MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — In Florida’s rapidly growing communities, new housing developments seem to appear on every corner, a visible sign of the Sunshine State’s relentless population boom — and a stark reminder of the pressing need for a new generation of workers to build and maintain it all.

To help close that gap, major homebuilder Taylor Morrison is giving students like Carleigh Leavitt, a Florida State University student, a chance to get their boots muddy — and their future on track — through a hands-on construction internship program.

“Since I moved down to Florida two years ago, I’ve seen how much, especially around here on the West Coast, we truly are developing and just how many houses and communities are going up and that need for workers,” said Leavitt, who is spending her summer on job sites instead of in lecture halls.

Through her internship, Leavitt has learned to navigate every step of the building process — from foundations to final finishes.

“I was able to see the construction process honestly from slab to basically furnished,” she said. “We’ve gone through plans. I’ve learned how to use BuildPro. I’ve kind of seen how to communicate with the subcontractors and the trades and making sure that everything’s organized.”

At a bustling Taylor Morrison site in Parrish, Marty Dorio, a superintendent for the builder, explained just how critical fresh talent is for the construction industry, which is under pressure to keep up with demand.

“It’s not enough people coming to fill those gaps,” said Dorio. “I think it’s somewhere around five people retiring for every one person that’s coming into the field. Getting that exposure to anybody that’s younger and excited about construction is really big on our plate to try and backfill some of those positions.”

Florida’s housing demand — driven by people moving in from out of state and natural population growth — continues to strain the construction labor pipeline. Builders say it’s not just about hiring more carpenters and site crews, but also filling specialized roles that keep projects on time and on budget.

“We have our architecture department, our purchasing department, warranty, construction, land,” Dorio added. “All of these different departments have to work together for us to be able to build these houses, and without them, and without us out in the field, we’ve got nothing.”

Internships like Leavitt’s are designed to open students’ eyes to those career paths, showing them the range of opportunities — and good pay — that exist beyond the classroom or a typical desk job.

For Leavitt, the experience has done more than just fill her resume; it’s shaped her long-term career goals.

“I think that getting this internship has really solidified my idea for my future and what I want to do and what I want to progress towards, and so I definitely see myself staying in construction and staying in development,” she said.

As Florida communities continue to grow at record pace, builders and industry groups say it will take more programs like this one — and more young people stepping forward — to keep pace with the demand for new homes, new neighborhoods, and the infrastructure that keeps the state running.

Local schools, technical colleges, and builders like Taylor Morrison are now doubling down on outreach, hoping that the next generation will see the industry not just as a temporary job, but as a vital, rewarding career.

Originally reported by Mary O'Connell in ABC Action News.