Rachel A. Streitfeld

Rachel Streitfeld, Esq. is a savvy and well-connected zoning expert with nearly two decades of experience in law and public policy. From the Florida Keys to Port St. Lucie, Rachel has extensive knowledge of local ordinances, county requirements, and statewide regulatory frameworks. She relishes guiding her clients through the land development process, navigating rich political contexts and sensitive development environments. Rachel earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law in 2016 and has been practicing land use and zoning ever since. 

She ran a solo boutique zoning practice at Bright Side Legal for five years, where she obtained unanimous approvals for land development entitlements, as well as facilitated dramatic reductions in fines and painless lien releases for property owners. She excels in a public hearing setting, whether before a city commission, planning & zoning board, historic preservation board, or board of adjustment. Her jurisdictions of practice include, but are not limited to, the Cities of Miami, Miami Beach, Aventura, North Miami Beach, Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, Port St.Lucie, the Village of Biscayne Park, the Town of Surfside, Palm Beach County, and Miami-Dade County. Past clients include prestigious private schools, luxury malls, religious institutions, short-term rental operators, single-family homeowners, industrial and warehouse facilities, small businesses, developers, and local governments such as the City of South Miami and the Town of Palm Beach.

A native Floridian nostalgic about the environment, Rachel is an authority on sea level rise adaptation and preparation of the built environment for changing future conditions. An expert on stormwater, seawalls, sustainability codes, and flood protection, she is passionate about resilient development.

After earning her B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science at The George Washington University, she spent five years as a Congressional staffer in the office of U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz and as a lobbyist in the foreign policy space before coming home to South Florida in 2012. Today, Rachel serves the public as an elected official in North Bay Village and on Miami-Dade County’s Watershed Management Advisory Board.