Carlton Fields and Firm Client Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, Inc. Finalists for WEDU “Be More” Awards

Carlton Fields’ real estate and finance Shareholder, Lavinia "Vinnie" Vaughn, and firm client, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, Inc. (GSWCF), were selected as finalists in three categories of the 2018 Annual WEDU Be More Awards. The multifaceted award program celebrates the human spirit and showcases the best work by nonprofit organizations in West Central Florida and the individuals that support them.  Finalists will be honored at the awards ceremony luncheon on February 22, 2018.

• Be More Informed (Nielsen Marketing Campaign Award) – Marketing Campaign for Summer Camp 2017
• Be More Entrepreneurial (Engaged Philanthropist Award) – Vinnie Vaughn
• Be More Relevant (Best Use of Video) – Girl Scouts Impact Video

Carlton Fields represented GSWCF pro bono by providing a thorough review of the organization’s more than 1,000-acre property portfolio in an eight-county area on Florida’s west coast. The properties reviewed included five camps used throughout the year for day camp programs, troop overnight camping, and summer resident camps for Girl Scouts in the region and the state of Florida. Vaughn, who serves on the Girl Scout Council’s board, as a member of its Properties Committee, and as chair of the organization’s Long Range Program and Properties Task Force, spearheaded the efforts and the properties assessment and review.  The Task Force, which included Girl Scout volunteers and members, community representatives, and GSWCF staff members, was convened in January 2015 and completed its work in December of 2016. 

Vaughn and Carlton Fields land use and zoning attorneys H. Ray Allen II; Kenneth A. Tinkler; and Julia C. Mandell, and firm real estate paralegals Teresa Jimenez and Brenda Cook, provided a comprehensive due diligence review of and reports on all the GSWCF properties. The representation included a complete review of title information, land use and zoning information, existing improvements at each camp property and survey information to ensure that the properties met the program needs of the nearly 12,000 girls who use the camps each year and in the future. The March 2017 issue of The Florida Bar Journal featured this pro bono project as an example of how transaction attorneys, as well as trial lawyers, can provide valuable pro bono services.

The camps offer Girl Scouts a variety of natural habitats to explore and learn from, giving them opportunities to enjoy a natural environment and study nature, canoe and kayak, and to disconnect from social media. Carlton Fields continues to represent the Girl Scouts of West Florida in connection with several projects at camp properties, including the construction of a new ranger’s residence at Camp Dorothy Thomas, land use and zoning projects for Camp Wai Lani and Camp Wildwood, the restoration of the lake at Camp Wildwood, and the sale of Camp Scoutcrest.  That sale was closed in January 2018 and will provide funds for the second phase of improvements to be made at the camps on the Task Force’s recommendation.

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