Peter Schorsch
Former Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard is joining white-shoe law firm Foley & Lardner.
A formal announcement is expected soon.
Vinyard, a former Jacksonville shipbuilding executive, resigned his DEP post in December and was replaced by Cliff Wilson. Gov. Rick Scott appointed Vineyard in 2011.
“Secretary Vinyard is a welcome addition to Foley & Lardner’s Florida offices. His combination of skills – both legal and in the public arena – make him a perfect fit to join our team of experts. Having someone of Herschel’s caliber at the table for our clients cannot be overvalued,” said Managing Partner Kevin Hyde of Foley in Jacksonville.
Vinyard earned praise for the Scott administration’s efforts to improve water quality in the Everglades, invest more in springs and improve state parks.
But also under Vinyard, the DEP gave bonuses to employees who issued development permits more quickly and laid off 58 positions two years ago, notes Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times. That was followed by a series of top-level hires from private industries. The agency’s top wetlands expert was relieved of duty for objecting to a proposed wetlands credit project in Northeast Florida, and a judge later sided with the expert.
This is the third significant recent hire made by Foley & Lardner. SPB reported yesterday that Karen Bowling, the former CEO of Solantic, is joining the firm. Joe Jacquot, who was a chief of staff to Bill McCollum has moved to Foley’s office in Jacksonville.
Foley’s government team includes Robert Hosay, former Department of Management Services leader and government procurement lawyer; Jonathan Kilman, statewide lobbyist and business lawyer; Erika Alba, past chair of the Associated Industries of Florida board of directors; Paul Lowell, former top Florida House staffer; Christian Caballero, former White House fellow; and former legislative and political aide Jon Yapo.
