Miami Zoning Attorney Melissa Tapanes Llahues Receives ‘Director of the Year’ Award From Latin Builders Association

State of Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Melissa Tapanes Llahues, LBA, Director of the Year, LBA President Bernie Navarro

(MIAMI) Nov. 20, 2012 – Bercow Radell & Fernandez, ranked by U.S. News-Best Lawyers in its prestigious “First Tier” for land use and zoning law as well as real estate law in Miami, is proud to announce that partner Melissa Tapanes Llahues has been named “Director of the Year” by the Latin Builders Association® (LBA) at the Association’s recent awards luncheon in downtown Miami. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater made the presentation.

“There is no one who works more diligently than Melissa on behalf of her clients and the community,” said senior partner Jeffrey Bercow. “We are pleased the Latin Builders Association recognized her hard work and exceptional talent.”

Tapanes Llahues represents the interests of landowners, institutional clients, and developers seeking approvals from governmental boards and agencies at the local, state and federal levels. She specializes in managing complex and politically sensitive legislative and quasi-judicial matters from initial due diligence to permitting, including applications and issues related to developments of regional impact, amendments to local government comprehensive plans, vested rights, zoning, platting, and site planning, as well as state and local land development regulations, permitting, enforcement, eminent domain, historic preservation, and archaeological resources.

Melissa has been consistently distinguished from her peers as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, an “Up and Comer” by Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, and by numerous Who’s Who publications. She currently serves as an Executive Director of the Latin Builders Association and spearheads the 40-year old organization’s legislative affairs. In addition, Melissa serves as Chairwoman of the City of Doral’s Doral Design District Steering Committee and Chairwoman of the Florida International University President’s Council World’s Ahead Faculty Award Committee.

For more than two decades, the attorneys at Bercow Radell & Fernandez have been at the forefront of Miami-Dade County’s phenomenal growth, guiding their clients on all aspects of local, state and federal real estate permitting and licensing, zoning approvals, amendments of local government comprehensive plans, developments of regional impacts (DRIs), due diligence reviews, growth management, concurrency and environmental matters.

The firm’s clients include Lennar Homes, International Speedway Corporation, Woolbright Development, Home Depot, Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency, and Florida Power and Light Company, for which they served as lead counsel on its public hearing application for a new nuclear power plant at Turkey Point.

Bercow Radell & Fernandez, located at 200 S. Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 850, Miami, was established in 1996. The firm handles all aspects of local, state and federal real estate permitting and licensing, including zoning approvals, amendments of local government comprehensive plans, developments of regional impacts (DRIs), due diligence reviews, growth management, concurrency and environmental matters.

For more information, contact (305) 374-5300