Last week, Gunster environmental law attorney Luna Phillips was featured as a panelist during the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources' 47th Spring Conference. The conference has consistently been the premier forum for dialogue among environmental, energy and resources lawyers to connect, share ideas, and gather insight with thought leaders from around the country.
Phillips was tapped to present during the session called "River of Grass: A Confluence of Law, Policy, and Environmental Science in the Everglades." She joined a dynamic panel of scientists, policymakers, and lawyers for an examination of the complex hydrologic and geologic features of the Everglades, the environmental legal and policy tools developed to manage this environment, and the lessons from South Florida that can be applied to complex ecosystems throughout of the United States.
Key takeaways from the panel included:
- Large scale federal restoration projects are complex, long term and involve many varied stakeholder interests;
- These projects affect many aspects of private ownership including water supply, flood protection and land values;
- And practitioners in this field monitor all stages of these projects to advise clients of how their interests may be affected
Those looking to do business in Florida should consider:
- Whether an adequate water supply to meet their business needs is available;
- If their business is located near a restoration project, familiarize themselves with the project’s design specifics; and
- If businesses want to learn more about how Everglades restoration may affect their interests, they should become engaged in the public process available for all large scale restoration projects
Luna Phillips practices exclusively in the area of water and natural resources law before state and federal agencies. Her practice includes assisting large scale developers, agricultural entities, public and private companies, as well as individuals in a wide range of water related issues. In addition, Luna actively works on Everglades related restoration issues in south Florida involving complex restoration agreements with governmental entities and water quality and supply regulations.
