Joni Armstrong Coffey

Joni Armstrong Coffey is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law, St. Thomas University, where she teaches Florida Constitutional Law and Land Use. She concurrently serves as Assistant County Attorney for Miami-Dade County, leading the Zoning, Land Use, and Environment Section. Certified as a City, County, and Local Government Lawyer since 1996, she holds leadership roles in The Florida Bar, including Vice Chair of its Board of Legal Specialization and Education. Her career includes a judicial clerkship with Honorable Peter T. Fay (U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit) and editorship of the University of Florida Law Review.

• Education: B.A. (summa cum laude), Florida State University; J.D. (honors), University of Florida Law School
• Professional Service: Executive Council member (1990–present), past chair of Florida Bar’s City, County & Local Government Law Section

Her research focuses on land use law, regulatory takings, and public law. She has published seminal works on quasi-judicial hearings and statutory protections for property rights. Her scholarship bridges legal theory and practical governance challenges.

• Awards: Paul S. Buchman Award, Ralph A. Marsicano Award

Ms. Coffey is a frequent speaker at national legal education forums, including The Florida Bar and National Judicial College. Her teaching and practice emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to constitutional and land use legal frameworks.