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Tara L. Tedrow

Shareholder & Chair, Cannabis & Controlled Substances Group

407-418-6361

tara.tedrow@lowndes-law.com

LinkedIn Profile
Tara Tedrow is a shareholder in the firm’s Land Use, Zoning & Environmental Group and serves as chair of the Cannabis & Controlled Substances Group. She brings years of experience handling an array of complex legal matters for multi-billion dollar valued companies and entrepreneurs alike.
With a significant portion of her practice devoted to land use and development, Tara regularly advises clients on entitling projects for commercial, residential, industrial, office and mixed uses. She works with local governments and regulatory agencies to address the needs of her clients related to environmental permitting and compliance, zoning, comprehensive plans, concurrency, site plan approval, variance and waiver requests, due diligence and property rights.

Often sought out for high-profile and high-stakes land development projects, Tara has delivered positive outcomes for clients ranging from large multi-national and U.S.-based companies to high-net worth individuals seeking land use entitlements. With over 15 years of competitive debate experience, she is uniquely suited to handle complex and controversial projects and public hearings that present a myriad of political and legal challenges.

Tara has provided developers and clients with legal counsel and representation in Section 70.51 mediations. Her experience in land use and environmental dispute resolutions offers a unique benefit to clients navigating the alternative dispute resolution process following denial of a development order, zoning approval and other land use matters around the state.

Well-known for providing legal and lobbying representation for a wide range of cannabis clients, Tara and her team work with physicians, lenders, real estate developers, landlords, ancillary service providers, banks, licensed adult use and medical marijuana companies, cultivators, processors, retailers and license applicants, helping them to navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape of marijuana and hemp regulations. She also assists clients in the national hemp industry in obtaining licensing and approvals for processing, retailing, cultivation and other forms of secondary byproduct monetization. Her deep knowledge of regulatory laws and understanding of operations and logistics for cannabis companies, along with her ability to make connections and build partnerships, bring strategic value to her clients. 

Tara is the only person in the state of Florida to be appointed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to both the inaugural Industrial Hemp Advisory Council created under Senate Bill 1020 and to the state’s Hemp Advisory Committee, which she currently chairs. A prolific presenter and speaker at industry seminars and conferences, she has served as the keynote speaker on industry regulations at over 60 events in the past two years. In the fall of 2018, Tara became the first professor in the state of Florida to teach a law school course on marijuana law and policy at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she continues to teach today.

Prior to joining the firm, Tara worked as a legal extern for the University of Florida General Counsel and Office of the Vice President as well as for the Orlando Juvenile Public Defenders Office. For over a decade, she has also worked professionally as a private speech and debate coach and taught at multiple national debate institutes, including the National Debate Forum at Emerson University, the National Symposium for Debate at Grinnell College and Victory Briefs Institute at UCLA.

Tara is a contributing writer at the Orlando Sentinel and has spoken about various real estate topics on Fox News.

To view Tara's information specific to Land Use or Cannabis, click the corresponding links below. 



Land Use
Cannabis

Representative Matters

Representative Cases

Representative Client Experience

Community Activities

Recognition

  • Awesome Attorneys, Orlando Family Magazine, 2023
  • Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL), 2015 Class of Leaders in the Law
  • Florida Panther District of the National Speech and Debate Association, 2014-15 District Alumni Achievement of the Year Award
  • Florida Legal Elite "Up & Comer," Florida Trend magazine, 2015-2018
  • Florida Legal Elite, Florida Trend magazine, 2019
  • Rising Star, Florida Super Lawyers, 2017-2020 
  • Best Lawyers in America, 2022-2023
  • Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers in America, 2021
  • 40 Under 40, Orlando Business Journal, Class of 2020
  • Central Florida Power Players, Orlando Business Journal, 2021

    University of Florida Levin College of Law:
    • University of Florida Levin College of Law Adjunct Professor
    • Order of the Coif, University of Florida Chapter
    • Book Awards: Evidence; Trial Practice; Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiation; Cross-Cultural Counseling; The Human Side of Lawyering; Social and Behavioral Sciences in the Law and Trial Team; Torts
    • President of the University of Florida Trial Team
    • The Florida Law Review; Communications Department Editor
    • 2012 Student of the Year Award
    • Order of the Barristers Award
    • Outstanding Graduate Award
    • Gerald T. Bennett Outstanding Service Award
    • Pro Bono Outstanding Achievement
    • Irving Cypen Scholastic Achievement Award
    • University of Florida Levin School of Law 2012 Student Commencement Speaker
    • Teaching Assistant: Trial Practice, Legal Research & Writing and Appellate Advocacy
    • Best Team Award; Levin College of Law Final Four Trial Competition
    • Best Advocate Award; Levin College of Law Final Four Trial Team Competition
    • Finalist at the 2011 National Trial Advocacy Competition
    Wake Forest University:
    • 2008 All American Attorney Award
    • 2007 All Regional Attorney Award
    • Top Attorney Awards for Defense and Prosecution: Harvard Crimson Classic, Eastern Kentucky University Invitational; Arizona State University Invitational, Demon Deacon Invitational and the Great American Mock Trial Invitational at the DC Federal Courthouses.
    • Senior Award for Excellence in the Study of Communication
    • The 2004 and 2005 National Champion in Lincoln Douglas Debate at the National Catholic Forensics League National Championships
    • The 2005 National Champion in Lincoln Douglas Debate at the National Forensics League National Championships
    • The 2005 State of Florida Champion in Lincoln Douglas Debate

