A resident of Avondale from 1924 until his death in 1977, George W. Simons Jr. is recognized as one of Florida's first professional planners. Simons was originally hired as a sanitary engineer for the State Board of Health. From 1916-1925 he held this official position which subsequently impacted his planning method.

After establishing his own planning and engineering firm, Simons was contracted to produce Jacksonville's first comprehensive plan and zoning code which was completed in 1929. Continuing his consulting work, Simons was hired by the City of Tampa and served as a planning consultant for eighteen years. His many studies and early plans were intended to guide growth during the war and after the postwar boom. He conducted one of the first traffic studies and prepared a traffic plan. He drafted the first zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations. He also prepared a number of model neighborhood plans, plans that would today be considered New Urbanist or Neo-Traditional.

His Zoning Plan was the earliest attempt at zoning for the City of Tampa. His consulting work extended for many years and he was active in urging the City of Tampa to be more aggressive in developing its resources. His plans are of interest not only for their historical import but also for their compilation of facts and demographics at a level of detail not found anywhere else. Reviewing his plans, one is presented with a tantalizing picture of an alternate Tampa, if his plans had been implemented.