About

Our Company

Florida Architects is an award-winning, full service design and architectural firm. For over 22 years and with nearly 100 years combined experience, we have compiled an impressive portfolio including 16 of the 28 state colleges, as well as commercial, hospitality, medical, historic, and other specialty building projects.

As a service driven firm, our priority is to design exceptional environments for our clients and to successfully meet building objectives while exceeding mission expectations.

Our design solutions are functionally appropriate, aesthetically pleasing and innovatively executed to enhance the lives of people and the communities they inhabit. We believe our passion for excellence and commitment to personal service is evident in everything we do.

Our Team

Joseph J. Sorci, AIA, LEED® BD+C, GGP
Principal Architect / President

For more than three decades, Joseph Sorci, a Founding Principal and President of FLA, has dedicated his career to creating architecture that exemplifies excellence, innovation and a commitment to personal service. His extensive experience includes the positions of Principal of a Central Florida start-up firm, Principal Director of the Florida office for a national architectural and engineering firm, and is currently President and Principal Architect for Florida Architects, Inc. (FLA). Joe’s architectural experience encompasses a broad range of facility types with a focus on all levels and complexities of public institution projects throughout the state of Florida. He has been the Architect of Record for more than 25 educational projects ranging from K-12 to community college to the university level. Joe collaborates with clients and project teams to plan and design buildings tailored to the needs and culture of his clients. He is a natural leader and client advocate and is committed to realizing project goals through design excellence. Maintaining the confidence of repeat clientele and referrals is a result of Joe’s ability to deliver a project that meets the design intent, is aesthetically pleasing, and is within budget and on time.

Education
Master of Architecture, University of Florida
Bachelor of Design, University of Florida

Professional Associations
Registered Architect: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio & Texas
AIA, NCARB, USGBC

Valli Sorci, LEED® BD+C
Director of Business Operations

Florida Architects is a woman-owned business where Valli Sorci serves as the CEO, Director of Business Operations, and majority stockholder. With over two decades of professional experience working within the architectural field and related businesses, Valli possesses a diverse range of skills and expertise to support and enhance FLA’s architectural services and client relationships. She is responsible for business development and operations and serves as the primary point of contact for all clients. “I have respected and admired the design ability, dedication to our clients, and the work ethic of Joe and Markus since first working with them a couple of decades ago. I am equally proud of the team we’ve assembled since those early days in the 50 square foot borrowed office, and I am very excited about the future of FLA.” Because Florida Architects strongly believes in giving back to the communities it serves, Valli works closely with various foundations and other client organizations to provide them with FLA support.

Education
Valencia College
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

Professional Associations
USGBC

Markus J. Gemsch, AIA, NCARB, LEED® BD+C
Principal Architect / Vice President

As a Founding Principal and Vice President, Markus Gemsch possesses extensive technical expertise in the field of architecture. His vast planning and architecture experience spans nearly three decades and encompasses educational, correctional, municipal and commercial projects throughout the state of Florida. In addition to serving as Principal Architect, Markus has served as Designer, Project Manager, Structural Coordinator and Design Production Coordinator for numerous projects. He has had direct involvement in every phase of a wide scope of projects, including planning, programming, design, construction documentation and administration. He also directs the firm’s production and implementation. Having worked with AutoCad since it was invented and progressed with technology to include BIM and Revit today, Markus has developed valuable in-depth expertise with translating design into digital format. Whether serving as Project Architect or Project Manager, Markus is able to quickly and expertly respond to all RFI’s, clarifications, and other project communication issues.

Education
Master of Architecture, University of Florida
Bachelor of Arts in Design, University of Florida
Civil Engineering, ATIS-Abend Technikum Institute, Switzerland

Professional Associations
Registered Architect: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio & Texas
AIA, NCARB, USGBC

Antonio Adessi
Principal Architect / Director of Design

Antonio Adessi is a registered architect, researcher and college professor. He received his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Florence in Italy. Antonio gained much of his extensive professional experience working internationally in Italy, Russia, Qatar, Oman, France and several cities in the United States prior to becoming Director of Design with Florida Architects, Inc. Antonio’s professional practice has included research-driven projects that have enabled him to forge collaborative relationships with disciplines outside architecture, most notably education, alternative energies, engineering and digital media technologies. His philosophy is to combine research on an interdisciplinary level with design for real world problems on an urban scale. Antonio’s professional experience in architectural and interior design for commercial, industrial, education, planning and residential projects, has allowed him to apply his vast expertise in alternative energies, sustainable design and green building construction technologies. Possessing a passion for education and his community, Antonio is also a Professor at Gulf Coast State College and has created numerous courses for development of the Architecture Program. He also initiated the Green Council in Bay County which is comprised of local government entities, the Navy and Air Force and other local industry leaders.

In addition to his many national and international lectures, which include topics on urban revitalization, energy efficiency and sustainable design, Antonio is published in both trade and academic publications. He is the author of “Urban Revitalization as a Problem-based Approach for Higher Education” for the Italian Ministry of Higher Education, and “The Implications of Public to Public Engagement, How to Foster City Revitalization in Collaboration with Universities”, among others.

Professional Associations
Florida IDP
Registered Architect: State of Florida

Mark Hawley
Associate

Mark Hawley's experience as a Principal Architect on the private side, and Project Manager on the public side has provided him a uniquely broad range of skills and knowledge expertise with a wide variety of projects. From small to large, simple to complex, residential to commercial and institutional, Mark approaches each project with skilled project management, architectural and design expertise, and a commitment to service excellence.

His grandfather’s engineering drafting tools and the architecture of France were the significant inspirations behind Mark’s career choice as an architect. Spending summers in Evreux, France as a youth with his grandparents, Mark was introduced earlier than most to a culture rich in design as well as the tools that shaped it. He also likes to say that beyond architecture, he was happy to discover a country rich in wine, cheeses, and especially le saucisson sec.

Mark is a Bay County high school graduate and received his architecture degree from Auburn University while working during spring and summer breaks for a Panama City design firm. Following graduation, he worked for a Nashville design firm for about 10 years before deciding to serve in the public sector. After several years with the Middle Tennessee State University and Austin Peay State University, Mark returned to Panama City as an owner of his own firm. The recession was not kind to many firms and Mark transitioned into again working for the Nashville firm, given that their region did not experience the same downturn as most other areas.

“Giving back” to the community is important to Mark. He has served as the Chairman for Callaway, Florida Planning Board, volunteered for Florida’s Disaster Service Worker program, was an evaluator for the Safety Assessment program and served as an officer in the Lion’s Club of Port St. Joe, Florida. Mark is likely most proud of his award-winning renovation of his 1960’s high school auditorium (Rutherford High School, Panama City).

Education
Bachelor of Architecture, Auburn University

Professional Associations
Registered Architect: Florida, Tennessee
AIA, NCARB