(877) 350-0372
Tallahassee
517 E. College Avenue, Tallahassee, 32301
Tampa
16009 N Florida Avenue, Lutz, Florida 33549
Jacksonville
2529 Herschel Street, Jacksonville, FL 32204
Lauren Gentry is a Partner at Kilinski | Van Wyk where she focuses on the establishment and representation of special districts, including community development districts, improvement districts, and stewardship districts. She also represents private and public clients in construction law matters and serves as issuer’s counsel in conjunction with public financing.
Lauren began her legal career as a federal judicial clerk to the Honorable Patricia D. Barksdale of the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division. She entered private practice in 2018, joining the CDD practice group at Hopping, Green & Sams P.A., and joined Kilinski | Van Wyk as a founding member in 2021. Lauren has an interest in helping clients create, finance, and operate vibrant communities and other development projects throughout Florida.
Lauren’s focus is specific to advising clients in the establishment and continuing operation of community development districts and other forms of special taxing districts – Lauren helps clients in the areas of public finance, public procurement, open government (Sunshine Laws) and ethics, rulemaking procedures, construction matters, navigating various licensing requirements, real property transactions, election law, government contracts, and a wide array of district governing documents. She enjoys helping residential communities find ways to achieve their goals within the framework of the law, and helping developer clients create dynamic spaces where the community can live, work, and play.
Public Finance – Lauren has helped numerous clients develop public finance strategies to meet their funding needs. While each project is unique, Lauren advises clients regarding matters such as construction, acquisition, project phasing, and sources of funding for projects ranging from residential communities to commercial centers and environmental stewardship districts. All projects are complex and having the right legal advice is a must when considering issuing bonds and creating alternate financing arrangements for funding public infrastructure such as water and sewer systems, public roadways, transportation improvements, drainage projects, and parks and recreation, among other public projects. Lauren also has experience in the restructuring and reissuance of bonds.
Issuers Counsel – Lauren has provided counsel on bond issuances totaling hundreds of millions for multiple clients.
Landowner and Developer Services – Lauren has provided clients with advice on all phases of landowner, developer, home builder and resident development activities.
In her free time, Lauren stays active in the legal community, currently serving as the Treasurer and Grants Chair for the Young Lawyers Section of the Tallahassee Bar Association, and enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking, painting, and spending time with friends and family. She is also passionate about local history and historic preservation, and spent a year in England obtaining a master’s degree in International Cultural Heritage Management, where she interned with Historic England’s Planning and Legal teams to evaluate appeals cases for local development approvals affecting historic assets.