Gunster, one of Florida’s oldest and largest full-service business law firms, is pleased to announce that Gregory M. Munson, an attorney and former deputy secretary for water policy with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, will join the firm as a shareholder in its Tallahassee office on September 23.
In his most recent role at the Department of Environmental Protection, Gregory M. Munson supervised the department’s activities related to Everglades restoration, the state’s water management districts, and the state’s coastal and aquatic managed areas.
Munson will be a member of the Florida-based business law firm’s environmental and land use practice, and will concentrate his work in the area of water use and water rights.
“Greg has tremendous experience in both the public and private sector, particularly related to water resources and water rights,” said Rick Burgess, a shareholder with Gunster and member of its board of directors. “He understands policy from inception to implementation and this experience will bolster Gunster’s already robust land use practice.”
As former deputy secretary for water policy, Munson acted as one of the lead negotiators for Florida Governor Rick Scott’s historic $880 million water quality agreement with the federal government, recently codified by the Florida Legislature as the long-term plan for Everglades restoration. He also oversaw revision to Florida consumptive use permitting rules, governing all consumptive uses of water in Florida.
In addition, Munson previously held a combination of private and public service positions, including:
- General Counsel for WRScompass, a company providing environmental remediation, civil construction and consulting services to commercial, federal and state clients.
- General Counsel for the Department of Environmental Protection where he managed complex litigation regarding the Everglades, Clean Water Act, and the tri-state dispute over the Apalachicola River.
- Prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, involving the prosecution of federal criminal cases involving narcotics, firearms, counterfeiting, child exploitation, and financial crimes.
- Assistant General Counsel for Florida Governor Jeb Bush, in which he advised the governor on the exercise of statutory and constitutional duties.
A former U.S. Air Force Captain and graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Munson was awarded the Southwest Asia Service medal and multiple Aerial Achievement medals.
Gunster has made additional notable hires recently in its environmental & land use, and business litigation practices, including:
- Angel A. Cortinas, a former appellate judge on Florida’s 3rd District Court of Appeal and former federal prosecutor joined Gunster’s Miami office in mid-August;
- Simon Ferro, a former U.S. ambassador to Panama, joined Gunster’s Miami office in April;
- Amy Brigham Boulris and Juan Muniz, both eminent domain and land use attorneys, joined Gunster’s Miami office in March of 2012. Boulris was recently in the news for her involvement in the recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Koontz vs. St. Johns River Water Management District.
