Bill Cea is a Board Certified Construction attorney and Certified Circuit Court Mediator. Following law school, Mr. Cea practiced law at a firm in Winter Haven, Florida where he later became a named partner. He joined Becker & Poliakoff in 2001, and is a shareholder in the firm’s West Palm Beach office.
Mr. Cea concentrates his practice in the areas of public procurement and construction defects litigation. He has served as lead counsel in high-profile bid protest cases and routinely represents private companies doing business with government agencies during the RFP, bidding, and negotiation and selection process. He has handled federal, state and local bids in construction, design build and construction management, transportation, professional services, food and vendor concessions, towing, information technology, landscaping and property management, airport services, public-private partnerships and developments, veterans services, public housing, traffic cameras, and office services and equipment projects throughout Florida.
Notable Client Accomplishments:
- Served as lead counsel on behalf of James A. Cummings, Inc., and successfully defended a challenge to Broward County’s award of a contract for the construction of the new Broward County Courthouse.
- Served as lead counsel on behalf of Limousines of South Florida, Inc. and successfully defended Collier County’s award of its Management Services Contract for the Collier Area Transit (CAT) Fixed Route and Paratransit Program (“RFP”).
- Served as lead counsel on behalf of Limousines of South Florida, Inc. and successfully defended Broward County’s award of its contract for Shuttle Bus Service at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.
- Served as lead counsel on behalf of Dallas 1 Construction & Development, Inc. and successfully protested and assisted with the award of the City of Tampa’s utility maintenance contract.
- Served as lead counsel on behalf of Severe Incident Recovery Team, LLC. and successfully defended the Florida Department of Transportation’s award of its towing and roadside repair contract for a portion of the Florida Turnpike.
- Served as lead counsel on behalf of Vision Marketplace, Inc. and successfully defended the Department of Veteran Affairs’ contract award for the provision of eye glass services to veterans in Broward County, Florida.
- Served as lead counsel on behalf of Ikon Office Solutions, Inc. and successfully challenged the School Board of Orange County’s proposed contract for networked digital multi-functional devices, which preserved Ikon’s status as the incumbent services provider.
A former city attorney, Mr. Cea has represented governmental bodies including the City of Winter Haven, Winter Haven Housing Authority, Community Redevelopment Agency of Winter Haven, the Town of Southwest Ranches and other public bodies on a case by case basis. He assists local government agencies with the drafting, amendment and implementation of purchasing policies and procedures. As an example, Mr. Cea served as outside counsel for Collier County, and assisted the Town of Southwest Ranches with the drafting and adoption of a new procurement ordinance. He lectures on topics such as Public Procurement, Public Records and Open Meetings in Florida, and Public Construction Projects.
As a Board Certified Construction attorney, Mr. Cea handles construction defects cases on behalf of community associations, individual property owners, contractors, design professionals and developers. These matters include both the prosecution and defense of “turnover claims”, involving the transition of control of community association buildings and improvements from a developer to a condominium or homeowners association. Mr. Cea has also handled turnover claims in the context of condominium conversions. He has experience in many areas of law including construction, public procurement, civil litigation, contracts, probate litigation, community association, and landlord-tenant. He has also served on the faculty for the Florida Bar’s Construction Law Certification Review Course.
Activities & Memberships
Mr. Cea has served as a chair for the annual "Raise The Bar" event in Palm Beach County, "Support Future Women Leaders" which provides support for the Girls Leadership Institute, sponsored by the Women’s Foundation of Palm Beach County. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, Council, No.11241, in Boca Raton, Florida and an active member of the Palm Beach County Bar Association.