Grace Dunlap, Chair of the Board at Bryant Miller Olive P.A., is the first public finance attorney to win the Ralph A. Marsicano Award.
The 2020 award was presented by the City, County and Local Government Law section of the Florida Bar on May 12. The award is given by the CCLGL section to an individual who has made significant and outstanding contributions to the development of local government law in Florida over a period of time.
For over 30 years, Dunlap’s practice has been in the public finance arena. She has served as bond counsel for many issues done by Florida governments and governmental entities in the utility, transportation, education and health care sectors.
She is no stranger to complex bond deals, participating in many offerings which have included governmental pooled financings, conduit transactions, housing, industrial development, education and healthcare issues.
Dunlap joined BMO in 1993, opening the firm’s Tampa office and served as managing shareholder from 2010–2021. Prior to joining BMO, she began her practice of public finance law at Foley & Lardner.
The award is named after Ralph A. Marsicano, who served in Tampa for more than 30 years as an assistant city attorney and was known as the “Dean of 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.”
The CCLGL section represents Florida’s local government attorneys and has about 1,700 members. It helps lawyers who work in local government build networks, exchange ideas and continue their legal education.
“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.”
Bryant Miller Olive represents governments, businesses and agencies in legal matters relating to public finance, state and local government law, project finance, real estate and labor and employment. The firm has offices in Tampa, Tallahassee, Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.