Profile
Backed by 30 years of multidisciplinary experience across environmental, land use, and corporate transactions, Maribel Nicholson-Choice is a regulatory and transactional counsel focusing on due diligence and risk analysis for complex real estate, corporate, and M&A transactions involving highly regulated assets. She advises investment funds, property owners, and financial institutions on identifying compliance exposure, operational risk, and post-closing liability, including in matters involving health care and life sciences-related facilities.
She is particularly experienced in advising investors and lenders in distressed and structured finance contexts, including foreclosure, restructuring, and portfolio transactions. Her practice includes the review and interpretation of technical diligence materials, assessment of facility and operational risks, and translation of findings into deal terms, including indemnities and risk allocation.
She advises on due diligence, transactional matters, and disputes involving regulated assets, including health care operations, senior living facilities, laboratory and industrial sites, and redevelopment projects. She evaluates environmental and operational risks, including those arising from regulated and medical waste streams, infrastructure conditions, and ongoing compliance obligations. She also has deep experience advising on redevelopment of complex properties, including brownfields and other regulated sites, and navigating federal, state, and local regulatory frameworks to resolve complex permitting and compliance issues, including submerged lands and waterfront permitting for yacht docking and mooring.
Maribel was a primary participant in drafting Florida’s environmental justice legislation and served on the Florida Environmental Equity and Justice Study Commission. She continues to advise clients on redevelopment and sustainability matters, including environmental justice, and has been a frequent speaker before the Florida Chamber of Commerce on these topics.
Prior to joining the firm, Maribel served as Assistant City Attorney of the City of Tallahassee. She co-chaired the Florida Environmental Regulatory Commission and represented the regulated community on the Florida Environmental Equity and Justice Study Commission. Additionally, she significantly contributed to the Cascades Cleanup Project, a successful initiative to transform a former Superfund site into a vibrant urban park in Tallahassee.
Concentrations
- Due diligence and regulatory risk analysis in complex real estate, corporate, and M&A transactions
- Environmental, health care, and life sciences-related compliance
- Representation of lenders and investors in financing, restructuring, and distressed asset transactions
- Brownfields redevelopment and complex site transitions, including cleanup and reuse of regulated properties
- Waste regulation (including hazardous and medical waste) and related compliance matters
- Submerged lands and waterfront regulatory permitting, including docking and yacht mooring approvals
- Real estate development, land use, energy, and governmental law
Capabilities
Experience
- Negotiated a Consent Decree and settlement of federal and state environmental liability, fines, and penalties under the Clean Water Act on behalf of a financial institution seeking to foreclose on collateral property. Following foreclosure, she also helped the client resolve numerous environmental permit violations and avoid significant fines and penalties.
- Negotiated with the state regulatory agency to assess the nature and extent of petroleum contamination and remediation under Florida’s petroleum cleanup program on behalf of a financial institution seeking to foreclose on collateral property contaminated from underground gas storage tanks. Following the property foreclosure, obtained state cleanup funding for a portion of the contamination and a No Further Action Letter enabling the client to resell the property.
- Performed environmental due diligence for client seeking to foreclose on collateral property containing NPDES stormwater violations and significant adverse impacts to wetlands associated with debtor's development of a golf course. Also negotiated with the state regulatory agency to mitigate wetland impacts and resolve stormwater violations under the Clean Water Act, while helping the client to avoid enforcement action and any related fines and penalties.
- Provided environmental due diligence consultation to a lender financing a multimillion-dollar acquisition of gas stations located throughout the Southeast United States.
- Provided environmental and land use due diligence consultation, including environmental permit transfers, terminations, and new permit applications, for 14 plastic manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States.
- Provided international cruise ship line with environmental permitting and policy services for marina expansion project located in South America.
- Defended speaker plant siting decisions against environmental justice claims.
- Led in negotiating and resolving a number of cases under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection cleanup programs such as the Brownfields, dry cleaner, and petroleum cleanup programs.
- Represented solar energy development companies.
