Tom is board certified as a specialist in real estate and leads the Firm's Real Estate Practice.
Tom’s practice covers a broad range of real estate matters, representing individuals and businesses buying, financing, selling, and leasing residential and commercial property. He has successfully closed more than $3 billion in transactions to date.
Tom’s civic affiliations include causes that promote Florida’s unique cultural heritage. He is past chair of the Board of Directors of Florida Humanities, where he also chaired its CEO search and governance committees. Tom is past chair of the Board of Trustees of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, where he also chaired its CEO search, audit, and nominating committees. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art Foundation, where he chaired its governance committee.
In 2015 Tom was appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC), which administers and enforces Florida’s real estate license law. Tom served as 2018 chair of the FREC.
A native Sarasotan, Tom’s comments on Sarasota’s history, economy, and real estate market have appeared in publications including The New York Times, Gulf Coast Business Review, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, SRQ, New York Social Diary, and Metropolis.
MATTERS
- Overseeing acquisition, sale, or construction of all character of multimillion-dollar residences (waterfront, inland, condominium)
- Site identification and acquisition, including acquisition of entitlements and oversight of construction, for multiple, assisted living facilities throughout Florida and Kentucky
- $90 million refinancing of statewide skilled nursing facility system
- Purchase and/or refinancing of multiple auto dealerships
- Negotiating acquisition, financing, and ongoing representation of apartment, hotel, and retail properties
- Examination of title and issuance of title insurance in connection with thousands of residential, commercial, and vacant land transactions
COMMUNITY
- Florida Humanities Council, Board of Directors, Former Chair
- Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Board of Trustees, Former Chair; Current Advisory Committee Member
- Hudson Bayou Neighborhood Association, Board of Directors Member and Secretary
- Florida Real Estate Commission, Former Chair
- Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors, Past Member and Counsel
- John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art Foundation, Board of Directors, Past Member
- Leadership Florida, Class XXIV
- City of Sarasota Historic Preservation Board, Former Chair
- City of Sarasota Charter Review Committee, 2006
- City of Sarasota City Manager Search Committee, 2007
- Sarasota Architectural Foundation, Founder and Past Co-Chair
- Sarasota Association of Realtors, Attorney/Realtor Joint Committee, Past Member
- Sarasota County Tourist Development Council, Past Member
- Super Bowl XLIII Host Committee, Board of Directors, Past Member
ACCOLADES
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent
- Florida Trend, “50 Must-Know Contacts” in Sarasota County
- Best Lawyers in America, Real Estate Law
- AIA Florida, Bob Graham Architectural Awareness Award
- Gulf Coast Business Review 2000—40 Under 40
- Sarasota Magazine, 100 Most Powerful People
- Florida Trend, Legal Elite