Environmental & Land Use
Environmental and land use issues arise in most major property acquisitions and developments.
Our firm’s environmental and land use practice group provides independent advice to clients and to our corporate and real property practice groups on issues impacting private property rights to use and develop real property.
Unique Solutions. Our environmental and land use attorneys seek to solve problems by understanding the business-related goals of our clients. In the highly regulated environmental and land use arenas, early, proactive intervention can often solve problems that otherwise would be litigated for years. Getting to know our clients’ needs early in the project allows us to develop partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure long-term success of our client s’ projects.
Unfortunately, not all issues can be resolved amicably. When regulators seek enforcement actions or prevent a project from moving forward, our attorneys have the experience to zealously advocate our client’s position before governmental bodies, administrative hearings, or courts of law.
Our environmental and land use practice group handles a broad array of issues, including: advising financial institutions and other clients on potential liability arising from loan and foreclosure activities; assisting consultants evaluating clients’ proposed property purchase through Phase I and II environmental assessments; advising clients who are required to remediate contaminated sites; defending clients subject to state and federal environmental enforcement actions; and litigating environmental and land use issues before local government boards, administrative hearings, and in court.
Governor Signs Bill Voiding Walton County’s Customary Use Ordinance
Governor Signs Bill Voiding Walton County’s Customary Use Ordinance William J. Dunaway On March 23, Governor Scott signed Senate / House Bill 631. The new
Walton County Discusses RESTORE Act Opportunities
Billy Williams, Walton County RESTORE Act coordinator, and Melinda Gates, environmental specialist for Walton County Public Works, met with Walton Republican Women Federated last month to
Environmental Attorney, Will Dunaway, Emphasizes Need for Immediate Action by Regulatory Agencies
Environmental law is a collaborative exercise with many different stakeholders. Sometimes it is necessary to focus public attention on big environmental problems in order to get the attention of all of those stakeholders. This is certainly the situation with Indian Bayou in Santa Rosa County. While the violations of the clean water act are coming from different road construction and maintenance projects overseen by the Florida Department of Transportation and Santa Rosa County, the regulators, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Northwest Florida Water Management District, have not taken enforcement action. The voices of the neighbors who have been working for over a year to get some action, simply needed a boost.
A letter from Clark Partington Shareholder and Environmental Lawyer, Will Dunaway, along with a series of articles and an editorial from the Pensacola News Journal helped provide that boost.
07/13/18 – WEAR TV: Florida Governor Issues Executive Order Clearing Up Beach Access Confusion
05/26/18 – PNJ Editorial: Citizens struggle for solutions at Indian Bayou
04/09/18 – Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners Meeting: Presentation by Will Dunaway
09/23/17 – PNJ Editorial: Protection welcome, but overdue for Indian Bayou
09/04/17 – PNJ Article: FDOT, Santa Rosa County must take ‘corrective action’ to clean up Indian Bayou
09/03/17 – PNJ Editorial: Indian Bayou’s stain on state, Santa Rosa hands
08/30/17 – PNJ Article: Red clay sediment in Indian Bayou raises concerns for Santa Rosa County residents
08/30/17 – Letter to DEP from Will Dunaway re Clean Water Act Violations – Indian Bayou