Jones Foster Chairman Scott G. Hawkins Appointed to the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County's Board of Directors

Jones Foster, a 100-year-old commercial and private client law firm with offices in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, and Jupiter, proudly announces that Chairman Scott G. Hawkins has been appointed to the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County’s (BDB PBC) board of directors for the 2024-2025 term.

In this role, Mr. Hawkins will work with board members to guide the Business Development Board’s economic development efforts through corporate relocation, expansion, and retention programs for Palm Beach County. “The BDB plays a significant role in Palm Beach County’s economic prosperity by attracting cutting-edge firms and new industries to this incredible destination as well as increasing opportunities for member businesses and residents,” Mr. Hawkins says. “I’m honored to serve alongside a group of forward-thinking business executives who bring their diverse experiences and talent to help shape the future of this county.”

Mr. Hawkins was nominated by the Economic Council of Palm Beach County to retain one of its designated seats and was appointed to the board in a unanimous vote during the BDB’s Fourth Quarter Luncheon on Sept. 26. The Economic Council helped establish the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County with the primary purpose of stimulating economic energy, promoting business diversity, and enriching the vitality of Palm Beach County.

Mr. Hawkins is a longtime member of the Economic Council’s executive committee and board of directors and currently chairs the Political Action Committee. He previously served as chair of the Governance Committee and the Policy Committee.

Scott Hawkins is a Florida Bar Board Certified Business litigation attorney and a past president of The Florida Bar. He represents public and private companies in a variety of industries, including technology, medical, environmental, real estate, land use, insurance, and military. Mr. Hawkins focuses his practice in commercial litigation with an emphasis on intellectual property, trade secret disputes, trademark infringement, covenants not to compete, securities, real estate litigation, and claims arising under ERISA Plans.

Mr. Hawkins has significant civil and administrative litigation experience, including federal and state law claims and administrative law challenges litigated before the State of Florida Division of Administrative Hearings. He handles regulatory disputes with environmental agencies at all levels, and land use disputes including ERM permitting. Additionally, Mr. Hawkins regularly serves as an attorney’s fees counsel and expert witness and has been appointed by the courts as a receiver, trustee, statutory investigator (corporate derivative disputes), arbitrator, party arbitrator, mediator, and special master given his experience, ethics, and judgment.

Mr. Hawkins is consistently selected for inclusion in peer-reviewed publications such as Florida Super Lawyers, Palm Beach Illustrated’s “Top Lawyers,” and The Best Lawyers in America, where he was named a 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” in Environmental Litigation and Land Use and Zoning for the West Palm Beach metro. He also was notably recognized by Florida Trend magazine as a Legal Elite Notable – Managing Partner for the second consecutive year.