Practice Area

Governmental & Lobbying
counsel throughout Florida.

Local and statewide advocacy for public and private sector clients in Florida's legislative, executive, and regulatory arenas.

Call (561) 994-4499 Meet the Team

Years in the
Florida Legislature

30%+

Board Certified
Attorneys Firm-Wide

40+

Years Practicing
in Florida

1985

Founded in
South Florida

Florida's governmental landscape is complex. Securing a favorable outcome at the state level or before a county commission requires relationships, preparation, and the ability to execute at every stage.

The Governmental & Lobbying group at Sachs Sax Caplan Kaskel & Schner, PLLC brings together legislative experience, land use depth, and a track record of regulatory engagement built over decades of Florida practice. We represent clients in the public and private sector across a range of advocacy, permitting, and governmental affairs matters.

What We Handle

Advocacy where
decisions are made.

The Governmental & Lobbying group at Sachs Sax Caplan Kaskel & Schner, PLLC offers local and statewide lobbying and governmental advice to clients in both the public and private sector.

Legislative advocacy

Developing and executing advocacy agendas, building legislative coalitions, and working to pass or defeat legislation at the local and state level.

Executive and regulatory arenas

Representing clients before Florida's executive agencies, with the relationships and experience to strengthen a client's position in the regulatory process.

Appropriations

Securing funding and advancing client priorities in state budget and appropriations processes, backed by existing relationships with decision-makers.

Land use and zoning

Representing property owners, developers, and associations before local boards and commissions to secure zoning approvals, site plan entitlements, and development permits throughout South Florida and beyond.

Local permitting and regulatory matters

Working with municipalities on local permitting, comprehensive plan compliance, and regulatory issues where the outcome turns on understanding the process and the decision-makers involved.

Public policy counsel

Helping clients understand and engage Florida's political and governmental landscape, identifying opportunities and building the strategic partnerships that move issues forward.

Core Strengths

Sectors where
we go deep.

Effective advocacy requires more than access. It requires knowing the substance well enough to advance a client's position when decision-makers push back. Our team has built that knowledge over years of work in a focused set of sectors where Florida's governmental involvement is most consequential.

The group's experience spans appropriations, education, health care including mental health services, aviation, cemetery regulation, and land use. That sector depth, combined with relationships at the state and local levels, is what distinguishes the practice from generalist advocacy.

Practice sectors

Education and health care

Legislative and regulatory work affecting school districts, health care providers, and mental health programs, including appropriations and agency rulemaking at the state level.
Aviation

Governmental affairs work for aviation-sector clients navigating state and local regulation, funding, and permitting in Florida's active aviation environment.
Land use and development entitlements

Securing development approvals, rezoning, and site plan entitlements before county commissions and city boards, including projects involving marinas, hotels, multifamily residential, and commercial uses.
Government regulation and redevelopment

Advising on government regulation affecting redevelopment opportunities, including re-adaptive use, grandfathering issues, and compliance with evolving agency requirements.

Why Sachs Sax Caplan Kaskel & Schner, PLLC

Relationships and expertise,
combined.

Our public policy professionals have experience engaging decision-makers at both the state and local levels. We handle complex public policy problems, from working with a municipality on zoning issues to lobbying Florida's Governor and staff, with the same depth of preparation.

The group's experience includes direct service in the Florida Legislature: Steven Geller served in the Florida Senate from 1998 to 2008 (serving as Minority Leader from 2006 to 2008) and in the Florida House of Representatives from 1988 through 1998. He has also served as Mayor of Broward County and currently serves as a Broward County Commissioner.

Steven Geller's profile

Legislative, executive, and regulatory experience at local and state levels
Insider familiarity with the Florida legislative and regulatory process
Clients in both the public and private sector across multiple industries
Land use expertise spanning local boards, county commissions, and administrative proceedings
Led by AV Preeminent rated counsel with over 40 years of Florida practice

Questions We Hear

Common questions
about this practice.

Governmental and lobbying work raises questions that rarely have straightforward answers. These reflect what clients most often ask when they first engage us.

What is the difference between a lobbyist and a governmental affairs attorney?

A registered lobbyist advocates directly before the Legislature or executive agencies on behalf of a client and is subject to registration and disclosure requirements under Florida law. A governmental affairs attorney may provide a broader range of services: legal advice on regulatory compliance, preparation of administrative filings, representation in agency proceedings, and strategic counsel on legislative developments, in addition to registered lobbying where appropriate. Our practice encompasses both functions, which means clients can receive integrated legal and advocacy support from a single team rather than coordinating between separate firms.

When should a business engage governmental affairs counsel in Florida?

The most effective point to engage counsel is before a legislative session begins or before a regulatory proceeding is formally initiated. Positions are far easier to advance or defend when counsel is involved at the drafting and committee stages rather than after a bill has advanced or an agency rule has been proposed. Clients in regulated industries, those seeking appropriations, or those facing zoning or land use decisions before a county or municipal body all benefit from early engagement. Waiting until a decision is imminent significantly narrows the available options.

What does land use and zoning counsel actually do before a local board?

Land use counsel prepares and submits applications for rezonings, site plan approvals, variances, and development entitlements. Before a board hearing, that means working with municipal staff during the review process, preparing supporting materials, identifying and addressing likely objections, and coordinating with engineers, planners, and other consultants. At the hearing, counsel presents the application and responds to questions from board members and the public. The ability to manage both the technical requirements and the political dynamics of a local board is what distinguishes effective land use representation from merely filing paperwork.

Can the firm handle both lobbying and related real estate or transactional work?

Yes. Sachs Sax Caplan Kaskel & Schner, PLLC is a full-service firm with practice groups in real estate, corporate, and land use matters, as well as community association law, commercial litigation, and estate planning. A client pursuing a development project may need entitlement advocacy, contract review, and community association advice as the project moves forward. Because those capabilities exist within the same firm, clients do not need to manage multiple outside counsel relationships for interconnected matters.

What sectors does the governmental group know best?

The practice has built focused experience in appropriations, education, health care including mental health, aviation, cemetery regulation, and land use including local permitting and regulatory matters. Those are the areas where the team has developed substantive knowledge over years of Florida legislative and regulatory work. Clients in those sectors benefit from counsel who understand the statutory and regulatory frameworks involved, not only the political relationships.

Does the firm represent clients before county commissions and municipal boards as well as the Florida Legislature?

Yes. Local governmental representation is a significant part of the practice. Matters before Broward County, Palm Beach County, and municipal boards and commissions throughout South Florida are handled regularly. Land use and zoning work, in particular, is primarily conducted at the local level, where the decisions on specific development projects are made. The firm's presence and relationships in South Florida support that local practice, while the statewide lobbying work is conducted before the Florida Legislature and executive agencies.

Where It Connects

Governmental counsel
built on adjacent practices.

Real Estate

Real Estate, Corporate & Land Use

Land use entitlement work and governmental permitting are closely connected to the firm's real estate and corporate practice, covering acquisitions, transactions, and leasing matters.

See real estate counsel

Community Association

Community Association Law

Community associations and their boards frequently face governmental and regulatory questions on permitting, zoning, and legislative changes. The two practices support each other across overlapping matters.

See association counsel

Litigation

Commercial Litigation & Appeals

When a governmental or regulatory matter moves into administrative proceedings or requires court intervention, the firm's commercial litigation and appeals group is available to handle that phase.

See litigation counsel

The Team