Related Practices
Biographical Information
Douglas J. Sale is a Founding Partner with the Firm. His primary areas of practice are local government, public finance, and land use law. In addition, he heads the Florida section of the Firm’s local government and public finance departments. He also maintains an active United States Coast Guard 100 Ton Masters License.
Mr. Sale served as the City Attorney for the City of Panama City Beach from 1981 until 2017 when Amy Myers with the Firm succeeded him in that position. He serves as General Counsel for the Bay County Tourist Development Council and the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc., and is the former General Counsel for First Florida Governmental Financing Commission and former General Counsel and Public Finance Counsel for Bay Medical Center, a special district. In addition, he serves as General Counsel for the Panama City Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, and was the City’s lead representative in the financing and development of the Pier Park redevelopment project on Panama City Beach. From 2017 to 2020 he served as Special Counsel to the Panama City Community Redevelopment Agency regarding the City Marina and mixed use redevelopment project.
Mr. Sale earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Florida, where he served on the Law Review and as a Member of the Order of the Coif. He earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University, majoring in Political Science with additional emphasis on Economics, and was chosen to be a Member of the Tennessee Alpha Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Admissions
- The Florida Bar
- Federal Court for the Northern District of Florida.
Education
- J.D., University of Florida, cum laude, 1976
- B.A., Political Science, Vanderbilt University, magna cum laude, 1972
Additional Information
Civic and Professional Affiliations
- 2017 Florida Municipal Attorneys Association Lifetime Distinguished Service Award
- 2017 Florida League of Cities Home Rule Hero Award
- Florida League of Cities 1999 Municipal Attorney of the Year
- Member and Former President of Florida Municipal Attorneys Association
- The Florida Bar
- Former Member of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors
- Former President of the Bay County Bar Association
- Elected 2007 and 2014 Florida Trend’s Legal Elite in Government and Administrative Law
- Former Board Member, Secretary and Commodore of the St. Andrew’s Bay Yacht Club
- Recipient of the Florida Bar President’s 2006 Pro Bono award for the 14th Judicial Circuit
- Former member of the Vestry, St. Andrew Episcopal Church
Publications and Presentations
- Free Enterprise vs. Economic Incentives: The Evolution of the “Public Purpose” Fulcrum
BY: DOUGLAS J. SALE
Published in Stetson Law Review, May 2017 - Ethics Seminar for Florida Government Officials, 2016, 2017 and 2018
- Florida Public Records and Public Meetings Laws Florida League of Cities University presentation 2020
- Legal & Practical Considerations of Joint Public and Private Water Reuse Projects, Florida Municipal Attorneys Assoc. (FMAA) presentation 1990
- FEMA Post Disaster – The Rules Have Changed, FMAA presentation 1996
- Community Redevelopment, FMAA 2005
- Use of Public/Private Partnerships and Economic Incentives in Community Development, FMAA 2015
- Regulating Special events and Spontaneous Gatherings Constitutionally, FMMA 2016
