TRADE ASSOCIATE MEMBER UPDATE

JOHN J. FUMERO OF LEWIS, LONGMAN & WALKER, P.A.

HELPING LANDOWNERS USE THEIR PROPERTY - RESPONSIBLY

John Fumero knew at a young age that he wanted to enter the field of law, and thanks to his father's advice, he knew exactly what area of law he wanted to practice.

"My dad worked as an engineer for Florida Power & Light back in the '70s during the time when environmental regulations first came into being," he said. "I remember him telling me that I should look into going into this area. He said it seemed to be a rapidly growing field." Dad was right, and his son has now been practicing law for the last 20 years, specializing in the areas of environmental, land use, property rights and governmental law.

FFVA Trade Associate member John Fumero practices environmental law as a shareholder with the firm Lewis, Longman & Walker.

A shareholder with the statewide firm of Lewis, Longman & Walker, Fumero spends most of his time helping landowners win federal, state and local approval so they can make the best possible use of their property. "The permitting process has become intensely more difficult in the last decade," Fumero said. "It doesn't matter if you're planting tomatoes in Homestead or building homes in Charlotte County, the political climate has changed and that's resulted in much stricter agency regulations and laws."

Before joining Lewis, Longman & Walker, Fumero served as general counsel for the South Florida Water Management District as well as its director of governmental and legislative affairs. "In those days, I was on the other side of the table, but it's still essentially the same thing - looking at large-scale land development, whether it be agricultural or residential," he said.

Fumero is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator and holds certifications in Land Use and Environmental Negotiation and Policy from Harvard Law School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also serves in leadership positions with many industry and community organizations. He received his B.A. from the University of Miami and a Juris Doctorate from its law school.

The logo for the firm of Lewis, Longman & Walker represents the slash pine, which the firm says "reminds us that as we build our environment, we need to consider all that was before us - both man and nature."

The challenge, Fumero says, is for clients to realize their economic objectives to a piece of property in a responsible way. "We're in an age now where terms like 'sustainable agriculture' is being bandied about, he said, noting that development of land and the protection of the environment can both be accomplished.

"It's true. You don't have to compromise one to obtain the other," he said. "I see a lot of examples in Florida. There is such a thing as sustainable agriculture. And there is such a thing as responsible agricultural development of land that's in concert with protection of important resources." Accomplishing that, he says, is the most satisfying part of the job.

To find out more about Fumero and his firm, go to www.llw-law.com.