A Bryant Applegate graduated from Davis and Elkins College with honors in 1977 and Nova University Law Center in 1980. He has represented, as in - house counsel, numerous local governments and constitutional officers in the State of Florida including Broward County, Pompano Beach, Tamarac and Orange County. He has litigated numerous land use, eminent domain, environmental and zoning cases, and has served as Counsel to several election canvassing, redistricting, code enforcement, zoning and planning boards.

He also served as Special Counsel to former HUD Secretary Mel Martinez and as Ethics Advisor in the White House Counsel’s Office. He is currently serving as Senior Counsel to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Director of the America’s Affordable Communities Initiative. As director, he has traveled the country meeting with State and local officials, and industry groups on the need for regulatory reform and has made dozens of presentations at national and regional conferences. He is also co-Director for policy for HUD’s hurricane relief and long - term recovery efforts. He volunteered for, and was assigned to, the gulf coast right after Katrina and spent several weeks in the field during the recovery efforts.

He received the Orange County Florida Bar Association’s Pro Bono Service Award in 1997 and the Florida Legal Aid Public Service Award for Pro Bono Service in 1994. Both awards were for his efforts in starting and participating in a pro bono program called Attorneys Fighting for Seriously ill Children. The Judicial Nominating Commission in and for the State of Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit has nominated Mr. Applegate on two occasions for judicial positions and was named the 2006 Distinguished Alumnus of Davis and Elkins College.