Herschel T. Vinyard Jr.

Herschel Vinyard works at the intersection of environmental law, government affairs and business, drawing on three decades of experience in legal practice and the government sector. He advises clients on environmental regulation and permitting in Florida, including water policy, wetlands and the state’s 404 wetlands permitting program. His work has included securing innovative permits for waterfront, transportation and industrial projects, as well as addressing significant wetlands issues, governmental land swaps, Florida Cabinet matters and major residential developments.

From 2011 to 2014, Herschel served as Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, following his appointment by the Governor and confirmation by the Florida Senate. His responsibilities encompassed environmental permitting, water policy, wetlands, state conservation lands, cabinet affairs and ecosystem restoration. During his tenure, he worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environmental and agricultural interests, and businesses to adopt new water quality criteria and resolve disputes over ecosystem restoration projects, effectively ending federal litigation.

Herschel’s perspective also reflects experience inside the businesses affected by regulatory decisions. As an executive at a Florida-based shipyard, he was responsible for strategic planning, business development, and regulatory and government affairs. In that role, he worked with Congress on legal changes concerning permits for a major expansion and with state legislative and regulatory agencies on measures that allowed the business to become more competitive. He was also an executive for an electric, water and sewer utility.

His environmental work includes matters involving the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act—also known as Superfund—and their state statutory counterparts. Herschel frequently speaks on these subjects at environmental conferences in Florida.

• Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D. | 1990
• Louisiana State University, B.S. | 1986

Bar Admissions

• Florida
• District of Columbia
• Louisiana

Court Admissions

• United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

• Leadership Florida, 2006
• Leadership Jacksonville, 2008

• "Second Kick of the Mule Awaits Feds, Ignoring WOTUS Decision"," published in Florida Specifier, July 2024
• "Error: 404 not found? Federal Judge Vacates Florida's 404 Wetlands Permitting Program," Adams & Reese Environmental Law Client Alert, February 2024
• "Another U.S. Supreme Court Decision Strikes Down a Waters of the United States Rule," Adams & Reese Environmental Law Client Alert, June 2023
• "WOTUS Definition Just Months Before Supreme Court Ruling 'Digs Same Hole' of 50-Year Debate," Adams & Reese Environmental Law Client Alert, January 2023, published in Florida Specifier
• "U.S. Supreme Court Reinstates Environmental Regulation Relates to the States' Enforcement Rights Under the Federal Clean Water Act," Adams & Reese Environmental Law Client Alert, April 2022
• "NWPR Update: EPA Proposes New Old Wetland Rule; The Clock is Now Ticking for Florida's Developers," Adams & Reese GR Client Alert, November 2021
• "EPA's Adoption of Arizona Court's Ruling on NWPR May Immediately Impact Wetland Permitting Requirements," Adams & Reese GR Client Alert, September 2021
• "Conservative Conservation," Americans for Tax Reform's Weekly March Center Right Meeting, March 2021