The attorneys at Stearns Weaver are business-minded attorneys and always have an understanding of their clients' expectations, and they do a great job putting together a path to meet or exceed them.
- Chambers USA 2023
Overview
Stearns Weaver Miller’s Real Estate Department provides clients with a broad range of representation in all areas of residential and commercial real estate development. Our goal is to represent, assist and provide business advice as requested to developers, owners, hotel operators, contractors, architects, and engineers in virtually every type of real estate transaction. The Department’s Commercial Real Estate Lending Practice Group represents commercial and investment banks, insurance companies and other institutional lenders in connection with both the extension and collection of credit.
- Acquisition & Dispositions
- Affordable Housing
- Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance
- Commercial & Residential Leasing
We represent both landlords and tenants in office, industrial and retail lease negotiations for space or land in connection with multi-tenant buildings, single-user premises, office buildings, industrial parks, shopping centers, malls and mixed-use projects, including build-to-suit leases, ground leases and subleases.
Our office leasing experience includes the representation of owners and tenants of significant office buildings. Our representation also includes leasing laboratory and processing facilities in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries as well as leasing for the hotel and hospitality, governmental, condominium and residential industries.
Our retail leasing experience includes representing various national retail tenants, including publicly-traded “big box” retail tenants, in the leasing of premises in regional shopping centers, strip centers, power centers, malls and single-user sites.
In addition, we handle leasing aspects in corporate merger and acquisition transactions and sale and leaseback transactions, including transactions involving multi-state properties. We also counsel clients with respect to ancillary lease documents, such as subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreements and tenant estoppel certificates. We are members of the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP) and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).
- Commercial Real Estate Lending
Stearns Weaver Miller's Commercial Real Estate Lending Practice Group represents commercial and investment banks, insurance companies and other institutional lenders in connection with both the extension and collection of credit. We have decades of experience in financing the acquisition, development and construction of office buildings, shopping centers, mixed-use projects, hotels, condominium projects and single and multifamily residential projects, employing advanced lending techniques and negotiating financing documents and the workout of troubled assets.
We represent lenders who make conventional, participated, syndicated or mezzanine loans secured by real property, as well as tangible and intangible personal property, including accounts receivable, inventory, fixed assets, transferrable development rights, accounts and intellectual property located in and outside of the State of Florida. The Firm also advises lenders with respect to personal property leasing and financing. We work closely with our litigation and bankruptcy attorneys to advise and assist lenders in dispute avoidance, the workout of troubled assets, and litigation relating thereto and relating to lenders' potential liability for their actions originating and administering loans, or as a consequence of environmental laws and regulations. - Construction & Design Contracts
- Development & Construction
- Distressed Assets, Restructuring & Workouts
Stearns Weaver Miller’s Real Estate Department assists institutional lenders, insurance companies, borrowers and equity investors navigate problem loan workouts. We have experience in virtually every aspect of real estate financing.
We have experience with loan workouts for various real estate asset classes, including commercial and industrial centers, hotels and clubs, office buildings, condominiums and apartments and residential development deals. Our transactional and litigation attorneys are well-versed in advising our lender clients in the early stages of a loan default on issues such as preparing and negotiating pre-work out agreements to protect lenders from waiving rights, preserving remedies, limiting lender liability claims and reducing potential bankruptcy filings. In the case that it does become a bankruptcy-related issue, our real estate attorneys work closely with our business restructuring attorneys for the duration of the matter. We have litigated numerous lender-liability and bad-faith claims and participated in various out-of-court workouts.
We also regularly conduct loan portfolio reviews, which begin with a thorough review of the loan portfolio. We then design and implement an ongoing loan surveillance program. Finally, we create an action plan for the most worrisome problem loans.
Stearns Weaver Miller’s Distressed Property Practice Group helps clients navigate the legal matters related to distressed real estate and distressed real estate-related debt. Our clients include lenders, special servicers, owners, investors, developers, managers and private equity funds. We assist our clients with the acquisition, development, financing and disposition of distressed properties as well as the acquisition, disposition and resolution of distressed real estate debt.
The Distressed Property practice group integrates lawyers from our transactional real estate, real estate litigation, corporate and securities and business restructuring groups to provide comprehensive legal services to lenders and special servicers in all aspects of dealing with distressed real estate debt. - Environmental Issues
- Golf Courses & Golf Course Communities
- Hospitality & Leisure
- Joint Ventures & Partnerships
- Land Development, Zoning & Environmental
- Licensure & Discipline
- Management Agreements: Hotel, Commercial, Residential
- Project Financing
- Private Real Estate Funds
- Real Estate Litigation
- Real Estate Operations
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Firm Announcements:
35 Stearns Weaver Miller Lawyers and 11 Practice Areas Ranked In Chambers USA 2024
June 2024
Government Affairs News Update, Land Development News Update, Publications:
FDACS Promulgates New Rules Addressing Agricultural Land Owned by a Foreign Principal
Stearns Weaver Miller News Update|March 2024|Jacob T. Cremer, Samantha R. Decker, Marco T. Paredes, Jr., Susan L. Stephens, Robert J. Walters
Government Affairs News Update, Publications:
Rotunda Report Week 8 | February 26-March 1, 2024
Stearns Weaver Miller News Update|March 2024|Samantha R. Decker, Marco T. Paredes, Jr., Robert J. Walters
Firm Announcements:
Stearns Weaver Miller Names Two New Shareholders
September 2023
In the Media:
Top 10 Influential Real Estate Lawyers Shaping South Florida in 2023
Business Today|July 2023
Firm Announcements:
Elise Batsel Recognized As a 2023 Tampa Bay Business Journal, BusinessWoman of the Year Honoree
January 2023
Events:
Turning Dirt – Opportunities for Women in Real Estate Development
Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Professional Women's Forum |October 2022|Vinette D. Godelia
Firm Announcements:
28 Stearns Weaver Miller Lawyers in 12 Practice Areas Ranked In Chambers USA 2022
June 2022