Diana M. Ferguson

Diana M. Ferguson

Diana M. Ferguson joined Rutledge Ecenia in January 2011 as an attorney and registered lobbyist. Her practice at Rutledge Ecenia is concentrated largely in government relations, with a focus in the areas of environmental and administrative law, regulated industries, non-profit organizations, and local government associations. Prior to joining the firm, Diana provided legislative counsel to the Florida Association of Counties and represented the association before the Florida Legislature. In that capacity, she lobbied numerous environmental issues as well as other local government issues. Diana spent a significant amount of time advocating for the counties on water supply and water quality issues. With regard to water quality, she worked on several pieces of legislation pertaining to significant nonpoint sources of pollution, such as septic tanks and fertilizer, as well as regulatory issues such as total maximum daily loads and numeric nutrient criteria.

Diana currently uses her extensive advocacy experience in representing several associations and other clients that have wide-ranging policy needs, including telecommunications, professional regulation and environmental permitting, community association law, beach policy and project funding and animal control. She has also participated in numerous rulemaking processes and lobbied various regulatory issues within several state and regional agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection, the water management districts, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Diana graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City with a political science degree. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the Oklahoma City University School of Law. She is a member in good standing of the Texas Bar Association and of the Florida Bar Association, where she is the legislative chair of the Animal Law Section and a member of the Environmental and Land Use and City, County, and Local Government Law Sections.

Diana was appointed to the Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change, Adaptation Technical Working Group in 2008; the Florida Legislature’s Beach Management Working Group from 2008 to 2009; and the Florida Beaches Habitat Conservation Plan Steering Committee from 2008 to 2011. She received the Friend of the Florida Association of County Attorneys in June 2009 and the Legislative Appreciation Award, Small County Coalition in June 2009. Diana has also been recognized as a Florida Legal Elite Up & Comer. This recognition is based on attorneys under the age of 40 who have exhibited leadership in the law and in their community.