At a glance
- 36+ years practicing law in Florida
- 14 years serving as a Florida City Attorney (2000-2014)
- Florida Bar Board Certified in City, County & Local Government Law (2014-2024)
- 50+ appellate matters argued, with 18+ published decisions
- Argued before all five Florida District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court
- Admitted: The Florida Bar, State Bar of Georgia, U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
Recognition
- Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished
- BBB A+ Rated
Why I started this firm
In January 2020, the firm I was practicing with came apart, and I had to decide what came next. The default move was a seat at another large firm and another twenty years of the same constraints. I went the other way and opened my own practice.
I had spent two decades at three of Sarasota's older firms. I knew the work, and I knew what I couldn't do there. There were always people I couldn't help because they weren't the kind of client a big firm wanted. There were conversations I couldn't have because they didn't fit the billing model.
On my own, I get to practice the way I want to. I talk to almost everyone who calls, even when it doesn't lead to a case. I'll spend 30 minutes with someone who needs it and refer them out when their problem isn't one I can solve. Helping people is what I want to spend my time doing now. The economics still matter, but they don't run the practice the way they used to.
Who I work with
I primarily represent individuals, families, and small businesses across Southwest Florida. I also have a long-standing institutional client (a school board), but I'm not actively looking to grow the institutional side of my practice.
The people I do my best work for tend to share a few things:
- They have a legitimate legal problem, not just a problem they want a lawyer for
- They value direct communication and personal attention
- They want an honest assessment, even when it's not what they hoped to hear
If I can't help you, I'll usually know within the first conversation, and I'll tell you. If I can, I'll be straight with you about what it takes and what's realistic.
Representative results
Two cases from the last few years capture how I work.
A complex civil matter that began in 2013 and concluded in 2024. Two trials, two appeals, and an outcome that proved the original strategy right after eleven years of work. The clients moved with me through three firm changes to see it through.
A case involving former public school employees who had been sued for performing their normal job duties. Seven different circuit court judges told me I was wrong on the legal issue. Florida's Second District Court of Appeal disagreed, and my clients prevailed. Ten years, four appeals, full vindication.
These cases are unusual in length, but they're representative of the approach. If I take a case, I see it through. If I don't think I can solve the problem, I'll tell you that up front.
What 14 years as a city attorney taught me
From May 2000 to September 2014, I served as City Attorney for a Florida municipality. Fourteen years on the government side of the table, handling every form of legal issue local governments face: zoning, code enforcement, employment, contracts, public records, ordinance drafting, and litigation.
That experience is the foundation of how I practice now. When I represent a private client facing a code enforcement action, a permit denial, a zoning dispute, or an administrative challenge, I know how those decisions get made on the government's side. I know what arguments land with a board, a special magistrate, or an administrative judge, because I spent more than a decade on the receiving end of those arguments.
From 2014 to 2024, The Florida Bar recognized that depth of experience by certifying me as a Board Certified Specialist in City, County & Local Government Law. Fewer than 7% of Florida lawyers hold any board certification.
Background
I'm a fifth-generation Floridian, born in Lake Wales, and a first-generation college graduate. I earned my BA from Stetson University in 1986 and my JD from Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law in 1989. I met my wife at Stetson; we both finished law school at Mercer the same year and came back to her hometown of Sarasota to start our family.
We've raised three children in eastern Sarasota County, among the mesic hammocks and pine flatwoods east of I-75.
Outside the office
I'm an avid sportsman. Fishing, scuba diving, and clay target practice at Knights Trail Range. I've also enjoyed coaching youth soccer over the years.
