Andrew F. Ford

Experience

Drew represents owners, operators, developers, and investment firms in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions — from acquisitions and dispositions to development, leasing, and financing. Drew also serves as outside general counsel to closely held entities, providing advice on such matters as entity formation, drafting of organizational documents, and negotiation of shareholder agreements.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, Drew began his legal career in the real estate group of an Atlanta-based international law firm. There, he represented a leading multinational telecom company in its real estate negotiations.

Representative Experience

• National commercial real estate counsel for a rapidly expanding operator of more than 80 fitness centers in the U.S.
• Lead counsel for a developer in the acquisition and development of a Publix-anchored shopping center in Baldwin County, Georgia.
• Lead counsel for a developer in the redevelopment of a Publix-anchored shopping center in Hernando County, Florida.
• Lead counsel and Florida title agent for a vacation rentals operator in the financing, acquisition, and management of a 1031 replacement portfolio of six NNN leased retail properties in Florida.
• Lead counsel and Florida title agent for a vacation rentals operator in the eight-figure sale of beachfront properties in Siesta Key, Florida.
• Lead counsel for a real estate investment firm in the sale of an 800-room hotel complex in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
• Lead counsel for a real estate investment firm in the sale of a 67-unit assisted living facility in central Florida.
• Lead counsel for a hotel operator in the sale of an 85-room flagged hotel in Fort Myers, Florida.
• Lead counsel for a real estate investment firm in the acquisition and refinancing of a 191,000 square-foot, 300-room flagged hotel in Columbus, Ohio.
• Lead counsel for an investment firm in the acquisition, condominiumization, and disposition of a 41-unit property in St. Petersburg, Florida.
• Lead counsel for a real estate investment firm in a multistate refinancing of assisted living facilities and hotels.
• Lead counsel for a hotel operator in the sale of a 118-room flagged hotel in central Florida.
• Represented a developer in the acquisition of a 2,200-acre, 600-room hotel and gaming property in northern Mississippi and Arkansas.
• Represented a developer in the acquisition and refinancing of a 274-room flagged hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Represented a Fortune 100 multinational telecommunications company in the negotiation and drafting of ground, rooftop, tower colocation, and in-building wireless leases.
• Lead counsel for a closely held business in the negotiation, drafting, and closing of the buyout of a private equity-backed minority shareholder.

Distinctions and Membership

• The Best Lawyers in America® for Business Organizations 2025
• Super Lawyers Florida Rising Stars – 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent – 2023 and 2024
• Member of The Society of Real Estate Professionals
• Member of NAIOP Tampa Bay
• Admitted to The Florida Bar
• Admitted to The Georgia Bar

Education

Vanderbilt University Law School
Juris Doctor
Authorities Editor, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Columbia University
Bachelor of Arts
Magna Cum Laude
Phi Beta Kappa

When He’s Not Working Hard for Clients

A recruited athlete at Columbia, Drew has maintained his interest in soccer, and he has begun coaching the kids. At Vanderbilt Law, he met his wife Chelsae J. Ford, who is a career law clerk for a federal magistrate judge in Tampa. Chelsae and Drew have two children, Alexandra and Louis. Drew enjoys golf, fishing, and travel.