Stephen Gardner

Overview

Steve Gardner, a respected member of the Tampa legal community since 1971, is a founding partner of Gardner Brewer Hudson. In 2010, Steve and his son Truett merged their law practice, Gardner Law Group, with Brewer Perotti Martinez-Monfort to create a new firm that put value, honesty, personal relationships and practical business advice at the forefront of every decision they made. The vision for Gardner Brewer Martinez-Monfort was to give clients a large firm experience, but with small firm attention, which remains unchanged over the years.

After attending law school and serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Steve returned to Tampa in 1971 and began practicing law with his father-in-law, who became his valued mentor. After his father-in-law became a judge, Steve founded Bush Ross Gardner Warren & Rudy in Tampa in 1981. What started out as a small firm later grew to more than 40 attorneys. In 2005, Steve and his son Truett, also a local attorney, founded the Gardner Law Group. The firm focused on real estate development in general and specifically on urban development in downtown Tampa and other Florida cities.

Steve has extensive experience in real estate and lending law, with particular concentration in real estate development, project financing, condominium and homeowners associations and community development districts. He has represented both lenders and borrowers in complex transactions involving acquisition, financing, and sale of properties located throughout the United States, including high-rise residential and mixed-use towers, apartment complexes, planned golf course residential communities, office buildings, subdivisions and hotels. He has also represented numerous community associations in both horizontal and vertical developments in drafting and revising governing documents and in managing their day-to-day operations.

Steve and his wife Sandra attend Hyde Park United Methodist Church where Steve has been significantly involved and has been a Sunday School teacher for over 40 years. As a result of his religious background, Steve began representing his church, then the district and finally the Florida United Methodist statewide organization, primarily in its real estate and church closing matters. He led a team that successfully upheld the Trust Clause in Florida and has been significantly involved in quieting titles, injunctions and eviction matters involving church properties. That experience has led to representing churches of other denominations - protestant, Catholic and other religions.

Another facet of Steve’s practice is his involvement in wills and trusts, estate planning and probate. He assists clients with the preparation of wills and trusts, ranging from simple documents to complex estate plans.

Education

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA LEVIN COLLEGE OF LAW
Juris Doctor, 1969

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
B.S., Mathematics, 1966

Practice Areas

Real Estate Transactions (commercial and residential)
Real Estate Finance
Church/Religious Law
Community Associations (HOAs and Condominiums)
Community Development Districts (CDDs)
Wills and Trusts, Estate Planning and Probate

Recognition

AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Florida Trend Legal Elite
Florida Super Lawyers™

Engagement

Tampa Yacht & Country Club, Past Commodore
University Club of Tampa, Past President
Tampa Downtown Partnership, Past President
Exchange Club of Tampa, Past President
Hyde Park United Methodist Church, Past Administrative Board and Trustee Chairman

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