A civil litigator whose practice is focused on commercial litigation, construction litigation, zoning, land use, and local government law, Chris has wide-ranging experience in the areas of eminent domain, zoning appeals, municipal code enforcement defense, pollutant discharge litigation, Florida Sunshine Law, and vacating public rights-of-way. He has also served as an advisor and counselor for numerous land development matters, including project feasibility analysis, development strategies, and permitting. Chris is a former Assistant County Attorney for Pasco County, Florida, where he handled public works projects, infrastructure development, procurement and bidding, construction programming, claims management, and water resource and environmental permitting. He also represented Pasco County on the Legal Advisory Committee of Tampa Bay Water, the regional utility for more than three million customers.
Prior to obtaining his law degree, Chris was a project management engineer with the Lee County Department of Transportation in Fort Myers, Florida, managing field construction and inspection for various projects, including roadways, underground utilities, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, drainage improvements, and pavement management and resurfacing operations. His technical understanding of projects and construction, combined with extensive hands-on field experience, enable him to deliver customized legal solutions in all aspects of construction, including:
- Contract preparation
- Prosecution and defense of construction claims
- Risk assessment from contract negotiations through project administration and claims management
Chris holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Rhode Island, where he placed first in the New England Region in the American Society of Civil Engineers' balsa wood bridge design competition.
Education
J.D., University of Dayton, 1995
B.S.C.E., University of Rhode Island, 1990
Professional Associations
- Junior Leadership Manatee County, Board of Directors
- International Right-of-Way Association
- Leadership Manatee, Class of 2016
- Leadership Sarasota, Class of 2007
- Sarasota County Traffic Advisory Council, Board Member (2002-2006)
- Miracle League of Manasota, Volunteer Coach
Honors
- SRQ Magazine: Elite Top Attorneys, Construction, 2020-2021
- American Jurisprudence Book Award for Civil Trial Practice, 1995
- National Semifinalist, 1994 Chase Environmental Law Moot Court Competition
- Finalist, 1993 Honorable Walter Rice Interscholastic Moot Court Competition
Representative Matters
- Successfully represented a subcontractor against a general contractor in a delay claim dispute on a major hotel project obtaining an arbitration award in favor of the subcontractor in excess of $2 million
- Successfully represented a property owner through circuit court trial over a disputed easement to secure permanent access rights to Sarasota Bay and a money judgment in favor of property owner client
- Successfully prosecuted a property owner's development rights appeal under the Florida Bert Harris Act against the City of Sarasota to obtain permit approval for maximized development entitlements.
- Successfully obtained rezoning approval for a major industrial project for a large construction contractor in the City of Venice
- Successfully obtained approval from Lee County, Florida to "privatize" all public roads within a large residential subdivision in a comprehensive rights-of-way ownership transfer process for homeowner association client