Professional Certifications & Memberships

  • Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Appointee to and Chair of the Inaugural Hemp Advisory Committee
  • Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Appointee to the Inaugural Industrial Hemp Advisory Council
  • Ninth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission Member, Chair, 2019-2020
  • Law 360 Cannabis Editorial Advisory Board, 2021
  • Economic Development Advisory Board, City of Winter Park, Board of Directors, Vice-Chair, 2019
  • Chair of the Center for Leadership Development at the Rollins Crummer Graduate School of Business, Leadership Center Business Advisory Board, 2018-2019
  • Central Florida Debate Initiative, Founder and Executive Director
  • CREW - Commercial Real Estate Women, Programs Committee
  • Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Leadership Team
  • Greater Orlando Builders Association Representative for Orange County School Impact Fee Study Advisory Committee
  • OCBA Law Week Committee; Co-Chair of A Day in the Life of a Judge
  • American Bar Association Cannabis Task Force
  • National Speech and Debate Association
  • University of Florida Law Alumni Council, Board Member
  • University of Florida Law Alumni Student Mentor
  • The Florida Bar Association
  • Florida Blue Key
  • Orange County Bar Association, Real Property Committee
  • Phi Delta Phi International Honor Society
  • Utilities Advisory Board in Winter Park, Board of Directors, 2015-2017
  • BETA Center, Board of Directors (past)
  • Wake Forest University Young Alumni Development Board (past)
  • Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Board of Directors (past)
  • Elevate Orlando Young Professionals Board Council, Chair, 2015-2018
  • University of Florida Alternative Dispute Resolution Team Coach, 2012
  • Support Our Scholars Committee (past)
  • Orlando Women’s Auxiliary of The Salvation Army (past)
  • American Cancer Society, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Survivor Committee (past)

Languages

Speaking Engagements

  • "Florida Cannabis Laws and the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc.," Maitland Rotary Club, October 12, 2021.
  • "Cannabis & Hemp Regulations in Florida, Florida CCIM Chapter Central District and Orlando Regional Realtors Commercial Council, October 8, 2021.
  • "Bill Reducing Burdens on Real Property Rights," Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors, September 16, 2021.
  • “Medical Marijuana,” Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; March 24, 2021
  • ULI SE Florida/Caribbean: 15 for 15 Series, February 26, 2021
  • "Up Close: Greatest Challenges to Increasing Land Value and Marketability," NAIOP Central Florida Chapter, February 17, 2021
  • Florigrown Recap, Student National Cannabis Bar Association; University of Florida Levin College of Law, October 13, 2020
  • "The Retail Shift," CCIM Florida Central Florida Chapter Mid-Year Update, June 30, 2020
  • "Medical Marijuana and Commercial Real Estate," Colliers Connect; Colliers International, June 10, 2020
  • "Representing the Cannabis Industry and Understanding the Legal Intricacies of Medical Marijuana," The Legal Limit Podcast; Orange County Bar Association, June 3, 2020
  • Learn How Hemp Regulations Affect Real Estate; Florida CCIM Chapter Central Florida, May 8, 2020
  • Florida Laws on Medical Marijuana & Hemp; Florida Land Title Association, April 20, 2020
  • Legal Trends in the CBD Industry; Cannabinoid Industry Association, April 9, 2020
  • Medical Cannabis Business & Regulatory Updates; Florida Medical Cannabis Conference, February 22, 2020
  • Women in Power Panel; Florida Medical Cannabis Conference, February 22, 2020
  • Mastermind Summit & Expo; Cannabinoid Industry Association, February 7, 2020
  • "Cannabis and Commercial Real Estate: The New Reality," 2020 Annual Trends in Real Estate Conference; ULI Tampa Bay, January 29, 2020
  • "Medical Marijuana & Hemp Update in Florida: Ethics and Law," Florida Bar Solo & Small Firm Practice Webinar; The Florida Bar Solo & Small Firm Section, January 21, 2020
  • Banking Compliance Seminar; January 15, 2020

Iconic Projects

Appointments & Elected Positions

Representative Transactions

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