Paul Gougelman is a seasoned local government attorney who handles municipal law, land use, planning and zoning matters for local government clients. His work includes negotiating development agreements and approvals, drafting municipal codes and plans, advising municipal staff, managers and attorneys, handling public hearings and counseling elected officials, and advocating for municipalities on legislative issues.
Paul’s relationships with his clients are longstanding; he has served as Town Attorney for the Town of Indialantic for 30 years, as City Attorney for the City of Melbourne for 18 years, and as Town Attorney for the Town of Melbourne Beach for over two decades.
Paul’s other representations have included:
As General Counsel for the Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council, Paul helps to shape the discussion on new transportation issues impacting local government, such as autonomous vehicles. The MPOAC is a statewide governmental agency of 27 metropolitan planning organizations. He also serves as General Counsel for the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization, the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency, and the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Paul also has substantial experience representing community redevelopment districts. He has assisted several cities in creating community redevelopment agencies and has represented those agencies in various municipalities. Paul has experience representing special districts as well, such as the Plantation Acres Improvement District.
A believer in public service, Paul was appointed by three different Florida Governors, both Republican and Democrat, to serve on the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council for 13 years, where he chaired the Project Review Committee which provided oversight and regulatory review of more than 30 developments of regional impact. He chaired the Brevard County Charter Commission in the mid-1990s, which brought charter government to Brevard County. County voters had twice rejected a county charter in Brevard County, but the Charter that his Commission wrote received over 60% of the vote.
Paul also served as a member and Chairman of the Brevard County Planning and Zoning Board for many years. In the 1990s, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Harbor City Volunteer Ambulance Squad, a public ambulance squad with over 100 employees and 500 volunteers. During his stewardship, the Squad was awarded the distinction of being the top ambulance squad in America at the annual Clincon competitions for emergency rescue.
Paul has held leadership positions in The Florida Bar’s Section for Environmental and Land Use Law. He speaks and writes frequently on municipal, planning, zoning and land use issues at bar and continuing education conferences. Originally from Chicago, Paul grew up in Fort Lauderdale. Prior to becoming a member of the Florida Bar, Paul worked for both the Florida House of Representatives and the Broward County League of Cities in the 1970s.
Pauls’ expertise in zoning matters was acknowledged and cited by Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal in Lee County v. Sunbelt Equities, II, Ltd. P’ship, 619 So. 2d 996 (Fla. 2d DCA 1993).
Florida, 1981
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, 1983
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 1983
Nova University Law Center, J.D., 1980
Florida International University, B.A., Political Science, 1975
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