Law firm hires DEP official

BRADENTON — Lewis, Longman & Walker, a locally based law firm specializing in government and environmental issues, announced it hired veteran attorney Deborah Getzoff, a onetime Florida Department of Environmental Protection official.

Getzoff was the DEP's Southwest office director for 11 years, where she honed extensive experience with permitting, compliance and enforcement, according to a Lewis, Longman & Walker press release. Getzoff, who maintained her Florida Bar Association membership while with the DEP, will work out of the firm's Bradenton office.

“Deborah brings a wealth of experience and depth to our team,” Lewis, Longman & Walker Managing Shareholder Kenneth Spillias said in a release. “We see things differently, and so does Deborah.”

Getzoff headed a Tampa-based regulatory office that oversaw environmental protection in 12 counties at the DEP. The office was behind permits for some of the more high-profile environmental projects in Florida, including a large seawater desalination plant. '¨

Getzoff worked in private practice prior to the DEP post, when she was a shareholder with Fowler White Boggs, a prominent statewide firm. Getzoff worked out of Fowler White's Tampa and Tallahassee offices. She represented private and public clients in administrative and environmental law at the state and federal levels, according to the release.

In addition to its Bradenton headquarters, Lewis, Longman & Walker has offices in Jacksonville, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach.