Mr. Rubin received The Florida Bar President’s 2023 Pro Bono Service Award for the 15th Judicial Circuit at a ceremony at the Florida Supreme Court on January 26, 2023. As stated on The Florida Bar’s website, “[E]stablished in 1981, The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Awards are intended to encourage lawyers to volunteer free legal services to the poor by recognizing those who make public service commitments and to raise public awareness of the substantial volunteer services provided by Florida lawyers to those who cannot afford legal fees. ” The President’s awards recognize pro bono service in each of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits. More information about the Award and the 2023 Award winners can be found here: https://www.floridabar.org/public/probono/serviceawards/
The following is a related Article and is reprinted from the Mid Bay News:
Thanks to a South Florida Attorney, Flood Risk Won’t Get Immediately Worse in Bluewater Bay
- January 26, 2023
- 11:39 am
By: Christopher Saul, midbaynews.com
Bluewater Bay now has a lower risk of massive flooding thanks to a South Florida Attorney.
This story starts about 40 years ago – when Bluewater Bay was first built. The development of Bluewater Bay had to get approval as a state-designated Development of Regional Impact (DRI) to build. The developer had to give easements to Bluewater Bay residents, which would’ve expired at the end of last year. That’s because easements expire after thirty years.
This easement preservation, which was helped along by South Florida Attorney Steven D. Rubin allowed residents to use a chain of lakes, wetlands and a buried surface water drainage system in order to move rainwater off their properties. His role in the issue was to explain the process with which a group of Bluewater Bay residents could file paperwork with the Okaloosa Clerk of Courts. The residents of the Bluewater Bay developments recommended Rubin for the award. “The Florida Supreme Court’s panel appreciated the value and public benefit of Mr. Rubin’s work in preserving the community’s rights,” a release said. The Florida Bar will recognize Rubin’s community contributions at a gala on January 26th, 2023. Golf courses have become rarer and rarer in Bluewater Bay as more of the land gets picked up for residential home and commercial development. If Rubin hadn’t helped Bluewater Bay residents preserve their easements, they would have expired.
