Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2009 
Mary Jo Carney is a real estate attorney with more than 40 years of experience representing developers, property owners, landlords, tenants, and investors in commercial real estate matters throughout Florida. Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, she serves clients through Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns LLP, where her practice focuses on complex commercial real estate transactions involving acquisitions, financing, leasing, development, redevelopment, and sales.
Mary Jo regularly advises clients on matters involving grocery-anchored shopping centers, build-to-suit projects, mixed-use developments, apartment communities, hotels, industrial properties, office buildings, and specialty commercial assets, including car washes. Her experience in Real Estate Law includes guiding transactions from initial negotiations through closing while addressing operational, leasing, financing, and development considerations.
Before joining Johnson Pope, Mary Jo co-founded and managed a boutique real estate law firm in St. Petersburg for more than three decades. During that time, she represented both local and national clients in commercial real estate transactions of varying size and complexity. Clients value her practical approach, attention to detail, and ability to help move transactions forward efficiently while addressing challenges that may arise during the process.
Over the course of her career, Mary Jo has represented lenders, developers, landlords, and property owners in a wide range of commercial real estate matters. Since 1997, she has served as counsel to a developer of Publix-anchored shopping centers throughout Florida, handling acquisitions, dispositions, redevelopment projects, and commercial leasing matters. She has also negotiated and prepared leases involving national and regional credit tenants, providing insight into both landlord and tenant perspectives.
