Top Attorney – Frank L. Hearne – Diamond Member
Tampa, FL/Press/May 11, 2021 – Frank L. Hearne an Environmental Attorney at Mechanik Nuccio Hearne & Wester, P.A., is recognized as a Diamond Member in the Top Attorneys of North America 2021-2022 edition of The Who’s Who Directories.
The Lawyers of Mechanik Nuccio Hearne & Wester, P.A., represent clients throughout the State of Florida in a wide range of legal matters relating to real estate, litigation, environmental, governmental relations, corporate matters, and residential communities. They bring a unique perspective to our legal practice, with lawyers who have extensive experience representing both private and governmental clients in commercial transactions and litigated disputes, land use matters, and matters pertaining to regulated industries. At Mechanik Nuccio the legal team is committed and dedicated to providing exceptional service to its clients and also to its community.
Frank Hearne has practiced environmental law for over 39 years and was involved in environmental sciences for an additional ten years. His extensive experience includes representation of development, government, commercial, electric power, manufacturing, industrial, petroleum, agricultural, and mining interests. Mr. Hearne has been involved in numerous projects where contaminated soil and groundwater are at issue and in many cases with federal, state, and local wetlands disputes. He has extensive experience with the State of Florida’s cleanup programs, including the Brownfields, dry cleaning solvent, and petroleum programs. His experience also includes development, review, and negotiation of environmental insurance policies. He has served as environmental counsel on many multiple-site real estate and business transactions on behalf of buyers, sellers, and lenders. Mr. Hearne has been involved in over 50 federal Superfund sites, including Times Beach, Missouri, and Seymour, Indiana, which involved significant public and national controversy. He has also assisted in obtaining permits for more than 50 large industrial and electric power generation facilities.
Mr. Hearne has had considerable experience in connection with air and water discharge issues including permitting, enforcement defense, and litigation involving the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Underground Injection Control, and the equivalent state laws in many states. These activities included extensive involvement in the development of a number of federal and state environmental statutes and rules. Among other things, he has managed extremely complex permit hearings involving major hazardous waste disposal, industrial, development, and mining sites including national, state, and local political and legal considerations. He has also been involved in criminal defense work in cases involving the defense of clients facing federal and state environmental charges.
In addition to his legal credentials, Mr. Hearne holds an undergraduate degree in engineering from the University of Florida, where he focused on water resources, and a master’s degree in zoology from the University of Florida with a focus on aquatic and marine biology and ecology. Mr. Hearne’s engineering and scientific training and experience in environmental consulting provides a background which enables him to comprehend many technical aspects of his work, including geohydrology, hydrology, environmental chemistry, wetlands, protected habitats, endangered species, aquatic and marine ecology, and other technical disciplines. Prior to his legal career he was an environmental consultant for a number of years.
Mr. Hearne has frequently authored and lectured on numerous environmental topics including seminars and papers on environmental compliance auditing, Clean Water Act permitting, Clean Air Act permitting, indoor air quality, wetlands permitting, brownfields, environmental insurance, underground tanks, and many other areas.
He is a member of the Board of the Florida Brownfields Association and is a member of the Florida Bar Environmental and Land Use Section and the Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section.
Mr. Hearne has been repeatedly listed by independent groups as one of the outstanding Florida environmental lawyers including, among others, Who’s Who Legal: USA, The Best Lawyers in America, and Florida “Super Lawyers.”
Mr. Hearne has been married for 48 years to Teresa and has two adult sons. He is a certified speaker in the United Methodist Church and plays and sings old time and gospel music.
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