City Attorney's Office

The City of Coral Springs City Attorney’s Office provides timely legal representation and advice to the City Commission and City administration. This office zealously represents the city in legal controversies and is committed to implementing the City Commission’s policy of minimizing exposures and potential liability through the core processes and outputs including research and counsel, contracts, litigation and municipal violation prosecution.

Department Head

John Hearn

John Hearn

City Attorney John J. (“JJ”) Hearn is an executive officer of the City of Coral Springs, pursuant to the City Charter. Hearn has worked closely with numerous City Officials, City Managers, and staff throughout his 30-year career with Coral Springs to ensure the effective and lawful operation of the city.

City Attorney John J. (“JJ”) Hearn is an executive officer of the City of Coral Springs, pursuant to the City Charter. Hearn has worked closely with numerous City Officials, City Managers, and staff throughout his 30-year career with Coral Springs to ensure the effective and lawful operation of the city.

For more than 20 years, Hearn has been rated AV Preeminent, the highest possible peer review rating in legal ability and ethical standards by Martindale-Hubbell. Hearn is the President of the Notre Dame Club of Fort Lauderdale, a Board Member for the St. Thomas Moore Society and a board member of the Brian Piccolo Foundation. Hearn previously served as Board Chairman of Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School.

Hearn’s role as City Attorney was instrumental in the city’s applications for the Florida Governor’s Sterling Award and the National Malcolm Baldrige Award, making Coral Springs the first governmental entity to receive such distinction.

In addition to his role as City Attorney, Hearn has represented various police departments throughout South Florida and was the first City Attorney to serve the City of Doral upon its incorporation in 2004.

Hearn earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame (BA) and received his Juris Doctorate Degree from George Washington University, where he was a published member of Law Review.

Sherry Lynn Whitacre, swhitacre@coralsprings.gov

Sherry Whitacre Senior Deputy City Attorney Sherry Lynn Whitacre, Senior Deputy City Attorney of the City of Coral Springs, joined the city in 2007. She works closely with the City Attorney and provides legal advice to the City Commission and various city departments. In her role, she serves as the attorney for the Planning and Zoning Board and focuses on ethics, purchasing, and planning and zoning. Whitacre attended the University of Illinois and earned an undergraduate degree in Legal Studies. She also graduated summa cum laude from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law, where she was a member of Law Review. Prior to coming to the City of Coral Springs, Whitacre was a law clerk at the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach for Judge Barry Stone.  This experience exposed her to many areas of law and ultimately led her to a career in government law with the City of Coral Springs. Whitacre was appointed by the late Mayor Skip Campbell to serve on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee, where she completed two years of service.

Andrew B. Dunkiel, adunkiel@coralsprings.gov

Deputy Attorney Andrew Dunkiel-Profile Andrew B. Dunkiel, Deputy City Attorney and Coral Springs Police Department police legal advisor, joined the City Attorney’s Office in 2012. He is a board-certified attorney in City, County, and Local Government Law.

Dunkiel advises and represents the city, its elected officials, officers, and employees in various matters. He focuses on public safety, emergency management, labor and employment, public records and open meetings, risk management, cybersecurity and information technology, and zoning matters. As the Police Department’s police legal advisor, Dunkiel provides counsel and training on constitutional policing and other routine and challenging issues.  

In 2019 Dunkiel was appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to the Seventeenth Circuit Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee “A” and currently serves as its Chair. He is a member of the Florida Association of Police Attorneys, the Florida Police Chiefs Association, and the Broward County Chiefs of Police Association.

Dunkiel graduated magna cum laude from Florida Atlantic University with a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration. He also graduated magna cum laude from Nova Southeastern University Law in the top 10% of his class. Dunkiel was Vice President of the Nova Trial Association, Subscriptions Editor of the Nova Law Review, and awarded the Krupnick Campbell Trial Advocacy Award.

Christina Gomez, cgomez@coralsprings.gov

Assistant City Attorney Christina Gomez Profile Christina Gomez joined the City Attorney’s Office in 2022 as the Assistant City Attorney. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida, a Master of Science from the University of Central Florida, and her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University. She began her career at the State Attorney’s Office in Broward County where she represented the State of Florida in criminal prosecutions for six years. Prior to coming to Coral Springs, she also worked as Assistant General Counsel for the Florida Department of Transportation practicing eminent domain law.  As the Assistant City Attorney, Gomez assists the Deputy and Senior Deputy City Attorneys with a multitude of projects; provides legal advice to the city’s various departments; prepares and reviews ordinances, resolutions, and city policies; and drafts and negotiates contracts for goods and services. She also represents the city in a variety of pre-litigation and litigation matters, including contract disputes, foreclosure cases and disbursements of surplus funds, code enforcement proceedings and appeals, municipal ordinance prosecutions and appeals, and the city’s misdemeanor diversion program.

Contact Us

Phone

954-344-5977

Fax

954-344-5930

Email

jhearn@coralsprings.gov

Website Legal Notices

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