Lori Smith-Lalla is a former Assistant County Attorney for Broward County and is board certified by The Florida Bar as a specialist in City, County and Local Government Law. Lori’s insight into how local government operates on a day-to-day basis informs both her general governmental practice and her work as a public finance attorney.

Lori represents local government clients in bond financings using sophisticated financing instruments such as rate-lock agreements, swap agreements, letters of credit, delayed delivery agreements, and other derivative products. She has helped in the financing of airports, seaports, bridges, toll roads, water and sewer facilities, environmentally sensitive lands, stormwater utilities and reclaimed water projects, electric and gas utilities, parks, convention centers, performing arts centers, sports complexes, government buildings, health care and hospital facilities, single family and multifamily housing projects, educational facilities (including charter schools, private schools and universities), industrial development, hospitals and low income housing.

Lori has worked on a $1 billion complex financing for Citizens Property Insurance, all the financing for the expansion of the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport over the past three decades, and the development and financing of the BB&T Center, the home arena of the Florida Panthers NHL team.

As regulatory bodies continually adopt stricter disclosure and continuing disclosure rules, and continue to increase enforcement efforts, Lori helps public finance issuers navigate and understand the complexities they face. She has served as disclosure counsel to five Florida cities and two counties, and as bond counsel to more than a dozen cities and other government entities.

Professional & Community Involvement

• The Florida Bar, City, County and Local Government Law Section, 1987-present
• National Association of Bond Lawyers, Red Book listed, 1999-present
• Florida Women in Public Finance, Board of Directors, 2017-present
• Broward League of Cities, Associate Member, 2000-present
• Leadership Broward Foundation, Class XXXVI, 2017
• ArtServe, Inc., Board of Directors, 2017-present

Awards & Recognition

• Chambers USA, 2013-2014
• Daily Business Review, Finalist, Top Dealmaker of the Year-Public Finance, 2012
• Daily Business Review, Top Dealmaker of the Year-Public Finance, 2008

Presentations

• Best Practices Before & After a Bond Deal, Florida Government Finance officers Association Annual Conference, 2019

Representative Experience

• As Assistant Broward County Attorney, represented the County in all bond transactions including the Housing Finance Authority bonds, Health Facility Authority bonds, and Industrial Development Revenue bonds.
• Handles bond transactions and related financings, including general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, private activity bonds, lease-purchase financings, certificates of participation, special assessments, tax-increment financings, commercial paper transactions, community redevelopment bonds, community development district bonds.
• Extensive experience drafting legislation related to bond financings, including ordinances, resolutions and state legislation with respect to local housing finance authorities and health facility authorities.
• Served as bond counsel to the cities of Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Miami Beach, North Miami, Miami, Coral Springs, Sunrise, Port St. Lucie and Coral Gables, Florida and to the South Broward Hospital District, Broward County, Miami-Dade County and Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.
• Served as disclosure counsel for the cities of Cape Coral, Miami, Port St. Lucie, Tallahassee and Hollywood, Florida and Broward County.

Florida, 1987

University of Bridgeport School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1987

University of Connecticut, B.A., Political Science, 1984

Board Certified by The Florida Bar as a specialist in City, County and Local Government Law