- Oversaw environmental remediation and redevelopment of a former city coal-gasification plant to a city park.
- Represented ConocoPhillips in class action lawsuits arising from Superfund Site.
- Negotiated state lands leases, state submerged lands disclaimers, and private claims in submerged lands in conjunction with the development of docking facilities serving luxury condominiums projects.
- Represented $620M private equity fund in purchase of contaminated properties for cleanup and redevelopment into substantial mixed-use commercial development and livable downtown centers, i.e., student housing, hotel/restaurant, and other integrated mixed-uses including neighborhood, and historic buildings.
- Served as special legal counsel to Blueprint 2000 Intergovernmental Agency consisting of the Tallahassee City Commission and the Leon County Commission.
- Represented emergent clean technology companies before the Florida Legislature and the Executive Office of the Governor.
- Led passage of statutory language contained in a comprehensive growth management legislation to renew and extend for two years certain permits issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and water management districts, as well as build-out dates for certain developments of regional impact.
- Led in drafting and establishment of the Broward County Brownfields Program.
- Primary participant in adoption of Florida's Unified Building Code.
- Primary participant in adoption and subsequent amendments to the Florida Brownfields Redevelopment Act.
- Special Counsel, Blueprint 2000 Intergovernmental Agency, 2003-Present
- Former Chair, Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Commission, 2003-2012
- Member, Governor Crist's Energy Supply and Demand Technical Work Group, 2008-2009
- Former Member, Florida Environmental Equity and Justice Study Commission, 1994-1995
- Assistant City Attorney, City Tallahassee, 1991-1994
- Former Vice-Chair, Florida Environmental Regulation Commission, 1995-2001
- In 1999, served on the EPA's National Justice Advisory Council, Air and Water Subcommittee's Urban Air Toxics Working Group.
- In 1998, lobbied the Florida Legislature for state funding to establish the Center for Environmental Equity and Justice at FAMU's Environmental Science Institute.
- In 1994, lobbied the Florida Legislature for state funding to establish the Environmental Science Institute at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University to help increase the number of minorities entering into the environmental law profession.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, Lawdragon, “Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law,” Environmental & Land Use Law, 2023-2026
- Listed, Lawdragon, “500 Leading U.S. Environmental & Energy Lawyers,” 2021
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 2010-2026
- Environmental Law, 2010-2026
- Natural Resources Law, 2021-2026
- Recognized, ONYX magazine, "Woman on the Move," 2022
- Team Member, a Law360 “Environmental Practice Group of the Year,” 2022
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Florida Super Lawyers, 2017-2018
- Recipient, Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, Award of Appreciation for 14 years of Dedicated Service
- Recipient, Tallahassee Leon Planning Commission, Award in Recognition of 9 years of Community Service
- Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers®, Best Law Firms Edition, "Law Firm of the Year," Environmental Law, 2016
- Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Government Relations Law Firm of the Year," 2014
- Ranked, Tier 1 – Government Relations, Tallahassee Metropolitan Area
- Recipient, The Florida Bar Environmental and Land Use Law Section's "Judy Florence Memorial Outstanding Service Award"
- Rated, AV Preeminent® 5.0 out of 5.0
- Board Member, Tallahassee Environmental, Advisory Board
- Chair, Tallahassee-Leon Planning Commission
- Member, American Bar Association
- Former Vice-Chair, Florida Environmental Regulation Commission
- Former Member, Florida Environmental Equity and Justice Commission
- Former Member, The Florida Chamber of Commerce Committee on Natural Resources and Growth Management
- Former Chair, Florida Bar's Environmental and Land Use Law Section, 2002-2003
- Former Chair, Florida Chambers' Subcommittee on Brownfields and Environmental Justice
Credentials
- J.D., University of Miami School of Law, 1990
- B.S., with distinction, Barry University, 1987
- Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- Spanish
News, Insights & Events
Maribel lectures extensively on environmental law issues at programs sponsored by The Florida Bar, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and other organizations.
Maribel is a contributor to the E2 Law Blog 