Land Use and Zoning Law Real Estate Law
James H. "Jim" McNeil, Jr.
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2010 Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
Jim McNeil serves as chair of Akerman’s Residential Development Practice, a highly experienced team representing national builders and developers of master planned and mixed-use residential communities throughout the real estate development process. Known for his ability to provide pragmatic, strategic, and forward-thinking planning advice, Jim represents developers, homebuilders, and private equity funds in all phases of the acquisition, entitlement, development, and sale of property. He handles both the transactional aspects of the deal as well as the due diligence and procurement of land use approvals and entitlements. In procuring development approvals for his clients, Jim negotiates complex development agreements and handles concurrency, utility, and school capacity enhancement/mitigation agreements.
Active in the community, Jim is a member of the Greater Orlando Builders Association and previously served on the Board of Directors and as the Associate Vice President.
Overview
- Stetson University, J.D., graduated 1996
- Florida, The Florida Bar
- American Planning Association - Member
- City of Ocoee Planning and Zoning Commission - Past Member
- Florida Planning and Zoning Association (FPZA) - Member
- Greater Orlando Builders Association - Associate Vice President, 2014
- The Florida Bar - Member
- Urban Land Institute (ULI) - Member
- Florida, The Florida Bar
- American Planning Association - Member
- City of Ocoee Planning and Zoning Commission - Past Member
- Florida Planning and Zoning Association (FPZA) - Member
- Greater Orlando Builders Association - Associate Vice President, 2014
- The Florida Bar - Member
- Urban Land Institute (ULI) - Member
- Stetson University, J.D., graduated 1996
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Land Use and Zoning Law
- Real Estate Law
Awards:
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV Rated
- Super Lawyers Magazine 2012-2016, Listed in Florida for Real Estate: Business, Land Use/Zoning
- American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Member
News & Media
Additional Information
- Published Work and Lectures
- IMN Annual Real Estate Private Equity Forum on Land & Homebuilding, Moderator, "Land Use Due Diligence: The 10 Most Important Factors When Buying Land in Today's Market," April 14-15, 2015
- Florida Home Builders Association's Road to Recovery, Speaker, "Chinese Drywall, Legal Implications for Builders," Orlando, Florida; Port Charlotte, Florida; Estero, Florida; Naples, Florida; June 2009
- Opal Financial Group's Annual Real Estate Investors Summit, Speaker, "Legal, Bankruptcy, Borrower Negotiations, and Foreclosure Strategies," Orlando, Florida, April 2009
- IMN's 2nd Florida Distressed Residential Real Estate Symposium, Speaker, "Land Investing and Warehousing for Development," Hollywood, Florida, December 2008
- Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando, Speaker, "Foreclosures and Bankruptcy in Florida," Orlando, Florida, June 2008
- Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando, Speaker, "Traffic and School Concurrency Issues," Orlando, Florida, March 2007
- Representative Experience
- Representation of a national developer and private equity fund in the acquisition, entitlement, and redevelopment of a golf course into a mixed-use development.
- Representation of national homebuilders in all phases of development for residential projects, including contract negotiation, due diligence, land acquisition/disposition, and land use approvals and entitlements.
- Representation of a consortium of developers with six contiguous DRIs formed in connection with a Developer's Agreement with Osceola County, FL, related to transportation concurrency and the associated construction of approximately $250 million in transportation improvements, as well as representation in connection with utility concurrency, and school concurrency issues. The six projects comprise approximately 30,313 residential units and approximately four million square feet of commercial development.
- Representation of landowner in rare expansion of Urban Service Boundary in Orange County, FL to allow creation of an airport and mixed-use project. Project includes over 400 acres for the creation of a new airport and a proposed 2.8 million square feet of industrial space, 750,000 square feet of aviation-related space, 150,000 square feet of office space, and 50,000 square feet of commercial space.
- Representation of various master planned community developers with mixed-use projects in the Central Florida market.
- Representation of private equity client in the matter of a large portfolio of distressed loans covering projects in various locations within Florida.
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