Katherine L. Heckert

Katie Heckert, a Florida Bar board certified specialist in construction law, advises and represents construction clients in mediation, arbitration, and litigation proceedings.

She has experience resolving complex contract disputes, construction defect disputes, regulatory investigations, and lien and bond disputes. Her clients include nationwide homebuilders, general contractors, developers, public owners, large project owners, subcontractors, marine contractors, equipment lessors, condominium associations, steel fabricators, and heavy construction companies.

Katie also has extensive experience in electronic discovery — counseling clients in developing organizational policies, procedures, and systems to effectively and efficiently participate in discovery involving electronically stored information (ESI), as well as representing clients on ESI discovery matters in litigation.  She also speaks to organizations on this topic, offering practical considerations and tips.

Katie is the vice chair of the Florida Bar’s Construction Law Certification Committee, which writes and grades the board certification exam for construction attorneys in Florida. She is also the chair of the Insurance and Surety Committee of the Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section.

• Represented national homebuilders and suppliers in defense of construction defect disputes related to defective stucco and mold claims; claims included breach of contract, business torts, fraud, and statutory violations in state and federal courts.
• Represented national homebuilder in defense of Chinese-manufactured gypsum drywall class actions.
• Represented subcontractor in the defense of an $85 million defective construction and environmental claim on a phosphate reservoir project.
• Represented manufacturer in defense of $65 million defective construction claim on a public transit project.
• Represented manufacturer in indemnity and breach of contract litigation against a subcontractor arising from a construction injury suffered by the subcontractor’s employee in federal court.
• Lead arbitration counsel for national homebuilder in defense of construction defect disputes.
• Represented nation's largest lessor and distributor of industrial and heavy cranes in various lien and bond disputes.

• Board Certified in Construction Law by the Florida Bar
• The Best Lawyers in America, Construction Litigation (2024)
• Rising Star Award, Florida Bar Construction Law Committee (2022)
• Florida Rising Stars, Super Lawyers Magazine (2019–2023)

• The Florida Bar
  • Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section
    • Executive Committee
    • Chair, Insurance and Surety Committee
    • CLE Chair, Construction Law Committee
  • Vice Chair, Construction Law Certification Committee
• Lutheran Services Florida 
  • Head Start Advisory Committee
• Hillsborough County Bar Association
  • Construction Law Section
    • Co-Chair (2019–2021)
• Emerge Tampa Bay
• Tampa Connection, Class of 2014–2015

• “Construction Law Basics,” The Florida Bar (August 2022)
• “Analysis of the Potential Impacts on Discovery in Response to the Proposed Rule Changes From the Judicial Management Council Workgroup on Improved Resolution of Civil Cases,” The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section Construction Law Committee (June 13, 2022)
• “Demand Letters That Work,” National Association of Credit Management (NACM), Florida Statewide Wholesale Building Materials Distribution Group (June 19, 2018)
• "Electronic Discovery Basics: Practical Considerations and Tips," Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association April CLE Luncheon (April 11, 2017)
• “Electronically Stored Information (ESI) Collection Processes and Procedures,” Carlton Fields Firmwide CLE (August 17, 2015)
• "How to Use Technology and Social Media Effectively as Affiliate Leaders," ABA Young Lawyers Division Spring Conference, Tampa, FL (May 15, 2015)
• "Everyday Discovery Challenges: The Practical Basics of Electronic Discovery," Carlton Fields Firmwide CLE (April 15, 2015)