The Petruzzelli family has been part of the Boca Raton community and active in the real estate business since the 1940s. I.M. ‘Mario’ Petruzzelli moved his family from Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the post-war days and became a pioneer on Boca Raton’s barrier island. Petruzzelli purchased a sizable tract of land from the ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway. Petruzzelli secured the large tract for $34,000 with a goal of starting his own real estate company. In 1947, he did just that. He was one of the first to develop Boca Raton’s north beach area in what was then unincorporated Palm Beach County, building his oceanfront home and a business office directly across A1A. Petruzzelli’s out-going personality and vast knowledge of oceanfront/ICW parcels made him the go-to broker in the Highland Beach and Boca Raton area. In the early 1960s, two of his sons, Al and Matt, joined their father and continued to run the family business out of the 2325 North Ocean Boulevard location.