Representation for real estate development, land use, zoning and local government.
Jim Shimberg Law PLLC (JSL) knows that a clear strategic vision leads to successful outcomes.
Jim Shimberg Law PLLC (JSL) knows that a clear strategic vision leads to successful outcomes.
Entitlements, land use changes, regulatory issues, and general strategy considerations.
Public affairs strategy and crisis management consultation.
Land acquisition assistance and strategy considerations.
New stadium or arena planning, public/private partnerships and revenue generating partnerships with governmental entities, governmental relationship strategies, community anchors relationship building.
Business development, relationship building, and associate mentorship for law firms and other businesses
Jim Shimberg brings over 36 years of experience in real estate development, land use, zoning, and local government representation to JSL.
Jim currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Ownership Group and Executive team at Strategic Property Partners, LLC (SPP), the developer behind the largest and most transformational project in Tampa’s history, Water Street Tampa. Water Street Tampa is a $3 billion, 56-acre mixed-use real estate development under construction in downtown Tampa along the waterfront, owned by Jeff Vinik and Seattle’s Cascade Investment, LLC.
In addition to his role with SPP, Jim has served as General Counsel and special advisor to the CEO for Vinik Sports Group, the parent company of the National Hockey League’s 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. He joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as General Counsel in 2013, recruited as much for his local real estate expertise and relationships in the community as his legal background. Jim later became the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for SPP, where he now serves as Senior Advisor.
Prior to working with SPP and the Lightning, Jim spent more than 25 years as a real estate attorney with Holland & Knight LLP. There he held several leadership roles including Executive Partner of the Tampa office, Practice Group Leader for the Tampa Bay Area Real Estate, and Land Use Group and Chair of the Firm’s National Land Use Initiative.
Jim also served as the Tampa City Attorney, where he helped manage all legal issues associated with Tampa’s hosting of the 2012 Republican National Convention. These experiences have given him an unparalleled depth of knowledge of the regulatory process in real estate development and land use in the Tampa Bay region.
In 2011-2012 Jim served as an Urban Land Institute Rose Fellow as one of four representatives for the City of Tampa in a year-long collaboration with the cities of Kansas City, Mo., Oakland, Calif. and Providence, RI, learning about cutting-edge public private developments around the country.
A Tampa native himself, Jim has a robust network of business and political relationships that span decades, bolstered by a father and uncle who were prominent developers and community leaders in Tampa. Following in their footsteps, Jim is also active in the community. He is currently serving as the Board President for the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative, and on the Board for the Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation at the University of South Florida (CAMLS), the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida and the James & Amy Shimberg Foundation.
Jim is a 1981 graduate of the University of Florida and a 1984 graduate of the University of Florida College of Law, where he was a member of the Florida Law Review and Florida Blue Key. He holds the highest rating from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America guide (Land Use & Zoning Law, 2007-2011 and Real Estate Law, 2008-2011); Florida Super Lawyers magazine, 2006-2010; Corporate Counsel Edition, Super Lawyers magazine, May 2009, Legal Elite, and the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Power 100. He was honored as the Citizen of the Year by Tampa Connection in 2007. He is also a past chair and longtime board member of the Tampa Downtown Partnership and a former General Counsel of the Greater Tampa Chamber.
1984 - 2011
Partner 1992 - 2011
2011 - 2013
City Attorney
2013 - 2022
2013 - 2016
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
2016 - 2022
General Counsel
2014 - Present
2014 - 2018
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
2018 - 2021
Executive Vice President for External Affairs
2021 - Present
Sr. Advisor