Married couple enters mediation business

BRADENTON — The Florida Mediation & Conference Center, run by a Manatee County couple, is scheduled to open to the public next week.

Manatee County attorneys Trent and Lesa Miller own the facility, according to a release. The 5,000-square-foot complex includes a mock courtroom for trial prep and educational opportunities; eight small conference rooms and three large conference rooms; a training room with classroom facilities; cameras set up by a jury consultant and one-way glass in the mock courtroom for observers.

“Bringing a state-of-the-art facility like this one to our region has been a goal of ours for quite some time, and it is exciting to see it come to fruition,” says Trent Miller in the release. “Lesa and I hope that attorneys, schools and small business owners will take advantage of the plentiful resources we will have available for them at the center. For attorneys and mediators, the venue offers neutral ground for all parties to meet.”

Trent and Lesa Miller separately own and operate their own law firms, Miller & Miller P.L. and the Work Comp Group, respectively. The Millers bought the 42,000-square-foot complex that houses the mediation center for $1.85 million earlier this year. The complex, off State Road 64 in east Manatee County, is a combination of office and retail properties. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the center is scheduled for July 22 at 4 p.m.