The Treasure Coast leads all areas in the country for home-building growth in 2003, according to Builder magazine's annual survey of the industry.

Martin and St. Lucie counties posted a staggering 92 percent increase over 2002 in building permits issued for single-family homes, according to research by the Meyers Group for the story in the May issue.

All top five markets for percentage change in single-family permits are in Florida, but no other area comes close to the Treasure Coast. No. 2 Daytona Beach, for instance, posted only a 38 percent increase.

The Treasure Coast's top 10 home builders for 2003, based on closings, are: Holiday Builders; Mercedes Homes; Levitt & Sons; Homes by Kennedy; Renar Development Co.; Kolter Signature Homes; Rhodes Holdings/Princeton Homes; Town & Country Homes; Toll Brothers; and Arthur Rutenberg Homes.

In Palm Beach County, the top 10 builders for 2003 are: G.L. Homes; Pulte Homes; Minto Builders; Lennar Corp.; Standard Pacific Homes/Westbrooke Homes; D.R. Horton/Continental Homes; Centerline Homes; Centex Homes; WCI Communities; and Transeastern Homes.

linda_rawls@pbpost.com

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