Thursday, November 22, 2018

Know Your Unregistered St. Johns County Lobbyists: THOMAS O'NEAL INGRAM



THOMAS O'NEAL INGRAM of AKERMAN law firm:
o Brags of work helping avoid and evade environmental laws.
o Pushed St. Augustine Beach for approval of massive ugly Embassy Suites.
o Pushed St. Augustine Beach for an unauthorized water park for Embassy Suites
o Pouted when St. Augustine Beach rejected water park, filing bogus legal action.
o Billed City of St. Augustine some $200,000 for legal work supporting harebrained scheme to take 2000 truckloads of contaminated solid waste from Old City Reservoir, plop dirt on top of it and call it a "park."   (We, the People defeated this developer puppet).
o Lobbied St. Johns County not to require lobbyist registration.
o Is not registered as a lobbyist.
o Of Counsel to the worst corporate law firm in Florida.
o Charter member of the Smirking Turkey Society (STS)
o An "enemy of the people?"  
o The scourge of the environment?

From his bio on AKERMAN law firm website.


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Thomas O. Ingram
Of Counsel, Real Estate
thomas.ingram@akerman.com vCard
Connect With Me
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Jacksonville
T: +1 904 798 3700
Tom Ingram works with landowners, developers, and governments to allow for the development and sale of real estate in Jacksonville, St. Johns County (St. Augustine), Clay County, and surrounding areas in northeast Florida. Such efforts have included the development and redevelopment of sites into retail power centers, single family and multifamily developments, Developments of Regional Impact, and industrial centers.
Tom’s efforts routinely involve negotiation of project-specific agreements concerning transportation and other issues with Boards of County Commissioners and other elected bodies. His work includes real estate transactions and due diligence relating to development properties.
In addition to his regular involvement with the Urban Land Institute, the Northeast Florida Builders Association, and other organizations, Tom has worked with the city of Jacksonville to advocate for the maintenance and expansion of public access to Jacksonville's beaches, the St. Johns River, and its tributaries.
Notable Work
River City Marketplace: Represented the developer in the entitlement of the River City Marketplace Development of Regional Impact, an over 800,000 square foot retail center in north Jacksonville. This effort revived a long- dormant DRI and was the catalyst for a new economic center in north Jacksonville.
St. Augustine Centre DRI: Represented the developer of a multi-use DRI in the St. Augustine area to preserve and extend development rights and respond to market shifts over the past 10 years.
Asphalt Plant Siting: Represented the developer of a regional aggregate distribution facility with an asphalt plant site in Clay County, Florida.
Florida Open Beaches Foundation: Represented the Florida Open Beaches Foundation against environmental groups seeking to limit public vehicular beach access at Jacksonville's Huguenot Park, a popular mile-long peninsula of undeveloped beach where almost all of the available parking is on the beach. Worked with the client and the City of Jacksonville to turn back a state environmental agency and environmental groups' effort in 2010 to eliminate much of the beach from public parking and use.
Olympic Team Selection: Represented Olympic athlete in defending her winning the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials against a competitor who filed a legal challenge combined with a national public relations campaign to change the results of the Olympic Trials. The challenge took issue with how the sport's governing body applied its rules of racing to the competition. Following an arbitration a few weeks before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the client represented the United States.
Environmental, Defense of Enforcement Action: Represented a multi- national corporation working with major federal-aid projects as environmental counsel concerning a federal investigation as to potential violations of environmental laws. This four-year criminal investigation was closed without indictment or other adverse action.
Oceanfront Hotel Development: Represented client in obtaining local approval of the final design of an oceanfront hotel redevelopment in St. Augustine Beach, Florida.
Jacksonville Infill Development: Represented restaurant developer in the Avondale neighborhood of Jacksonville to redevelop an urban site for a full service restaurant. Working with the neighborhood group Riverside Avondale Preservation, Inc., the client ultimately won its support as well as the necessary local land use approvals.
Related Professional Experience
Office of Governor Lawton Chiles and Lt. Governor Buddy MacKay, Florida, Aide, 1993-1995
Published Work and Lectures
The Florida State University College of Law Spring Environmental Law Forum, Panelist, "Beach Restoration: Preserving Public and Private Interests in the Shoreline," 2010
Affiliations
Urban Land Institute (ULI), North Florida District Council, Chair, 2015-17; Programs Committee Chairman, 2013; Management Committee, 2013- Present
Northeast Florida Builders' Association, Government Affairs Committee, 2009-Present
Florida Water Star Technical Advisory Committee, Member, 2012-2016
Florida Planning and Zoning Association, First Coast Chapter, President, 2006-2007
Florida Open Beaches Foundation, Inc., Past Director and Past Counsel
Jacksonville Bar Association, Land Use and Environmental Section, Past Chairman
The Florida Bar, Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section, Member; Environmental and Land Use Law Section, Member
Honors and Distinctions
The Best Lawyers in America 2019, Listed in Florida for Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law
Florida Planning & Zoning Association, First Coast Chapter, FOCUS Award, 2018
Akerman LLP, Pro Bono Impact Award, 2017

Areas of Experience
Real Estate
Environment and Natural Resources Florida Land Use and Entitlements Land Use and Development
Real Estate Acquisitions and Sales Real Estate and Construction

Education
J.D., Florida State University College of Law, 1998, magna cum laude, Environmental Law Society, Vice President
B.S., Florida State University, Political Science, 1993, Florida Academic Scholar
Admissions Bars
Florida
Related Content
Record Number of Akerman Lawyers Across the United States Named to The Best Lawyers in America 2019
Guide
August 21, 2018
Thomas Ingram, Allison Stocker Co-Author Planning
Magazine Article on Civil Rights Compliance in Zoning
Decisions
May 04, 2018
2018 Legislation Puts Local Governments in Control of
DRI Amendment Process
April 11, 2018
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