated to the City of Palm Beach Gardens for a municipal swimming pool. This was believed to be a world record breaking construction, beating a previous record of 19 hours held by U.S. Homes Corp. The average house normally takes about three months to complete, according to an experienced home builder.[3]

Otto DiVosta donated a swimming pool to be built just west of the Palm Beach Gardens community Center, located on the south side of Burns Road at Military Trail.[4]

Three acres of the southwest corner of PGA and Military Trail was owned by Otto "Buz" DiVosta and his wife Betty. The DiVostas obtained approval in 1981 for a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2), six story office building which was planned to house Burg & DiVosta's corporate headquarters. This was delayed because of high interest rates, an overbuilt market, or objections from homeowners directly behind the property, depending on who you ask.[5][6]

Otto "Buz" DiVosta, a major developer in Palm Beach county, building subdivisions such as The Bluffs in Jupiter, had negotiated with historians to preserve a historic site. The historians thought he owned the lot.[7]

Otto "Buz" DiVosta introduced a construction method in 1974, unique to South Florida.[8]

In 1996, Divosta bought the Jupiter Theatre from previous owner Burt Reynolds, with plans to reopen with new management.[9]

Divosta has at least one grandchild, Nathan Galui. Nathan was featured as a contestant on HGTV's Design Star reality show.[10]

Burg, a sixth-generation Floridian who grew up in a citrus growing family, retired from Burg & DiVosta Corp. in 1989. He later started a juice plant in 1996.[11]

References

  1. ^ Tuckwood, Jan; Kleimberg, Eliot (2000). Our century featuring the Palm Beach post 100: the people who changed the way we live. Palm Beach Post. pp. 174. ISBN 0965720039. http://books.google.com/books?id=TiC84R9yXgEC&lpg=PA173&dq=otto%20divosta&pg=PA174#v=onepage&q=otto%20divosta&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-29. 
  2. ^ http://www.treasurecoastvoices.com/index.php?topic=836.0;wap2
  3. ^ Gordon, Michael (May 1, 1981). "Former Maine Men help set record". Bangor Daily News: pp. 34. 
  4. ^ Ledbetter, Lark (Feb 15, 1982). "Community Center Planned". The Palm Beach Post: pp. C2. 
  5. ^ Van De Water, Ava (Mar 2, 1987). "PGA Boulevard a site to foresee". The Palm Beach Post. 
  6. ^ "PB Gardens OK's Office Building". The Palm Beach Post: pp. B2. Jan 23, 1982. 
  7. ^ "Historic Mounts Destroyed by Builder". Sarasota Herald-Tribune: pp. 11B. Feb 25, 1990. 
  8. ^ "DiVosta Home's Revolutionary building system". Boca Raton News: pp. 32F. Apr 6, 1997. 
  9. ^ http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1998-12-09/news/9812090163_1_dinner-theater-burt-reynolds-jupiter
  10. ^ "Local ‘Design Star’ contestant Nathan Galui gets the boot". pbpulse. August 22, 2009. http://www.pbpulse.com/tv/reality-tv/2009/08/22/local-design-star-contestant-nathan-galui-gets-the-boot/. Retrieved 2010-05-13. 
  11. ^ Salisbury, Susan (March 23, 2009). "Premium profits: Freshco finds niche in competitive juice market". The Palm Beach Post. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/business/epaper/2009/03/23/a1f_irjuice_0323.html. Retrieved 2010-05-13.