Thomas A. Cloud

Practice Areas

Administrative and Regulatory

Land Use Law

Utilities

Government

Environmental and Sustainability Law

Professional Memberships

The Florida Bar

Florida Municipal Attorneys Association

American Bar Association

Florida League of Cities, Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Legislative Policy Committee

Florida Chamber Growth Management, Leadership Committee

Boone High School Foundation Member, Board of Directors

Wake Forest University National Alumni Council

Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce Leadership Programs, Board of Directors

Leadership Orlando Program, Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce

Leadership Central Florida Program

Leadership Florida Program

Lake Apopka Restoration Council

Music Mission Kiev, Board of Directors

Orange County Historical Commission

Historic Lakeland, Inc.

Historical Society of Central Florida, Inc., Board of Directors

Florida Chautauqua Assembly, Board of Directors

Publications

For 30 years, Tom has been a frequent author and lecturer in Florida on a variety of municipal, land use, and legal topics.

Experience

Tom has been a local and state government, utility, land use, and environmental law attorney for over four decades. Board-certified by The Florida Bar in City, County and Local Government Law, Tom has represented over 100 Florida cities, including six as city attorney. His practice includes negotiating complex contracts, drafting dozens of city and county legislative initiatives and ordinances, creating and defending municipal rates, fees, assessments, and charges, obtaining state and local government regulatory approvals, and all matters attendant to the acquisition, development, and utilization of both real property and business acquisitions and sales. He has been responsible for the application and approval of over 25 Developments of Regional Impact throughout central Florida, as well as dozens of other complex land use matters. Tom has handled a variety of matters directly involving regional planning councils throughout Florida, including comprehensive plan amendments, DRI reviews, interlocal planning agreements, and agreements between RPCs and local governments. Tom helped create and served as the first general counsel to the Volusia Growth Management Commission, a charter-created intergovernmental entity that reviewed plan amendments within Volusia County. In addition to handling state administrative, municipal, land use, and environmental matters, Tom is one of the preeminent municipal utility attorneys in Florida, having successfully handled a wide variety of both transactional and litigation matters within the field. He has handled a variety of complex municipal, county, and special district financial transactions, including the defense of various capital and operational rates, fees, assessments, and charges. Tom has written, presented, and published dozens of articles on a variety of local government topics for various sections of The Florida Bar, Stetson Law Review, and other publications.

Tom currently serves as city attorney for four cities across Central Florida and as general counsel to the Utilities Commission of New Smyrna Beach. He previously served as president of the Florida Municipal Attorneys Association, and has represented hundreds of cities and counties throughout Florida in a variety of legal matters since 1980.

Education

Awards