Jim Jacob was born in Tampa, Florida on August 2, 1956, and was raised in the Tampa area, attending Gorrie, Wilson and Plant public schools. Mr. Jacob received a BS degree in Business Administration from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina in 1978. After graduation from college, Mr. Jacob served on active duty as an armor officer in the United States Army. Upon leaving the Army in 1983, Mr. Jacob supervised new home construction and lot development for General Homes in Tampa. In 1985, Mr. Jacob obtained his general contractor’s license and real estate salesman’s license while he was head of the Land Division of Resource Capital Corporation. In 1986 Mr. Jacob joined the firm of Preston & Farley, Inc., Realtors, where he specialized in property management, commercial investment brokerage and land brokerage. Mr. Jacob is an associate member of the Urban Land Institute, is a member of the local and state Realtor organizations and holds the CCIM designation from the Realtor’s National Marketing Institute of the National Association of Realtors. An Eagle Scout, Mr. Jacob supports the Boy Scouts of America, is an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and is active in a variety of other civic, social and professional organizations.