Mr. Simon Ferro has more than 30 years experience in the areas of zoning, land use and governmental relations. Mr. Ferro represents residential, commercial and industrial developers at all levels of the legal and administrative process necessary for successful real estate development, including the filing of the Master Plan, Development of Regional Impact, and zoning applications. He also represents clients before the Florida Legislature, state, county and municipal government, and agencies and appears before county and city commissions, planning and zoning boards, the Dade County School Board, the Dade County Environmental Quality Control Board and other agencies.

Mr. Ferro is a former U.S. ambassador to Panama and maintains strong ties in Latin America, where he regularly represents clients seeking business relationships and access to government procurement opportunities. Mr. Ferro was appointed by President Bill Clinton to lead the U.S. diplomatic mission in Panama during the historic hand then over of the Panama Canal and numerous military installations to Panamanian control in 1999. During his tenure, he worked closely with the international corps of the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, National Security Council and U.S. Southern Command to address and coordinate complex diplomatic, legal and security issues between both governments.

In addition, Mr. Ferro was appointed by President Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to Overseas Private Investment Corporation ("OPIC"), a federal agency that provides American investors in developing countries with direct loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance. He served as an independent director of Capital Bank of Miami and Chair of its Audit Committee, as well as member of its loan, insurance and executive compensation committees. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the City of Miami General Employees and Sanitation Employees Pension Fund.

Mr. Ferro, a high-ranking Democrat, has been a member of the Democratic National Committee ("DNC") and served as chair of the Democratic Party for both Florida and Miami-Dade County, where he was responsible for fundraising, coordinating campaign development. He was also the DNC’s liaison with Democratic state house, senate and presidential campaigns.

Mr. Ferro is an active community volunteer and member of numerous professional organizations including U.S. Southern Command Advisory Group. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Battered Women's Clemency Fund, the Board of Directors of the Latin Builders Association, and the Dade County Charter Review Committee, a Blue Ribbon panel, which drafted changes to the structure of county government.

Mr. Ferro is "AV" rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He has been selected as a Florida "Super Lawyer" by Super Lawyer magazine and received the "Attorney of the Year Award" by the Latin Builders Association.

Mr. Ferro is a member of the Florida Bar. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1978, where he was inducted into Florida Blue Key and elected to Omicron Delta Kappa. Mr. Ferro earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Miami in 1975.