Danielle Lower has spent six years with the Greater Seminole Chamber of Commerce, serving twice as chairwoman and stepping in once when another officer could not finish a term.
The chamber recently recognized that work, naming Lower the winner of its 2025 Merit Award.
“I can’t say I was totally surprised, but I am so honored,” she said. “Seminole is one of those few places, maybe in the state, definitely in Pinellas County, that’s generational but it’s still young. Any event I go to, whether it’s chamber or Rotary, you always know someone while you make great connections.”
Lower, a real estate agent with eXp Realty, works with investors who buy homes in Seminole, Largo and the Gulf Coast beach communities and turn them into vacation rentals.
She arrived in Florida almost by accident. The Philadelphia native came down on vacation at 22, fell for the beaches and moved to the state permanently in 2010.
Before she sold real estate, Lower worked as a case manager for children with autism and sold custom-made T-shirts in retail — jobs she said taught her more about people than about either industry.
“From all my professional experiences, I learned that people generally just want to be heard,” she said. “That can branch into different explanations. What you want is to get to the same goal, outcome and solution.”
Clients have taken notice. Bud Fleisher of Clearwater, who worked with Lower on an estate sale, called her the best agent he has encountered on Florida’s west coast. Denise Hall of Madeira Beach, who both sold and bought through Lower, said her home was listed and sold in two weeks.
Lower said she fell into vacation rentals the same way. As she took on more properties, the traditional real estate work became secondary. Managing the rentals means lining up handymen, cleaners and lawn crews, but it also lets her put her own stamp on each house.
“I always was creative, so I got into the vacation-rental space,” she said. “I have a pretty eye for design, but I have a disclaimer that I’m not a designer. I’m good enough. It’s a messy process. I don’t necessarily see the whole picture, but I have an idea and how I want to execute it.”
Her mind “doesn’t stop,” she said. She shops online constantly, assembling rooms on her computer before she buys anything.
“I’m also a budget shopper,” she said. “I’m gonna go to HomeGoods or T.J. Maxx to put the finishing touches in.”
The same intensity, she said, carries over to her clients.
“I invest a lot of time worrying about the clients,” she said. “I’m equally or more committed to the outcome, and they see that in the end. I’m very selective who I work with, because I pour a lot of effort into the people I work with.”