Richard DeNapoli

Seat 4, District 2; Commissioner

Phone: (954) 488-1890

Biography

Commissioner Richard DeNapoli was born and raised in Broward County and has more than 20 years of experience in law and trust services. Since 2015, he has served as the Chief Trust Officer & Fiduciary Counsel of a South Florida based trust company that manages over $2 billion in assets. Richard began his legal career as an assistant state attorney prosecuting third-degree felons. After managing a successful solo law practice focused on estate planning and real estate, he earned a Masters of Law (LL.M.) in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law and joined Northern Trust Company, where he was a Trust and Investment Officer for more than five years. Richard’s professional background also includes being a Certified Financial Planner™️️ Practitioner. Given his career, Richard DeNapoli knows what it means to be fiscally responsible, balance a budget, be a fiduciary, and to always look out for the best interests of others.

Richard has been quoted and featured in many print and online publications, including the Miami Herald, Palm Beach Society Magazine, Miami Today, the Wall Street Journal’s Mansion Global, and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has appeared regularly on both local and national television throughout his career and served on many panels for current events, trust, and estate planning topics throughout South Florida.

Education

Richard is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law (2008, LL.M., Estate Planning), Fordham Law School (2002, J.D.) and New York University (1999, B.A., Politics; B.A. Italian) and is licensed to practice law in Florida.

Community Engagement

In 2007, Richard DeNapoli was appointed as a Florida Real Estate Commission ("FREC") Commissioner by Florida’s Governor, serving in a quasi-judicial role to regulate the industry and assess violations of Florida’s real estate law. Richard was unanimously elected to serve as the Florida Real Estate Commission Chairman from 2010-2011, and he continued to serve on the Commission for two terms over six years through December 2013, with both of his appointments confirmed by the Florida Senate. As a former prosecutor and Florida Real Estate Commissioner, Richard DeNapoli is committed to the Town having the best public safety.

Richard has also served as an elected official in various positions in Broward County, including being elected countywide as a state committeeman in 2016 and 2020, as well as the chairman and a supervisor on the Broward Soil & Water Conservation District, having first been elected countywide in 2018 and then being reelected to represent District 3 in 2022, which included all of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. He was elected as a Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Town Commissioner in March 2024. Given his background with the Soil and Water Conservation District, Richard knows the importance of our beach to our beautiful coastal town.

Richard is a longtime member of the Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section as well as the Tax Section of the Florida Bar. He currently serves as a member of the Probate Rules Committee and is a member of the Trust Executive Committee of the Florida Bankers.

Richard DeNapoli cares deeply about foster care issues, having spent time in foster care before being adopted by his maternal grandparents, and has served on the host committee of Florida’s Children First, a nonprofit advocacy group that helps foster children. He has also served as a board member and the President of the Estate Planning Council of Broward County, and on the Steering Committee of the Joint Tax and Estate Planning Seminar.

Richard knows that Lauderdale-By-The-Sea is a special place and that we need to keep it that way. He invites you to call him at (954) 488-1890 and share your questions, ideas, concerns, and aspirations for the Town. Richard DeNapoli is committed to working hard for you every single day as your commissioner to keep our town on the right track.

Richard DeNapoli