Benjamin Stevenson
MPA, MPS, CHAM
Leading the Lakeland Housing Authority since 2012 — guiding the agency from Financially Troubled status to a HUD High Performer rating in both Public Housing and Section 8.
1,400+
Units of affordable housing developed$2B
In affordable housing project value2018
FAHRO Housing Authority of the Year2025
CareerSource Polk Employer of DistinctionLeadership at Lakeland Housing Authority
Since early 2012, Benjamin Stevenson has served as the President/CEO of the Lakeland Housing Authority, West Lake Management, LLC, Polk County Housing Developers, Inc. and Lakeland Polk Housing Corporation, Inc. During his tenure, he has guided the housing authority from a rating of Financially Troubled/Financially At-Risk to a High Performer rating in both Public Housing and Section 8.
Through Stevenson’s leadership, the Lakeland Housing Authority was selected as the Housing Authority of the Year by the Florida Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials in 2018. The agency has also received a Polk County Employer of Distinction award from CareerSource Polk in 2025.
Stevenson has served as a senior executive in the development of over 1,400 units of affordable housing worth nearly $2 billion. Projects under his supervision have won awards for fiscal management, community design, and affordable housing innovation from organizations such as the American Society for Public Administration, American Institute of Architects, National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition.
Hurricane Katrina Recovery — New Orleans
Previously, Stevenson spent over five years working on a federal contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. to assist the Housing Authority of New Orleans with its Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. He supervised affordable housing redevelopment in the Mid-Town, Seventh and Ninth Ward areas.
Columbia Parc of the Bayou District (formerly the St. Bernard public housing community) was voted the best affordable housing project in the country and was visited by President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, and billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett.
HOPE VI — Tampa Housing Authority
Stevenson supervised the HOPE VI program for Tampa Housing Authority from 1998 to 2005. The Belmont Heights Estates project was recognized as a model for affordable housing development and was visited by HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and the Hyde Group, a housing association from London, England — at that time the largest and leading provider of affordable housing in the United Kingdom.
Education & Credentials
Associate of Arts, Architecture
University of FloridaBachelor of Arts, Criminal Justice
University of FloridaMaster of Arts, Political Science / Public Administration
Certified Housing Asset Manager (CHAM)
Institute of Real Estate ManagementBeyond the Office
Hometown Roots
Born in Lakeland and a graduate of Mulberry High School, Stevenson was inducted into the Polk County Public Schools Hall of Fame in 2015. He completed Leadership Lakeland Class XXXI, Leadership Polk Class XIII, and Polk Vision’s Inside Polk County Public Schools Class II.
Academic Honors
Stevenson attended graduate school on an academic scholarship from the State of Florida Board of Regents.
Artist & Painter
At age seven, Stevenson won a scholarship through a “Talent Test” sponsored by the Art Instruction School in Minneapolis — the same school attended by Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts. His paintings are held in the permanent collection at the University of Florida and by private collectors across the southeastern United States, California, and China.
