Confirmed Speakers & Panelists

Vinette Godelia, Shareholder

Stearns Weaver Miller

Vinette Godelia is a skilled negotiator and highly regarded litigator in the Land Development, Zoning & Environmental arena. She represents private and public sector clients before local, regional, and state agencies, courts, and elected bodies regarding land use and real estate development issues. Godelia focuses her practice on the defense and negotiation of complex approvals under Florida’s growth management laws and local government regulations. She leads, coordinates, and oversees legal and expert consultant teams on complex planning issues throughout the state. She is also experienced in challenging, securing, and defending development entitlements in formal hearings before the Division of Administrative Hearings and circuit and appellate courts. Godelia counsels clients in a wide range of matters involving entitlements, permitting, compliance, licensing, re-zonings, special districts, Development of Regional Impact (DRIs) review and rescission, comprehensive planning, zoning and strategic planning, as well as development agreements. She is experienced in developing strategic and targeted revisions to comprehensive plans and land development regulations to facilitate site-specific project development and the negotiation of local development order terms. Godelia is a 2002 alumna of Florida State University College of Law.

Eileen Higgins, County Commissioner

Miami-Dade County

Eileen Higgins serves as the county commissioner for the dynamic and vibrant District 5. Higgins represents parts of the Miami Beach, Downtown, Brickell, and Coral Way neighborhoods, as well as the greater Little Havana area. She was recently appointed as the chair of the Transportation, Mobility, and Planning Committee (TMPC) and chair of the TPO’s Urban Mobility Task Force. Since first elected in 2018, Commissioner Higgins has brought the perspective of a true transit rider to the County Commission – showing tremendous leadership in expanding mass transit across Miami-Dade through the implementation of the SMART plan. She is also a champion for pedestrians and cyclists by spearheading legislation for pedestrian signalization, scramble crosswalks, and protected bike lanes. Understanding that traffic congestion continues to plague the community, Commissioner Higgins pushed through legislation to implement a countywide, advanced traffic management system that will go a long way towards keeping cars moving more efficiently, while also keeping pedestrians and cyclists safe. Commissioner Higgins has also advocated for the progression of the SMART Plan corridors and for the redesign of the county’s bus system through the Better Bus Project. An engineer by trade, with an MBA from Cornell University, Higgins has used her business and marketing skills throughout her career in the private sector to help businesses and organizations of all sizes solve complex issues. Her work as a country director in the Peace Corps and as a diplomat in the U.S. State Department gives her the ability to look at local challenges in a unique way.

Dr. Minjee Kim, Assistant Professor, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy

Florida State University

Minjee Kim is an assistant professor in Florida State University’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Kim studies the relationship between real estate development and urban planning, and writes about land value capture, large-scale real estate developments, exactions, and negotiated developments. She earned her Ph.D. and master’s degrees from MIT and has multiple years of experience working with local governments, including the cities of Boston and Cambridge. Kim strives to identify how planners and policymakers can harness the forces of real estate development to further progressive planning values and encourage equitable development outcomes. 

Dr. Jerry D. Parrish, Chief Economist & Director of Research

Florida Chamber Foundation

Dr. Jerry D. Parrish is an economist who is currently working on economic development and workforce issues in Florida. Dr. Parrish is also a faculty adjunct in the Masters of Applied Economics Program at Florida State University and serves as the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers at the Haas Center at the University of West Florida. He previously was the chief economist and director of research for the Florida Chamber Foundation. During that seven-year period, he was responsible for conducting in-depth analyses on the Florida economy and on solutions to help secure Florida’s future. Prior to that position, Dr. Parrish was the chief economist and director of the Center for Competitive Florida at Florida TaxWatch. Prior to that position, he served as the associate director of the Center for Economic Forecasting & Analysis (CEFA) at Florida State University. Dr. Parrish has many years of experience in the private sector in management roles at international manufacturing companies. He earned a B.S. in agricultural business and economics from Auburn University, an M.B.A. from Bellarmine University, an M.S. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Ph.D. in economics from Auburn University. He regularly publishes research reports and articles on the Florida economy. 

Karl Pischke, Principal

RCLCO

Karl Pischke is a principal based in RCLCO’s Orlando, Florida office. Pischke has worked closely with a variety of clients in both the public and private sectors, and with a particular focus on master-planned community and large landowner clients throughout the Southeastern United States. As part of the firm’s real estate economics practice, he focuses on providing strategic guidance for clients pursuing development opportunities in urban and suburban infill sites, master-planned communities, mixed-use environments, resort communities, and rural locations. His expertise includes product and market segmentation strategies, market positioning and pricing evaluations, financial feasibility studies, highest and best use analyses, fiscal and economic impact studies, and market opportunity analyses for an extensive variety of residential and commercial land uses. Pischke is a key contributor to The Advisory, RCLCO’s research and reporting publication, and helps lead the firm’s Top-Selling Master-Planned Community (MPC) Report initiative. As part of the authorship of this publication, Pischke assists in monitoring over 200 master-planned communities that the firm tracks on a semi-annual basis. Pischke holds a Master of Science in real estate and Bachelor of Science in business administration, with a major in finance, from the University of Florida.