Background
Mr. Rice was raised on a cattle ranch in Sumter County, Florida, where he developed a strong work ethic and a passion for agriculture. Mr. Rice has served on the board, and as an officer, for a number of not-for-profit organizations in Sumter, Lake, and Polk Counties, evidencing his continued commitment to improving the lives of those around him. As a board member, and current Treasurer, of KidsPACK, Mr. Rice is an integral part of an organization that provides meals to homeless children in Polk, Hillsborough, and Hardee Counties. Mr. Rice resides in Lakeland with his wife, Kaitlyn, and three children, Everett, Bennett, and Charlotte. When not at the office, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the outdoors and is an active member at the Downtown Campus of the Lakes Church.
Education
Mr. Rice received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida Warrington College Of Business where he was selected by his professors for the International Council of Shopping Center Foundation Real Estate Award. He concurrently pursued and received a Master of Science in Real Estate, graduating from both programs with honors. Upon acceptance into the University of Florida Levin College of Law, Mr. Rice remained in Gainesville to further his academics. While in law school, he jointly pursued a Master of Agribusiness degree with a concentration in beef cattle operations. Mr. Rice graduated with honors from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Agribusiness program in 2017.
Admissions
Mr. Rice is a member of the Florida Bar, the City, County and Local Government Law Section, Environmental and Land Use Law Section, and Real Property Probate Law Section.
Notable Central Florida Projects-Lead Counsel
120 acre distribution center for publicly traded company-generated 350+ jobs
74.9 MW solar power generation facility (multi-jurisdictional)
220 acre mixed-use project
22 acre emergency and medical office campus
20 acre recreational vehicle park
5 self-storage facilities ranging in size from 80,000SF to 120,000SF
15 acre commercial shopping center
13 acre professional/institutional project
Re-entitlement of property with 200,000+SF building
Expansion of an existing community activity center
Approval of an aggregate processing facility
Recognition of rights and expansion of an automobile processing facility
Expansion of a business park center
Annexation and entitlement for a commerce park/distribution center
Sub-district change for multiple business park centers
Entitle a new office center
Residential Projects with the following unit counts: 865; 340 (multi-family); 300; 272 (multi-family); 172; 170; 32 (multi-family).
Mr. Rice has experience drafting and negotiating Developers Agreements, Annexation Agreements, Proportionate Share Agreements, Impact Fee Credit Agreements, and Utility Service Agreements in coordination with local governments. Additionally, Mr. Rice has extensive experience presenting projects at public hearings before local governments.