James F. Bates, Esq. - Co-Founder / President / CEO

Mr. James F. Bates is a Co-Founder, President and CEO of Seminole Development, LLC.   Mr. Bates founded the company with his brother, Mr. H. Jeff Bates to develop properties in and around Southern Alabama and Northwestern Florida to benefit families, first time homebuyers, and retirees.   Mr. James Bates directs the day to day operations of the company. 

Mr. James Bates is also a Colorado licensed attorney and is the principal shareholder in The Bates Law Firm, P.C., a Denver, Colorado based law firm  (www.batesatty.com).   

Mr. Bates’ primary concentrations of legal practice are in the areas of real estate and private equity. 
He has assisted clients with acquisition and disposition of real estate projects in excess of $300 million. 

Mr. Bates is the sole member in CAB Consulting, LLC which consults with small businesses and real estate development companies on a number of varied endeavors.  In total, Mr. Bates has over 15 years experience in real estate and land development. 

Mr. Bates is a graduate of The University of Denver College of Law (Juris Doctor / Master of Laws (LLM) in Taxation) and The Florida State University (Bachelor of Science – Social Science).  

Please contact Mr. James Bates directly at jamie@seminoledevelopment.com. 




H. Jeff Bates - Co-Founder / Vice President of Acquisitions and Development 

Mr. H. Jeff Bates is a Co-Founder of Seminole Development, LLC with James Bates and serves as Vice President of Acquisitons and Development.   Mr. H. J. Bates' substantial network and knowledge of communities served by Seminole Development is crucial to the company's success. 

Mr. H. Jeff Bates has been a professor of Economics for Auburn University - Montgomery School of Business for the past eight years and a professor in total for fifteen years in various business administration courses. 

In addition, Mr. H. J. Bates has worked as an economic and quantitative consultant for public, private, and governmental agencies.  He has been involved with land and real estate development in southern Alabama since 1994. 

Further, Mr. Bates serves as the economic consultant for the Alabama CBS News affiliates and is an often contributor for several regional and local news organizations. 

Mr. Bates is a graduate of The Auburn University - Montgomery School of Business (Masters of Business Administration) and The University of Montevallo (Bachelor of Business Administration). 

Please contact Mr. H. Jeff Bates directly at jeff@seminoledevelopment.com. 




Timothy J. Brooks - Vice President of Operations    

Mr. Timothy J. ("TJ") Brooks spent the last nine years with the Town of Seaside, Florida (www.seasidefl.com), known as the First New Urbanism Town, internationally famous for its architecture, quality of streets, beaches and public spaces (“a walking community”).  Mr. Brooks implemented the Seaside security department, and then served as Seaside’s Town Manager. 

Prior to Seaside, Mr. Brooks was a State Trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol serving the Bradenton and Panama City Districts.  Mr. Brooks also served his country as part of the United States Coast Guard prior to joining the Florida Highway Patrol.  

Mr. Brooks is a native of DeFuniak Springs, Florida.  He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from The Florida State University in 1994.    Please contact Mr. Brooks directly at tjbrooks@seminoledevelopment.com. 



Edward D. Leybovich - Vice President of Finance

Mr. Edward D. Leybovich has over 15 years of experience in Finance, Sales and Management. 

He is currently a Director and Regional Manager at Standard and Poor’s in New York, NY where he is responsible for sales and marketing for the Security Evaluations and Classifications business lines.

He formerly served as a Managing Partner and Director of Sales and Strategy at Caliber Financial Management, LLC, a financial services company that he co-founded in 2002. Before starting Caliber, Mr. Leybovich structured and executed derivative transactions ranging from $5 million to over $1 billion at the global investment bank, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.

He also advised the bank’s institutional clients on asset/liability management, capital structure and risk management.

Mr. Leybovich has an MBA with a triple concentration in Finance, International Business and Information Technology from New York University - Stern School of Business and a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University.  

Please contact Mr. Leybovich at ed@seminoledevelopment.com.