Areas of Practice
- BANKING & FINANCE
- Real Estate Finance
- GOVERNMENTAL
- Administrative/Government Relations/Land Use
- REAL ESTATE
- Commercial Transactions
- Mobile Home Parks
- Real Property Litigation
Industries
Education
- J.D., University of Miami 1984
- B.A., University of Florida 1980
Bar Admissions
- Florida
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Mobile Home Law Committee of The Florida Bar
- Real Property Section of The Florida Bar
- St. Petersburg Bar Association
Suite 1700
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
TEL: 727-502-8220
FAX: 727-502-8282
David S. Bernstein chairs the firm’s National Manufactured Housing Practice, with a special emphasis on community finance, acquisitions, construction, development, and conversion to resident ownership. He is a leading strategist and legal counsel for national and local developers, institutional lenders, title companies, management companies, homeowners associations, cooperatives, and real estate investment trusts.
He is a prominent member of the Mobile Home Law Committee of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar and two (2) term President of the Pinellas Real Estate Law Council. Mr. Bernstein served on the Florida Manufactured Housing Association’s Charter Ad Hoc Legal Committee in 1984 to study the then new Florida Mobile Home Act (Chapter 723, Florida Statutes) to propose lobbying and legislative efforts for the interpretation and enforcement thereof and was instrumental in facilitating statewide mobile home park owner compliance with the law subsequent to enactment. He is a frequent lecturer and author on topics related to cooperatives, manufactured housing communities and land use changes and regularly conducts seminars on real estate acquisition and development, leasing, cooperatives, legal compliance and resident ownership to commercial property owners, management companies, lending institutions, homeowner’s associations and members of the Florida Bar Association.
Mr. Bernstein’s publications and presentations include “The New Florida Mobile Home Act: An Overview,” Community Associations Institute (Fall 1985); “Mobile Home Park Conversions: HOA and Lender Requirements” The Florida Bar (1992 Mobile Home Law Seminar and Lecture Program); “Mobile Home Parks: Seller/Lender Perspective” The Florida Bar (1995 Mobile Home Law Seminar and Lecture Program); “Community Owner Representation in Florida” The Florida Bar (1997 Mobile Home Law Seminar and Lecture Program); “Cooperative Ownership in Florida” (1999 National Networking Roundtable); and “Preservation of Mobile Home Parks in Florida,” The Florida Housing Coalition (2005). In 1994 he also authored the lender training manual on the legal requirements, documentation and underwriting for cooperative lending for Florida’s then largest banking institution (Barnett Bank of Florida) and was the featured presenter for the Bank’s advanced commercial real estate lending conferences held for Senior Lenders and Credit Officers in Tampa and Orlando.
Mr. Bernstein was also appointed to the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners Mobile Home Task Force 2000 whose task is to analyze existing state and local regulations relating to land use or zoning changes for mobile home park properties. As part of his active real estate practice, he has been legal counsel in over $3,000,000,000.00 in commercial real estate transactions and cooperative mobile home park conversions. He is a listed legal authority available for speaking engagements and consultation through the National Manufactured Housing Institute.