James Hays

James (Jim) Hays became a second-generation family business owner of Sunshine
Realty in 2007 after the retirement of his mother, Jane Solomon, who founded
the company in 1984, along with his sister Jennifer Hays. Jim became an agent
and then a broker-associate with Sunshine Realty in the late 1980’s. Jim
graduated from Florida State University in 1991 with a degree in Real Estate and
worked in Tallahassee with a commercial real estate appraisal firm until returning
to St. Augustine and starting a successful appraisal department within Sunshine
Realty in 1996. His sister, Jennifer Hays, along with her son, Jason Rowe have
since taken over the appraisal department as Jim focuses his leadership on the
sales and vacation rental sections of Sunshine Realty.
Jim is proud to serve as the broker over the best hard-working team of sales and
vacation rental experts in St. Augustine, who now include his son Jackson Hays,
vacation rental property inspector, who is also in the Army National Guard, and
his daughter Jade Hays, who provides Sunshine Realty’s social media and
advertising content.
Jim’s leadership has extended into community service in St. Augustine, formally
serving as a board member and board president of EPIC Behavioral Healthcare,
which provides mental health counseling and substance prevention programs in
St. Augustine.
Jim is currently living in New York with his wife Dr. Alicia Slater, Dean of the
School of Science at Marist College, splitting his time between working from his
home in New York and in his office in St. Augustine Beach.