Significant Transactions

Edwards Cohen negotiated and closed the acquisition of more than 1800 acres of land to be developed as a large scale solar farm. Edwards Cohen supports efforts to diversify electricity generation sources, including increased use of renewable energy.

Edwards Cohen provided legal representation in the acquisition and assemblage of over twenty parcels for a multi-phase student housing apartment project. The firm also represented the developer with respect to the construction financing for the project. The first phase of the financing was in excess of $50 million.

For in excess of 15 years, Edwards Cohen has represented a national retailer in the acquisition and development of dozens of stores sites throughout Florida. The firm has provided assistance in all phases of the projects, including land acquisition, permitting, and construction support. These projects range geographically from South Florida to the Panhandle and have involved many significant shopping center owners and developers doing business in Florida.

In one of the largest transactions of its kind in the state, Edwards Cohen developed, structured, negotiated and closed groundbreaking pre-catastrophe financing for a government-sponsored insurance client. The original $750 million bond offering was followed by a second pre-catastrophe bond offering of $1 billion. In each case, the firm served as counsel to the issuer. The proceeds of both offerings were instrumental in the issuer’s hurricane response mechanism and vital to the state’s recovery efforts from the active 2005 hurricane season.

Edwards Cohen structured and closed a $58 million financing for an academic services company in a quasi-asset-backed series of bond offerings for this first-time issuer. The firm supports the company, which is unique in its industry, in the structuring of long-term financing for charter school facilities, and also provides counsel in acquisition, construction and mini-perm financing.

Land use and development rights were critical to a client in its acquisition of a landmark resort hotel and condominium property in coastal North Florida. Edwards Cohen brought value to the transaction through careful analysis and innovative interpretation of existing primitive development documents in light of modern practice.

One of the firm’s largest clients, a 50-year-old special purpose state agency, required significant revamping of its authorizing legislation. Working with a team of senior client executives and lobbyists, Edwards Cohen drafted, defended and helped promote legislation aimed at re-energizing the mission and powers of the agency. Phase One is complete, and the firm is actively working on Phase Two of this important project.

Edwards Cohen helped a community develop an innovative single-family housing program using a short-term direct loan product. The program allows communities to foster home ownership and address their housing and housing-related community development issues. The same program had not previously been developed in Florida, and the firm worked with Fannie Mae to structure the financing to comply with Florida laws. The firm also created the related contractor loan documents to help the client implement its new workforce-housing program.

Leadership was key in the firm’s representation of the largest of several electric power entities for the acquisition of a major power park property in Florida. Together with its public client, Edwards Cohen systematically overcame numerous hurdles both internal and external to the acquisition group.

The firm served as counsel to a major supply chain logistics company providing North American distribution network services to an international tire company. Our services include implementation of service agreements, acquisition of distribution network assets (including build-to-suit leases of warehouse facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada), and related transactions effecting a restructuring of the distribution network.

Working with complex political and business issues, Edwards Cohen successfully negotiated a full services operating agreement with an international paper company for the firm’s client, a warehousing and stevedoring company. In the process, the firm also negotiated and closed the related acquisition and development of a 600,000-square-foot marine terminal distribution facility to serve the import needs of the paper company.

The firm has been instrumental in the leasing and development of more than 100 wireless communications towers and facilities for a national wireless communications provider. Services included lease negotiation, title review and sublease work. A large volume of work was completed by the firm in a timely and proactive manner to meet the client’s project deadlines.

The firm worked closely with the chief financial officer and board chair of a governmental agency in the development and execution of an intergovernmental program for design, construction and financing of $1.5 billion in transportation improvements for Northeast Florida.