gary kaleita

Overview

I take a proactive approach to my clients' issues, striving to deliver legal services and solutions with thoughtfulness, accuracy, efficiency, speed and pragmatism so that my clients can go about their business.

The-Florida-Bar-Real-Estate-Certified

With 40 years of experience in real estate law, including 30 years as a board-certified expert in the field, Gary Kaleita has acquired the ability to navigate the complexities of sophisticated real estate deals with relative ease. He has a wide variety of experience in real estate development, finance and transactions, condominiums, property owners’ associations, commercial leasing, commercial lending, and title insurance.

Gary enjoys a reputation for anticipating and avoiding problems, rather than merely reacting to them. He has years of experience handling purchases, sales and financings of commercial and residential projects, including office, industrial, retail, multi-family, single-family, condominium, resort, hotel and golf course properties. Gary has prepared and negotiated contracts for sale and purchase, performed due diligence investigations, and handled all aspects of closings, including issuance of title insurance and legal opinions. He has also performed tax free exchanges (both forward and reverse) under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, and has handled closings for housing revenue bond financing transactions with the Florida Housing Finance Corporation and various local housing finance authorities.

In the area of real estate development, Gary has assisted developers in obtaining land use approvals, plat approvals and permits for various developments from a number of jurisdictions in Central Florida, including planned developments (PD’s) and Developments of Regional Impact (DRI’s). He has drafted and negotiated complex land use documents, including development agreements, cost-sharing agreements, declarations of covenants, conditions, restrictions and easements. He also has experience in mall and shopping center developments, including outparcels, and has assisted developers with the selection, formation and operation of business entities, including commercial and residential property owners’ associations. He has extensive experience with the formation and operation of both commercial and residential condominiums as well.

In addition, Gary has established somewhat of a boutique practice by acting as local counsel to help out-of-state lenders, investors and law firms navigate the complexities of Florida real estate law. He is frequently engaged by large national and international law firms needing assistance on a variety of issues for their clients doing business in Florida. Gary regularly provides advice on Florida law and custom pertaining to purchase and sale contracts as well as loan documents, addresses local due diligence issues, answers questions involving titles, surveys and title insurance, and provides Florida legal opinions.

Not just another real estate lawyer, before pursuing his career in law Gary served as a U.S. Naval officer on active duty for 4 years in the Mediterranean Sea, first with a patrol gunboat squadron in Italy and then at a communications station in Greece. During this period, he traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. He believes his military experience is the source of the practical approach he has developed to problem solving.

Gary also took the initiative, after a homeowner in his own neighborhood was mauled by a Florida black bear in 2013, of researching what his homeowners’ association could do to limit the likelihood of future attacks. In the process, he became an expert in the subject of “bear-wise” communities and drafted a policy that his own homeowners’ association adopted, thereby becoming the first residential community to be officially recognized as bear-wise by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).  His HOA was similarly recognized by the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.  He has since written and spoken extensively on this subject, serves on the FWC’s Central Bear Management Unit Stakeholder Group, and has become a resource for FWC to educate other communities on the importance of bear-wise practices in areas of Florida containing black bear habitat.

Gary focuses on finding pragmatic solutions to complex problems, recognizing that clients want sensible and realistic advice in a timely manner so they can go about their business.

Gary has worked with many repeat clients, for whom he has closed numerous purchases, financing transactions and sales, in addition to handling title insurance and property development matters.  These include:

  • Park Square Homes
  • Savi Investments, LLC
  • Intram Investments, Inc.
  • AHG Group, LLC
  • Tower Realty Partners, Inc.
  • The Klein Company
  • Personal Mini Storage Companies
  • Blue Cord DevGroup, LLC

News & Insights

News

Publications

Recognition

Recognition

  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Real Estate Law, 2018-2024
  • Top Author in Real Estate, JD Supra Readers' Choice Awards, 2023, 2024
  • Florida Super Lawyers, 2006-2013
  • Legal 500 USA
  • Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers,  2015-2016
  • "Living with Wildlife" Award, Florida Wildlife Federation, 2018

Community & Civic

Community Activities

  • Ivy League Alumni Club of Central Florida, Business Advisory Board
  • St. Andrew's Chapel
  • Stakeholder Group of the Central Bear Management Unit of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Appointed Member
  • Alliance for Therapy Dogs, Therapy Dog Handler

Professional Certifications & Memberships

  • Board Certified: Real Estate Law, Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education since 1993
  • Orange County Bar Association
  • The Florida Bar
  • The Florida Bar, Real Property and Business Law Sections
  • American Bar Association
  • Greater Orlando Builders’ Association
  • U.S. Navy Patrol Gunboat Association
  • Military Officers' Association of America
  • Contributing author to The National Law Review, The Real Estate Finance Journal, The Florida Real Estate Journal, The Financial Fraud Law Report, Law360, Florida Realtor Magazine, JDSupra.com and Mondaq.com
  • Former speaker for continuing legal education seminars offered by Lorman Education Services and National Business Institute

FL-BAR-BOARD-CERTIFIED-REAL-ESTATE

Admissions

  • Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida

Education

  • University of Florida College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1982; Order of the Coif; Phi Kappa Phi; Book Award (Legislation); Legal Research & Writing Fellowship Instructor; Appellate Advocacy Fellowship Instructor
  • University of Pennsylvania, B.A., 1976; Political Science; Rifle Team, Captain
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