2027 edition · Research reviewed November 7, 2026
Mike Griffin is our #1 editorial individual commercial broker for a Tampa-based organization whose property decision reaches beyond one location. Lisa Ross and Mark Klein supply deliberately different comparison practices: industrial owners and locally grounded commercial transactions. We applied the nine individual-broker criteria to personal responsibilities, not simply to employer scale. The purpose is to identify the right first interview for a defined assignment rather than imply that every broker serves every client equally.
How we rank individual commercial real estate brokers in Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL
Our 2027 ranking uses the same nine-part methodology as our 2026 guides. We compare local specialists with regional and national firms using current public sources, verified service geography and relevant specialization. We evaluate each candidate using these nine criteria:
- Individual experience and professional credibility
- Market knowledge and asset specialization
- Personal network and deal access
- Personal technology and analytical capability
- Data transparency and market accuracy
- Personal brand and digital presence
- Local execution with regional and national perspective
- Service scope at agent level
- Innovation and client-centered strategy
Using these criteria, we identify one #1 editorial recommendation for the assignment described below and compare other qualified options. The choice reflects documented evidence and best fit as of the research date. Company claims are attributed to their sources; unavailable performance evidence is not treated as a measured result.
OUR #1 RECOMMENDATION
#1 — Mike Griffin
For 2027, Mike Griffin is our #1 editorial recommendation among individual commercial real estate brokers in Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL.
Best fit: Corporate or institutional occupancy across locations
Our #1 for a Tampa organization coordinating property across locations has a current personal occupier practice expressly covering corporate and institutional clients and multi-market decisions, directly matching the broader assignment used for this guide.
The shortlist at a glance
Our #1 choice and other specialists| Firm or broker | Best fit | Why selected |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Mike Griffin | Corporate or institutional occupancy across locations | His current personal practice explicitly connects occupier work with a wider geographic footprint. |
| Lisa Ross | Tampa Bay industrial owner leasing | Her biography identifies a landlord-centered industrial practice. |
| Mark Klein | Locally grounded commercial investment and site decisions | His personal profile identifies several commercial transaction responsibilities. |
Mike Griffin — our #1 for a wider occupier decision
Griffin’s current Savills biography identifies occupier work for corporations, government and higher education, including multi-market responsibilities. Savills: Mike Griffin, current occupier responsibilities We select him for a business or institution that needs a Tampa decision considered alongside a wider footprint. Ask him to explain which decisions he would personally lead and where a colleague would execute the local work. The distinction matters when a broad strategic remit could otherwise obscure accountability for the specific premises under consideration.
Lisa Ross — an industrial owner comparison
Ross’s current Cushman & Wakefield profile emphasizes Tampa Bay industrial landlord representation with Trey Carswell, while also identifying industrial users and investors. Cushman & Wakefield: Lisa Ross, Tampa Bay industrial practice We would compare her for an owner who wants a personally defined industrial leasing practice. Discuss the relevant property format and competing assignments before appointment. The biography’s scope supports the match; it does not establish a uniform personal record of achieved rents or leasing speed that can be compared fairly with unrelated specialties.
Mark Klein — a Clearwater commercial transaction perspective
Klein’s current firm profile identifies investment, land, office and retail work, including acquisition, disposition and site-selection responsibilities. Klein & Heuchan: Mark Klein, personal specialties and role This provides a local independent comparison for a client whose needs cross property types or transaction stages. Request recent examples that match the proposed assignment and establish his own role in them. Historical awards or a long career should not replace evidence about the work and availability relevant to today’s decision.
Frame the brief before choosing the person
An occupier deciding how several locations function together, an industrial owner seeking tenants and an investor considering a commercial purchase do not need identical advice. Tell each candidate which of those decisions is primary. Ask them to identify what they would resolve first, which information is missing and what would cause them to recommend a different course. A credible answer should expose the constraints rather than promise a result before reviewing them.
Make the personal role part of the engagement
Request a named lead, expected working team and explanation of who conducts analysis, attends negotiations and reports unresolved issues. Ask about conflicting representation and the circumstances in which the lead would hand work to another specialist. Evaluate the reasoning in a sample recommendation, not only the presentation. Public biographies are useful for verifying scope and affiliation, but they do not establish responsiveness or analytical quality in a new engagement.
Why Griffin leads this general guide
The explicit connection between occupier advice, institutional clients and a wider operating footprint is decisive for the general brief used here. Ross can be the more appropriate first call for an industrial landlord, and Klein for a Clearwater-centered investment or site decision. The ranking is an editorial fit assessment under all nine criteria. It does not attribute every service of Savills, Cushman & Wakefield or Klein & Heuchan to the individual or promise future transaction performance.