Petroleum Marketing Counseling and Litigation
Bob Fingar and George Hatch head the firm’s petroleum practice group. As a firm, we have provided legal services to the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association (“FPMA”) and its members for over 30 years. Petroleum marketing and its related businesses have their own set of unique challenges in an ever-changing legal and regulatory landscape. Over the years, we have tailored the legal services we provide to help petroleum marketers meet those challenges, and we provide a wide array of legal services to do that.
We have been at the forefront of the development of Florida’s petroleum cleanup programs. Those programs have served as the model for other cleanup programs throughout the nation. Bob Fingar regularly interacts with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and local environmental agencies to ensure that the environmental statutes and rules are applied correctly when issues arise with our clients. We have represented petroleum marketers, property owners, and environmental consultants in a wide range of matters involving contamination cleanup and reimbursement, to include resolving coverage disputes with insurance companies.
We have worked closely with the Florida Department of Revenue in revising the fuel tax statutes and rules and the manner in which the fuel tax laws are administered. We regularly assist members of the petroleum industry in fuel tax and sales tax matters.
We have represented petroleum clients in a variety of regulatory matters before the Florida Department of Legal Affairs and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
We assist petroleum marketers in the review and preparation of a wide variety of supply and distribution contracts, leases and contracts, franchise agreements that form the basis for the business relationships up and down the distribution chain.
We have developed significant experience in assisting marketers in the purchase and sale of petroleum properties and related assets. Bob Fingar's years of industry experience provides comprehensive representation of marketeers in those often complicated transactions.
George Hatch and other lawyers in our litigation group strive to provide our petroleum clients with the best possible assistance in a variety of disputes ranging from defending landowners against contamination claims brought by state and federal agencies and third parties, to defending and prosecuting actions involving antitrust, franchise law, contract claims, and insurance coverage claims for petroleum contamination.
Petroleum Hotline
We have learned over the years that petroleum marketers often have a simple question that can be answered by a simple phone call or an email (bob@guildaylaw.com). That is why we have the Petroleum Hotline (1-800-226-7091). At no charge to FPMA members, lawyers in our practice group are available to provide legal counseling in a variety of areas.
Practicing Attorneys:
Fingar, Robert D.
Hatch, III, George, W.