Jones Foster Attorney Lainey W. Francisco Selected as Winner of 2026 Florida Farm Bureau Discussion Meet

A lifelong resident of St. Lucie County, Ms. Francisco represents businesses and landowners in Florida’s agricultural sector through her land use and litigation practice at Jones Foster. She and her husband, Evan, were selected to participate in the Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Class 11, representing District 7. Through the program, she engages with fellow agricultural leaders on regulatory and economic issues affecting Florida agriculture.

The Discussion Meet is an annual leadership competition that brings together young agricultural leaders to examine issues affecting the industry and develop potential solutions. Finalists participate in discussions and are evaluated on their critical thinking, communication skills, consideration of differing perspectives, and ability to offer constructive feedback.

Ms. Francisco was one of four finalists and advanced through multiple rounds of competition, addressing topics ranging from rural energy infrastructure and farmland preservation to veterinary access, local meat processing, and the role of science and research in sustainable food production.

As the state winner, Ms. Francisco will represent Florida in the national YF&R Discussion Meet competition during the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in January 2027.

Lainey Francisco is a member of Jones Foster’s Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Land Use & Governmental practice groups. She represents clients in real estate and business litigation in Florida state and federal courts and advises local governments, real estate developers, agricultural businesses, and private landowners on zoning, permitting, and land use matters in Palm Beach County, St. Lucie County, and throughout the Treasure Coast.

She also provides counsel to the Towns of Gulf Stream, Jupiter, Lake Park, and Palm Beach on planning and zoning, public records and Sunshine Law compliance, and other governmental matters. Her broader litigation practice includes disputes involving contracts, title and boundary claims, easements, riparian rights, business torts and fiduciary duties, constitutional property rights, and development approval claims.

Ms. Francisco is Immediate Past President of the St. Lucie Bar Association and a graduate of Leadership St. Lucie, a program of the St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves as President of the Federal Bar Association Palm Beach County Chapter, on the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit’s Professionalism Panel Executive Board, and on the Board of Trustees of the Rupert J. Smith Law Library of St. Lucie County. Her work has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America and Palm Beach Illustrated’s “Top Lawyers” lists. Ms. Francisco earned her Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.