Overview
Timothy Riley is dedicated to helping businesses, from highly regulated industries and across Florida and beyond, to solve their problems with and through government. Timothy’s clients range from investor-owned utilities, oil and gas exploration companies and mining operators to commercial real estate developers and telecommunications companies. He advises on governmental relations and administrative law matters and advocates client objectives before local, state and federal regulatory agencies, as well as in judicial courts and administrative proceedings.
With a focus on serving as the catalyst for getting client initiatives approved at all levels of government, Timothy brings a deep bench of earned skills to projects involving land use and environmental issues, with a particular emphasis on oil and gas law matters. He navigates clients through obtaining permits and entitlements and in executing development projects by securing environmental permits, local and state development approvals, and proprietary real property interests.
Timothy takes pride in understanding the language of engineers and other technical professionals. He believes in straightforward communication and speaking in plain English – not legalese. Timothy emphasizes actionable solutions when it comes to developing a strategy that results in the right end game for those he serves. His creative problem-solving can result in mitigating the potential for delays, including prolonged negotiation and potential litigation.
Prior to moving to Florida, Timothy served as the Manager of Environmental Resources for the Town of Flower Mound in Texas. He then worked as the Manager of Policy & Development for the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, where he was appointed to the City of Austin’s Environmental Board. Timothy was responsible for managing the district’s groundwater regulatory compliance, enforcement and planning initiatives.
A veteran who served in Afghanistan as an Operational Law Attorney in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 82nd Division (Airborne), Timothy currently serves as the Command Judge Advocate for the 83rd Troop Command in the Florida Army National Guard. He recently completed a 16-month federal activation with the Florida Division of Emergency Management in support of the State of Florida’s COVID19 response. In his free time, Timothy enjoys being an Adjunct Professor, where he teaches Oil & Gas Law and Military Justice at Florida State University’s College of Law.
Experience
- Represented an oil and gas operator before the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to reopen an abandoned oil field and successfully permit three oil production wells in northwest Florida
- Successfully represented a national natural gas pipeline company against a third party environmental challenge to a 517-mile interstate natural gas pipeline project
- Successfully defended a Texas-based oil and gas operator’s oil drilling permit from a third party administrative challenge in Southwest Florida
- Assisted residential subdivision developer to successfully resolve FEMA floodplain mapping revision issues to allow new construction in designated flood hazard areas
- Assisted over 30 agritourism operators in resolving development and fire code disputes with local governments
- Assisted phosphate and aggregate mining companies in obtaining federal, state, and local permits and entitlements to conduct mining operations throughout Florida
- Obtained environmental permits for multiple wetland mitigation banks throughout Florida
- Obtained drilling, operations, and geophysical exploratory permits for oil and gas operators for energy exploration throughout Florida
- Assisted industrial companies, commercial enterprises, and agribusinesses in obtaining consumptive use permits for water usage
Honors
- The Best Lawyers in America®, 2024-25
- Energy Regulatory Law
- Environmental Law
- Litigation - Environmental
- Florida Trend, Florida “Legal Elite,” 2023
News & Insights
- “Hurricane Recovery/Resiliency," speaker, FAWQC Annual Conference, June 2023
- Timothy Riley & Cai Huiyan, Unmasking Chinese Business Enterprises: Using Information Disclosure Laws to Enhance Public Participation in Corporate Environmental Decision Making, 33 Harvard Envtl. L. Rev. 177 (2009)
- Timothy Riley, Piercing the Regulatory Veil: The Need to Expand Federal Clean Water Act NPDES Permit Coverage to Include Municipal “Satellite” Sewer Collection Systems, 10 Va. Envtl. L.J. 615 (2008)
- Timothy Riley, Wrangling with Urban Wildcatters: Defending Texas Municipal Oil and Gas Development Ordinances Against Regulatory Takings Challenges, 32 Vt. L. Rev. 349 (2007)
- B. Brooks, T. Riley, R. Taylor, Water Quality of Effluent Dominated Ecosystems: Ecotoxicological, Hydrological, and Management Considerations, 556 Hydrobiologia 365 (2006)
- Timothy Riley, Redressing the Silent Interim: Precautionary Action & Short Term Tests in Toxicological Risk Assessment, 12 RISK: Health, Safety, & Env’t 281 (2001)
- “Extraction Industries Update,” 36th Annual Permitting Summer School, Florida Chamber Foundation, July 2022
- “Agritourism & Agricultural Classifications: A Statutory & Best Practices Primer,” Florida Agritourism Association, webinar, January 2023
Speaking Engagements
Involvement
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Florida Bar Association, Environmental & Land Use Section, 2008-present
- Texas Bar Association
Civic & Community Service
- Florida Army National Guard, 2009-present
Education
- Vermont Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, 2008
- University of North Texas, M.A., 2003
- University of North Texas, B.A., 1999
Admissions
- Florida, 2008
- Texas, 2014
