Land Use & Zoning

Practice & Industry Groups Land Use & Zoning

Overview

Our Land Use & Zoning team represents local, national and international clients in all aspects of development or redevelopment of property throughout Florida. Our statewide focus enables us to understand Florida’s political, business and development climate at the state, regional and local government level and to assist our clients in navigating complex land development regulations.

With a group of more than 20 dedicated land use professionals in the State of Florida, we have significant experience with a variety of legislative and executive bodies, elected officials, state and local governments, as well as key industry groups.

Range of Services

Land Use/Zoning

Affordable housing – Live Local Act: Florida Senate Bills 102 (2023) & 328 (2024)
Agricultural permitting and tax exemptions – Right to Farm Act, agritourism, greenbelt exemptions, conversion of agricultural lands
Air rights
Alcoholic beverage licensing – State and local approvals
Annexation
Certificate of Use/Occupancy
Code enforcement – defense at local code enforcement board and litigation
Community redevelopment areas
Development agreements
Economic development tax incentives
Historic preservation
Historical and archaeological resources
Impact fee negotiations
Land development code amendments
Local development order approvals – annexation, comprehensive plan amendments, conditional uses, right of way vacations, special exceptions, special uses, variances, zonings
Military Base Compatibility – Air Installations Compatible Use Zones (AICUZ)
Mining/extraction and energy
Permit extensions – state emergency executive orders and local permit extensions
Public-Private Partnerships (P3)
School concurrency, proportionate share and mitigation development agreements
Statutory density bonuses – graywater density bonus, Live Local Act: Florida Senate Bills 102 (2023) & 328 (2024)
Subdivisions/platting
Transfer of development rights/purchasable development rights

Large Scale Planning/State Regulation

Areas of Critical State Concern
Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs)
New towns
Rural Land Stewardship
Sector planning
Special area planning
Master-Planned Communities

Infrastructure Development

Capital front end agreements
Community Development Districts (CDDs)
Concurrency
Feasibility analysis
Impact fees/exactions
Special districts
Tax increment financing
Water and sewer agreements

Land Use Transactions & Acquisitions

Access/parking agreements
Allocation agreements
Due diligence
Easement agreements
Site selection
Restrictive covenants
Land exchanges

What Our Clients Say

The firm is very strong. We have not come across a situation they have not been able to resolve with the resources they have.

Chambers USA 2024

The firm is as sophisticated, intelligent and thoughtful as it gets – first-class in Florida.

Chambers USA 2020

The team’s overall knowledge is phenomenal, but the biggest strength is the collaborative approach they take to tackle issues.

Chambers USA 2020

Thought Leadership

Timely News Updates & Webinars

News updates, quarterly “What’s Developing” bulletin and webinars on hot topics keep clients informed of significant legislative changes, initiatives, deadlines, or political, business and development trends that may impact their business.

View firm updates here.

Speaking Engagements & Industry Conferences

Our team members are regularly invited to speak on a diverse range of industry-related topics at events and conferences across the state.

What Makes Us Different

Depth

20+ person team
Experience in nearly every local government jurisdiction in Florida
Involved in nearly 100 redevelopment projects since 2023
Development and redevelopment projects with values exceeding several billion dollars per year

In-house Consultants

Memberships & Leadership with Industry Organizations

American Planning Association (APA) Florida Chapter
Association of Florida Community Developers, Inc. (AFCD)
Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW)
Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA)
Florida State University (FSU) Center for Real Estate
Urban Land Institute (ULI)

Former State & Local Government Positions

Managing Attorney for the SFWMD’s Office of Counsel and Senior Attorney in the FDEP’s Office of General Counsel
Assistant County Attorney for Leon County
Assistant City Attorney for the City of Tampa
Senior Planner for Hillsborough County
Senior Planner for Pasco County
Regional Planning Administrator with the Florida Department of Community Affairs
Planner for the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, City of St. Cloud, City of Bradenton and Hardee County

Chambers USA Rankings

Zoning/Land Use in North & Central Florida

Group – Band 1
Reggie Bouthillier – Band 1
Jacob Cremer – Band 2
Erin Tilton – Up and Coming
Nicole Neugebauer MacInnes – Associate to Watch

Notable Experience

Represents On Top of the World (OTOW), the developer of the second largest retirement community in Florida, entitled for more than 38,000 residential units and more than 2.3 million square feet of industrial/commercial development. The firm’s lawyers, planners and GIS specialists provide comprehensive land development, real estate, land use, environmental, and governmental services to manage OTOW’s planning and entitlement goals.
Represents Mosaic, the world’s leading integrated producer of concentrated phosphate and potash, in permitting issues for their mine operations including work on more than 60,000 acres in Manatee, DeSoto, Polk and Hardee Counties. Representation includes large area approvals, DRI rescissions, creation of comprehensive plan mining overlays, special exceptions, master plans, development agreements and other development orders and resource impact approvals.
Represents one of the largest home furnishing and accent retailers in Florida in the development of a warehousing, distribution and regional headquarters including a regional showroom, for their central Florida operations in Plant City. This project will transform the city into a manufacturing and distribution powerhouse. We are lead land use and environmental counsel, working with the City on the annexation of property into the City, comprehensive plan amendments, rezonings and environmental impact and permitting issues.
Represents a leading provider in medical and recreational cannabis and CBD products in the acquisition, development, permitting and construction of three separate approximately 1.3 million square feet automated indoor growing facilities in Jefferson County, Madison County and Suwannee County and the redevelopment, permitting and construction of an existing industrial project to a medical marijuana processing and distribution center in Tampa, Florida.
Represents one of the largest affordable housing developers in Florida in several projects throughout the state. Serve as lead land use and environmental counsel for two of the largest redevelopment projects in Tampa, West River and Rome Yard, both just outside of downtown Tampa. We continue to work with the City on comprehensive plan amendments, rezonings, platting, permitting, development agreements, and maintenance agreement issues.