Ted R. Brown

Of Counsel, Holland & Knight LLP

Ted Brown has more than 50 years of legal experience. Today he practices in Holland & Knight’s Real Estate Section where his practice is focused on the representation of developers and owners seeking to develop land and who have  environmental and land use issues that will impact the proposed land development. After graduating from the University of Florida and the Ohio State University, he began his legal career in Orlando in 1968. 

From 1988 to 1997 he temporarily left the private practice and served as Vice President and General Counsel of Arvida Company, a firm engaged in the development of master planned communities in a variety of markets across the United States.  In that capacity, Mr. Brown was responsible for managing the legal affairs of the company and in particular, the land entitlement and environmental permitting processes.  Following his experience at Arvida, he worked for a brief period as a management consultant assisting companies in the development of strategic plans to ensure environmental and regulatory compliance before returning to private practice where he remains today. 

Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business Guide identifies Mr. Brown as a Senior Statesperson in Real Estate: Zoning and Land Use citing his long standing experience in handling complex land use matters and environmental impacts of development projects.  The Best Lawyers in America Guide identifies Mr. Brown in the following categories; namely Environmental Law, Litigation-Environmental, Land Use and Zoning Law, Real Estate Law, Litigation, Real Estate  and Government Relations Practice.  He was named Environmental Lawyer of the Year in 2012 and is rated AV-Preeminent in Martindale-Hubbell.

Mr. Brown has testified on multiple occasions before the Water Resources Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives and the  Environment and Public Works Committee of the United States Senate concerning the reauthorization of both the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. 

Additionally, he has maintained an active list of memberships and service commitments related to his profession.  He has served as Vice Chair of the Endangered  Species Subcommittee of the American Bar Association, a member of the Community Development Council, National Policy Council, Senior Housing Council and Environmental Council of the Urban Land Institute .  Additionally, he has been active in the Association of Florida Community Developers (AFCD) since its inception as well as numerous other development and environmental organizations with aligned interests.

Most recently he oversaw the settlement of a Chapter 120 challenge to the issuance of an ERP Permit and concurrently with the resolution and settlement of that matter oversaw and obtained a Section 404 Permit under the Clean Water Act.  “The strategic planning and concurrent  management of these  related processes is what I do,” said Mr. Brown and “I welcome new opportunities.”