Our Firm focuses on one of the hardest problems in real estate, turning contaminated or environmentally impaired properties into safe, financeable, and profitable projects. Redeveloping these types of properties—like former gas stations, golf courses, citrus grove, agricultural fields, nurseries, landfills—is some of the most technically demanding, but also rewarding, work in environmental law. Our boutique environmental law Firm helps clients turn these complex, contaminated properties into safe, successful projects by tightly integrating cleanup, permitting, and development strategy from day one. Every step of the way our focus is squarely on aligning remediation, land development, and vertical construction so that cleanup obligations, permits, and construction schedules move forward in lockstep rather than in conflict.
Our practice is purpose-built for contaminated land and brownfield projects. From concept planning through ribbon-cutting, we apply a layered strategy consisting of some or all of the following:
Front-End Evaluation & Deal Structuring
- Pre-acquisition environmental due diligence, including review of Phase I/II reports and geotechnical reports, hazardous building material reports, and natural resource studies, data gap analysis, and scoping of potential invasive testing to supplementing existing data sets.
- Regulatory pathway mapping for cleanup and redevelopment, including brownfield eligibility, voluntary cleanup programs, and landfill/UST closure requirements.
- Risk allocation and transactional support, including indemnities, escrow structures, environmental insurance, and development agreements with municipalities or special districts.
- Grant and incentive strategy, identifying opportunities for EPA, state, and local brownfield grants, tax credits, and infrastructure funding.
Cleanup Strategy Aligned with Site Design
We ensure remediation is designed around the planned civil layout and building program—not bolted on afterward. We do this by collaborating with civil and geotechnical engineers to integrate caps, vapor barriers, drainage layers, and utility corridors into grading and foundation plans; advising on engineering and institutional controls (easements, deed restrictions, O&M plans) that protect future residents and occupants while preserving development flexibility; and working with environmental consultants to select risk-based cleanup standards appropriate to the proposed land use, taking into account landfill gas, petroleum plumes, pesticide residues, and background conditions.
Seamless Coordination with Land Development & Vertical Construction
A core value of our practice is the day-to-day coordination we provide to the broader project team:
- Architects and planners – aligning building placement, open space, and amenity areas with remedial components, monitoring wells, and access restrictions.
- Civil and utility engineers – coordinating stormwater systems, road networks, and utility corridors with caps, waste cells, and contaminated zones.
- Environmental and geotechnical consultants – ensuring investigation data are translated into practical guidance for the construction team and reflected in contract documents.
- Contractors and construction managers – integrating soil management plans, health-and-safety protocols, and permit conditions into bid packages, site logistics, and construction sequencing.
We work to break down the silos that often exist between environmental and construction disciplines, creating clear lines of communication and a shared understanding of constraints. This reduces change orders, avoids surprises in the field, and keeps the project on schedule.
Permitting for Soil, Water, Air & Construction Activities
Repurposing and building on landfills, gas stations, and agricultural and golf properties typically requires a dense set of construction-related permits and approvals We pay particular attention to the permits and approvals that can make or break these projects. Our lawyers identify, pursue, and help manage the full suite of environmental and construction-related authorizations needed for successful redevelopment, including the following:
- Soil management and waste-handling approvals for excavation, off-site disposal, reuse of impacted soils, and landfill cut/fill.
- Construction dewatering and discharge permits, including NPDES authorizations and local approvals for discharge to surface waters or sanitary systems—critical in high-groundwater settings.
- Stormwater and drainage permits, including Environmental Resource Permits and construction stormwater (CGP) coverage.
- Landfill gas and air permits, along with dust and odor control plans for excavation through waste or contaminated soil.
- UST closure, corrective action, and “no further action” determinations for former gas stations and petroleum sites.
Our work ensures that the right permits are in place at the right time, allowing remedial and construction crews to move quickly without regulatory interruptions.
Compliance, Oversight & Interface with Regulators
We provide ongoing support throughout construction and early operation:
- Reviewing contractor submittals and environmental plans for consistency with permits and consent orders.
- Participating in construction meetings to flag environmental and permitting issues in real time.
- Serving as the primary interface with EPA, FDEP, Florida’s Water Management Districts, and local environmental agencies, advocating for practical solutions and timely approvals.
- Helping clients respond to inspections, notices of violation, and community complaints, and negotiating corrective measures where necessary.
Where disputes arise, we bring contaminated-site enforcement and litigation experience to bear, working to resolve issues efficiently and preserve project momentum.
At every step of the land development process, we emphasize communication and transparency. We stress regular team meetings where we can translate regulatory requirements into practical construction steps and create clear matrices of responsibilities so nothing falls through the cracks in terms of integrating remediation with land development and vertical construction. Where community concerns are significant, we help design public outreach strategies, prepare meeting materials, and support local officials in explaining the environmental protections embedded in the project. Finally, we help our clients look beyond initial approvals. We draft environmental covenants, easements, and long-term operation agreements; negotiate insurance and risk-transfer tools; and advise on ongoing monitoring, reporting, and periodic reviews so that projects remain compliant and financeable for decades to come.
Whether transforming a closed landfill into a renewable energy or logistics hub, converting a corridor of former gas stations into vibrant mixed-use nodes, or turning a legacy golf course into a resilient neighborhood, our Firm offers end-to-end legal and consulting services that make complex redevelopment not only possible, but successful.