by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Timothy Franklin couldn’t have chosen a better field in which to practice law if he wants to stay busy for a long, long time to come.
“There’s a lot going on,” said Franklin, who has been working in the General Counsel’s Office Land Use Division since Aug. 4. “This is a great place to be a land use attorney.”
Duval County and Jacksonville made up the state’s “first metropolis,” said Franklin, “but it languished for 50 years. Now it’s rebuilding, with an opportunity to again be the best city in Florida, once it’s all done.”
Franklin’s hometown is Chiefland, just west of Gainesville, but his Jacksonville roots reach back to his great-grandparents.
He went to law school at Florida State University, where he also received a bachelor’s degree in marketing. If he could at least do that part over again, he would have majored in “something more numbers-oriented, like finance or accounting.”
While in law school, Franklin clerked for two years with the Tallahassee firm of Young, VanAssenderp, Barnadoe & Anderson, which focuses mostly on land use and local government law, along with some environmental work. He also worked with the firm for almost four year as an associate after graduation.
Had he not chosen the law — and had been a little better at math — he may have tried to be an architect.
“The firm I worked with in Tallahassee was very much responsible for getting something called the Consultants Competitive Negotiation Act drafted and passed,” said Franklin. “That act was all about going from low bid to best bid in design and architectural engineering services.
“For some of these government buildings, we perhaps don’t need to go for the low bid, especially in design. We should get something the taxpayers can be proud of, enjoy and feel some sense of respect walking into.”
Franklin’s desire to be a lawyer started in late high school.
“It’s not like it was a childhood dream,” he said. “My mom and many of my teachers said the law would be a good fit, as much as I like to argue. But I think you could say that about most teenagers.”
The more he thought about the law, the more it appealed to him.
“It was always something in the back of my head,” said Franklin. “I’ve always been very interested in helping people.
“I did mortgage banking, and I got very interested in title work and real estate law. That was kind of the impetus. Once I got to see the title work and easements and federal lending laws, that really spurred my interest.”
Franklin and his wife, Laura, were married in St. Augustine and moved to Tallahassee while he went to law school and embarked on his new career.
They always wanted to return and got the opportunity when she was offered a new sales territory with her company.
“The main reason, though, was we just had our daughter [Madison], 16 months ago now,” said Franklin. “This time last year, we were planning on getting back for the free babysitting from her Mom, and she’s got some aunts and cousins here. Everything seemed to come together, and we said it’s time to get back.”
The Franklins live in Neptune Beach.
Timothy Franklin was open to many options in the private and public sectors but knew he wanted to concentrate on land use law.
“The General Counsel’s Office was the best all-around opportunity I was able to find in the city,” he said.
The Land Use Division principally works with the Planning and Development Department, the Planning Commission, and the Land Use and Zoning committee.
“We help them reach decisions about the development of property here in Jacksonville,” said Franklin. “That involves site specific things such as a rezoning or a planned unit development. It also includes the general application of zoning regulations, such as setbacks for residential properties.
“We help write things to the zoning code that would apply all over town and look at whether particular developments are appropriate for particular sites.”
Franklin appreciates that this community has plenty of raw material to work with as it tries to develop its potential.
“Just in terms of natural resources — having the beach and the river and all the creeks — it’s a fantastic place to live. And I have a fantastic opportunity in this field. I’ve really come to appreciate Jacksonville. I think it’s the best place to live in Florida, if not the Southeast.”