Frank Schnidman
Secretary
Frank Schnidman is a retired academic and an attorney with an LL.M. degree in Environmental Law who has spent more than 40 years dealing with sophisticated land policy and land use regulatory issues as both a practicing attorney and as an academic.
He is admitted to practice law in Florida, California, New York, and the District of Columbia.
He has been involved in numerous redevelopment projects in both the United States and overseas. He has also taught planning law or land development law at several universities, including Florida Atlantic University, the University of Virginia, George Washington University, and the University of Miami, and he spent two years as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School. He was a regular lecturer at the Toyo University Business School Public Private Partnership Program in Tokyo, Japan.
Prior to returning to Florida Atlantic University in 2002, Frank practiced law with the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig in the areas of Corporate Relocation and Expansion, and Land Use. He is also the former Director of the University of Miami School of Law, Graduate Program in Real Property Development, founding Executive Director of the North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), former Executive Director of the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority (DDA), and founding Executive Director of the Fort Lauderdale Transportation Management Association (TMA).
At FAU, Frank held the title of Distinguished Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, and was the John M. DeGrove Eminent Scholar Chair.
Frank is recognized for his knowledge of international land policy and land development issues, and is a prolific writer and frequent international speaker. In 1984 he was named an Urban Land Institute Fellow “By virtue of recognized service and contribution of knowledge and experience in the fields of sound land use and urban development.” In 2018, he was named a Governor LeRoy Collins Public Ethics Academy Fellow, “For distinguished service in promoting ethics in the public sector.” In 2019, at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, the Section of State and Local Government Law presented Schnidman with its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his “…outstanding contribution to the practice of state and local government law,” and for “…serving as a role model for all state and local government law practitioners.” And, on January 27, 2020, the Downtown Fort Lauderdale Civic Association honored Schnidman with the Champion of Downtown Award for his “…exemplary commitment and leadership to assure the best quality of life for residents of our great neighborhood.”
He is extensively involved and holds or has held several leadership positions in local and national professional and community organizations including several Asian-American groups, the Urban Land Institute, the International Urban Development Association, and the American Law Institute-American Bar Association. His Japan-related community and professional activities include:
First Vice President, Board of Trustees, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Chair, Governance Committee, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, and Board Member for 11 years.
Member, Urban Land Institute Japan Council, only member (of 60) non-resident in Japan
Former Member, Board of Directors, Florida Delegation, Southeast U.S./Japan Association, Inc
Former Member, Advisory Committee, Florida-Japan Institute
Past President, Japan Society of South Florida
Former Secretary of the Board and Board of Directors Executive Committee Member, National Association of Japan America Societies
Florida Speaker, 2002 SEUS Meeting, “Emerging Corporate Opportunities Through Combined Efforts of Japanese and U. S. Corporations”
Member, Florida Delegation Accompanying Mrs. Jeb Bush to the World’s Fair in Nagoya, Japan, and the U.S. Pavilion for “Florida Week,” April 2005.