The pace of change of land development and environmental regulations and legislation calls for dynamic and enlightened advisors and litigators. Ausley McMullen’s Land Use, Zoning and Environmental Law practice comprises a multi-disciplinary team of attorneys with skill in various practice areas to provide integrated legal services to assist their clients in navigating a complex and comprehensive regulatory framework.
The team’s experience provides clients with guidance in the land use, planning, and zoning process and enables the attorneys to holistically address difficult issues to provide creative and efficient solutions. The attorneys counsel both private and public sector clients on the complex constitutional and statutory relationships imbedded in land use planning and regulation.
Experience
Attorneys on this team help private clients navigate local and state regulations governing land planning and development. They also assist local governments in the land development approval process and the preparation of comprehensive plans and land development regulations. They frequently represent clients before local government boards and commissions, in administrative hearings, civil litigation, mediation and arbitration. They provide representation in litigation at the local, state, and federal levels. They also work closely with the Real Estate and Lending team to assist clients in all areas of real estate and development.
The attorneys handle a wide variety of legal issues throughout the state of Florida including state and federal regulatory issues, matters relating to environmental due diligence, complex environmental permitting, real estate issues, wetlands permitting, marinas, coastal construction control line permitting, sovereign submerged land leases and easements, local government permitting, soil and groundwater contamination assessments, land use entitlements, and land development.
Industry Representation
Ausley McMullen represents buyers, sellers, developers, investors, landowners, landlords, tenants, property management companies, business damage claimants, condemning authorities, financial institutions, and government entities.
The Team
Attorneys on this team have a wealth and depth of experience. Just to name a few, the team includes an attorney who is Florida Bar Board Certified in Real Estate and an attorney who holds an advanced degree in urban and regional planning. Team members regularly present on real property issues to industry groups.
The Land Use, Zoning and Environmental law team works with attorneys in the Real Estate and Lending, Corporate, Litigation and Bankruptcy teams to meet the diverse needs of their clients.
Comprehensive Support
The Land Use, Zoning and Environmental Law team’s attorneys have experience in providing representation on matters including, but not limited to:
- Acquisitions, including structuring and negotiating deals, as well as contract drafting
- Development projects, including negotiating and drafting construction and design contracts, counseling developers, owners, and investors, as well as navigating project financing
- Eminent domain proceedings, including government taking and inverse condemnation actions
- Land use and zoning issues, including environmental issues, preparing plans and applications, and permitting
- Covenants and restrictions, including drafting and enforcing agreements
- Easements, including negotiating and creating easement agreements such as conservation easements and easement disputes such as drainage and water rights disputes
