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Allison E. Turnbull

Allison Turnbull’s practice centers around Florida real estate development. She assists clients with issues relating to land use and zoning changes, real estate acquisitions and sales, real estate financing and legislative and governmental affairs on both a local and state level.

Allison’s experience involves the representation of private and public entities in the development of commercial, residential and mixed-use projects in all phases of development. She helps landowners obtain all forms of local government approvals, ranging from zoning and comprehensive plan amendments, special exceptions, variances and conditional use permits to the negotiation of development agreements, development orders, annexation agreements and school capacity enhancement agreements. Her past experience involves planned unit developments, subdivision plats, annexation agreements, vested rights, impact fees, utility agreements, concurrency, transportation mitigation, road construction agreements, wetlands mitigation and permitting and many other aspects of land use and real estate development.

Allison understands the fundamentals of green design and construction. She assists clients in identifying, understanding and ultimately managing the unique legal issues and risks confronting sustainable building projects. Allison negotiates all stages of green development from the due diligence and contract negotiation phases and continues through the design, financing, leasing and marketing phases. She helps clients obtain and preserve water rights, identify and manage potential carbon entitlements, move projects through the emerging carbon regulation system and incorporate alternative energy strategies within their projects. In addition, Allison is experienced in the realm of environmental permitting, natural resources and takings law. She is familiar with the legal issues facing today's green projects and provides clients with the resources necessary to minimize the risks involved in attaining their sustainability goals.

Allison typically assists clients throughout the entire development process beginning with the site selection, contract negotiation, due diligence and land acquisition and continuing with the procurement of land use approvals and entitlements. She has significant experience in the approval and management of developments of regional impact (DRIs) in a variety of jurisdictions across Florida, including Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Polk, Volusia, Lake, Brevard and Highlands Counties, among others, and the surrounding municipalities. Through that experience, Allison has gained significant knowledge of concurrency issues in the areas of transportation, utilities and school capacity. Additionally, Allison assists in the establishment of Community Development Districts, Community Redevelopment Agencies and other local government financing mechanisms.

Allison has repeatedly been chosen as one of Orlando’s best lawyers by Orlando Magazine and is successively included within The Best Lawyers in America guide in the specialty of Land Use & Zoning Law, a publication that is regarded by both the legal profession and the public as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. Additionally, Allison has been frequently honored by Florida Trend Magazine as part of the “Legal Elite” in its “Up & Comers” category, as well as by Super Lawyers Magazine in its “Rising Stars” category. She also maintains an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Her community involvements include the After School All Stars (Board of Directors), the PACE Center for Girls (past member, Board of Directors), the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). She and her family are members of the Country Club of Orlando, where she serves on the House Committee. Within the firm, Allison serves as Chairman of the Orlando office Women’s Committee. Allison is a member of the Florida Bar Association.