George I. Platt

Legal Experience

Companies rely on Mr. Platt to help obtain government approvals including procurement matters involving county, state and municipal issues.  He has represented clients on some of South Florida’s major projects including the Broward County Convention Center, Dolphins Stadium, development of the Coral Springs and Parkland communities, the Bank Atlantic Center, and the 450-acre Pembroke Pines Mitigation Bank as well as environmental projects across South Florida.

As a former County Commissioner, Mr. Platt is also well versed in matters involving Port Everglades and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.   As a Board member of the Port Everglades Association and as Chair of the Broward Workshop Transportation Committee, Mr. Platt often works on major projects at the Port, the airport and rail systems, projects that are vital to the future of Broward County and the South Florida region.

Mr. Platt frequently lectures on wetlands mitigation banking, habitat conservation banking and education issues. He is also a Member of the National Mitigation Banking Association, where he has chaired the Legislative Committee (2007-2009).

Government Experience

Mr. Platt's familiarity with local government is based not only on his legal work, but also on his years of government and civic involvement. As a Broward County Commissioner (1978-1980), Mr. Platt chaired the Metropolitan Planning Organization (1979-1980) and the Value Adjustment Board (1979). He also served on the South Florida Regional Planning Council (1978-1980).  He later served as a Commissioner on the Broward County Charter Review Commission (2000-2002).  He currently serves as a Board member of the Broward Performing Arts Center Authority (2008-present).

Mr. Platt is widely respected for his lobbying work in state and local governments. He also served as Chairman (1984-1988) and State Committeeman (1996-2000) of the Broward County Democratic Party (2000) and as Treasurer of the Florida Democratic Party. Local, state and federal elected officials often call on him for advice and local publications consistently rank him among the 50 most influential people in this County of 1.8 million people.

Community Involvement

Mr. Platt has served as Chairman for the following:  State Board of Community Colleges (1995-1996), the Florida Atlantic University Foundation (1995-1996) and Fort Lauderdale’s Downtown Council (1995).  He currently serves on the Board of the Broward Performing Arts Center Authority, the Board of the Broward Public Library Foundation, the Board of Trustees Nova Southeastern University and Chair of the Advisory Board for NSU's College of Arts and Sciences.  Mr. Platt also serves on the Board of the State Colleges of Florida Foundation (2002-2010) and on the board of the Global Education Advisory Board of UNC, Chapel Hill (2002-2010).

Background

Mr. Platt began his legal career clerking at the Harvard Center for Law and Education (1971-1972), followed by an International Legal Center Overseas Teaching Fellowship at the Catholic University Law School in Santiago, Chile (1972-1973), where he taught and advised. Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Platt also served two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Panama (1967-1968).  He has continued to represent clients from Latin America on a number of matters.