Melissa Tapanes Llahues

Practice Areas

Growth Management

Land Use

Zoning

Environmental

Permitting

Historical Preservation

Archeological Resources

Due Diligence Reviews

Development Agreements

Public Benefit Agreements

Career

Melissa Tapanes Llahues is a nationally recognized land use and zoning attorney, strategic advisor, and civic leader shaping the built environment across South Florida. As a shareholder and Chief Executive Officer of Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes, PLLC, she operates at the intersection of law, policy, and urban strategy—guiding complex development projects from vision to entitlement to realization.

Melissa represents institutional investors, landowners, and developers in high-stakes, politically sensitive matters requiring sophisticated navigation of governmental systems. Her work spans the full lifecycle of development, including due diligence, zoning and land use entitlements, comprehensive plan amendments, developments of regional impact, vested rights, public-private partnerships, and development agreements. She is particularly known for her ability to align legal frameworks with public policy, stakeholder interests, and long-term urban outcomes—delivering results in some of the most complex regulatory environments.

Melissa currently serves as President of the Builders Association of South Florida (BASF)—one of the region’s most influential industry organizations representing leading developers, contractors, and real estate professionals. In this role, she is at the forefront of advancing policy, infrastructure, and housing solutions across South Florida, shaping the dialogue between the private sector and government on growth, resilience, and the future of the built environment.

Her leadership extends across key civic and policy platforms. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Miami Downtown Development Authority, where she chairs the Urbanism Committee. She served as Chair of the City of Miami’s Miami 21 Report Ad Hoc Task Force, leading the comprehensive review of the City’s zoning code, and as Vice Chair of the City of Hialeah Affordable Housing Task Force.

Her prior leadership includes serving as Chair of the Florida International University President’s Council and over a decade on the Board of Directors of the Latin Builders Association. She remains actively engaged with organizations including CREW, FAWL, and CABA, contributing to the advancement of leadership in law, development, and public service.

Melissa’s impact has been widely recognized. She is ranked in Chambers USA, listed as a “Recommended Attorney” by The Legal 500 for multiple consecutive years, and has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, and numerous national publications. She is the recipient of the Miami-Dade Bar Circle of Excellence Award and was named one of the South Florida Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” as well as a Ford Motor Company “Mujeres Legendarias” honoree for leadership.

She earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Florida International University Honors College. Her commitment to public leadership began early—she was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to the Florida Postsecondary Education Planning Commission and led the successful student initiative advocating for the creation of FIU’s College of Law.