email: cjthornton@napleslaw.com
CHRISTOPHER J. THORNTON has practiced law in the Naples area since 1999. He graduated from Duke University in 1994 with a degree in civil and environmental engineering and obtained his law degree, cum laude, from Tulane University Law School in 1997.
Since moving to Naples, Mr. Thornton has focused his practice on land use, growth management, and environmental permitting, and he represents private landowners in all phases of real estate development including zoning, variance, conditional use, comprehensive plan amendments, development of regional impact, formal interpretations, vested rights, impact fee and ad valorem tax challenges, site development plans, environmental resource permits and sovereign submerged lands leases. Mr. Thornton represents landowners before elected officials and planning staff throughout Southwest Florida.
Before coming to Naples, Mr. Thornton spent two years in Tallahassee as an assistant general counsel with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Mr. Thornton is a member of the Florida Bar, the Florida Bar Environmental and Land Use Law Section, and the Florida Bar City, County, and Local Government Law Section; a member of the Collier County Bar Association and Chair of the Collier County Bar Real Estate Section; a member of the North Naples United Methodist Church; President of the Duke Alumni Club of Naples/Fort Myers; a member of the Thomas S. Biggs American Inns of Court; a former Director and President of the Boca Palms of Naples Association, Inc.; a former Director of the Friends of the Collier County Museum; and a former Director of the American Specialty Contractors of Florida, Inc.