Grace Dunlap is the 2020 Ralph A. Marsicano Award honoree. The prestigious award, presented annually by the City, County, and Local Government Law (CCLGL) Section of The Florida Bar, is the most coveted and respected award given by the Section. Dunlap is Bryant Miller Olive P.A.’s Chairman of the Board. She served as the firm’s managing shareholder from 2010–2021.
The award is given to an individual, who over a period of time, has made significant and outstanding contributions to the development of Local Government Law in Florida. Dunlap is the first bond attorney to win.
The award honors Marsicano, who served Tampa for more than 30 years as an assistant, and often acting, city attorney. He was often considered the “dean of U.S. city attorneys.”
“It is a great honor to be recognized by my peers with the Ralph A. Marsicano Award, particularly as a public finance attorney,” Dunlap said. “I enjoy serving Florida communities and non-profit organizations in financing important local projects, and am proud to be a longtime member of the CCLGL Section. My career with Bryant Miller Olive has given me the opportunity to advocate legal positions to champion local government needs, which are increasing important for our society.”
The CCLGL Section, which represents the interests of Florida’s local government attorneys and has approximately 1,700 members, functions as a vehicle for lawyers who serve local governments. It helps them to build networks, exchange ideas, continue their legal education, and advocate on issues important to them and their clients.
“Grace is an excellent choice for the Ralph A. Marsicano Award,” said JoLinda Herring, Esq., BMO’s CEO and Managing Shareholder. “Practicing public finance law for more than three decades, and serving many Florida governments, she has made extraordinary contributions to the development of Florida local governments.”
For more than 30 years, Dunlap’s practice has been concentrated in the area of public finance. She has served as bond counsel for numerous Florida governments and governmental entities in the utility, transportation, education and health care industries. Through those representations, she has participated in various complex bond issues, including governmental pooled financings, conduit transactions, housing, industrial development, education and healthcare issues. For more information about Dunlap, visit www.bmolaw.com/lawyer/grace-e-dunlap.
About Bryant Miller Olive
With a distinguished 50-year history of serving its clients’ needs, Bryant Miller Olive represents governments, businesses and agencies in legal matters relating to public finance, real estate, state and local government law, complex transactions, project finance, litigation, and labor and employment. Firm attorneys are often called upon to handle some of the most complex legal issues in the boardroom and in the courtroom. The firm has offices in Tampa, Tallahassee, Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.bmolaw.com.
