Steven D. Gonzalez

Steven Gonzalez assists clients on all facets of real estate development, financing, construction contracting, administration, and commercial dispute litigation. He handles development financing, including tax-exempt and taxable bond-financed projects, and negotiates design and construction contracts. Steven also manages project administration and dispute resolution, as well as litigates complex construction cases. He tries and arbitrates construction disputes, and works with major workforce and student housing developers on procurement, financing, contract negotiations, and administration. Additionally, he assists clients in corporate entity formation, including drafting operating agreements, structuring buy-outs, and resolving employment disputes.

• Associated Builders and Contractors, South Florida Chapter
• Association of General Contractors of America, South Florida Chapter
• Dade County Bar Association
  • Young Lawyers Division
  • Construction Law Committee
• International Bar Association

• Selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Litigation – Construction, 2018 – 2025; Construction Law, 2024 – 2025
• Recognized on the Super Lawyers list by Florida Super Lawyers magazine, 2024; Florida Rising Stars magazine, 2013– 2017
• Selected as one of the Daily Business Review's "Rising Stars," 2017

• Represented client in the largest P3 student housing project in the country.
• Assisted client in multiple tax-exempt and taxable bond-financed workforce housing projects.
• Defeated breach of contract and professional liability negligence claims for a national architectural firm in a South Florida school board suit, securing a defense verdict on contested liability.
• Won a five-day jury trial for a sub-contractor in Jacksonville, Florida, obtaining full damages, including attorney fees and costs, and defeating a counterclaim for project abandonment.
• Successfully arbitrated a case for a site contractor on liquidated damages and governmental approval issues.
• Represented a general contractor in construction defect litigation against a local school board, achieving a favorable mediation settlement.
• Counsel to a nationwide student and workforce housing developer on financing, development, and dispute resolution.
• Represented civil contractors in multi-million dollar projects with the Florida Department of Transportation, handling contracts, administration, and dispute resolution.

When not working, Steven enjoys traveling with his family and coaching his three children, Isabel, Tomas, and Jorge, in soccer, baseball, and golf. He also chairs one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious junior golf tournaments, giving US and international junior golfers an opportunity to showcase their skills and earn college scholarships.  

• Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship, Chair