Bradley D. Houser
Partner
Bradley D. Houser
+1.305.789.7538
Overview
Bradley D. Houser is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Miami office and co-chair of the South Florida Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group. Mr. Houser has nearly 30 years of experience handling capital markets, corporate and banking transactional matters. Mr. Houser focuses his practice on a wide range of securities matters, as well as mergers and acquisitions. He has extensive experience with real estate investment trusts (REITs), special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and banking transactions.
Mr. Houser also advises boards of directors and senior management teams of public and private companies regarding corporate governance and control issues.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Houser practiced corporate and securities law at a large Miami firm for more than 20 years, including chairing the firm's Miami corporate practice. He began his career as an attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C. Mr. Houser is also a certified public accountant (CPA).
Representative Experience
- Served as issuer's counsel for Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. – a firm that provides independent brokerage and advisory services, investment banking, equity research, institutional sales and trading, and asset management services – in a $75 million at-the-market offering of cumulative redeemable preferred stock
- Served as issuer's counsel for Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. in a $132.5 million underwritten public offering of cumulative redeemable preferred stock
- Served as issuer's counsel for JAVELIN Mortgage Investment Corp., a real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests primarily in agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities, in a follow-on underwritten public offering for $115.8 million
- Served as issuer's counsel for JAVELIN Mortgage Investment Corp. in an initial public offering (IPO) for $150 million
- Served as issuer's counsel for ARMOUR Residential REIT Inc., a REIT that invests primarily in agency mortgage-backed securities, in follow-on underwritten public offerings totaling more than $2.7 billion
- Served as issuer's counsel for FriendFinder Networks Inc., a leading internet and technology company providing services in the rapidly expanding markets of social networking and web-based video sharing, in an IPO for $50 million
- Served as issuer's counsel for Ideation Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) formed to acquire one or more operating businesses in the digital media sector, in an IPO for $80 million
- Served as issuer's counsel for Enterprise Acquisition Corp., a SPAC formed to acquire one or more operating businesses, in an IPO for $250 million
- Served as issuer's counsel for MBF Healthcare Acquisition Corp., a SPAC formed to acquire one or more operating businesses in the healthcare industry, in an IPO for $172.5 million
- Served as issuer's counsel for Baby Universe Inc. in an IPO for $21.7 million
- Served as issuer's counsel for Odimo Incorporated, a leading online retailer of luxury goods, in an IPO for $28.1 million
- Served as issuer's counsel for Wackenhut Corrections Corporation (now The GEO Group Inc.) in a $55.2 million follow-on public offering
- Served as counsel for Florida Banks Inc. in a $30 million universal shelf registration
- Served as issuer's counsel for Stonegate Bank in a $27.4 million private placement and a $15.0 million private placement
- Served as issuer's counsel for Florida Capital Group Inc. in a $37 million private placement
- Served as counsel for Florida Banks Inc. in the issuance of an aggregate of $20 million in pooled trust preferred securities
- Served as counsel for Rose Glen Capital, a private equity fund, in negotiating an aggregate of $333.1 million in private equity commitments to publicly traded companies
- Served as counsel for Stonegate Bank in the $8 million acquisition of Southwest Capital Bank
- Served as counsel to ARMOUR Residential REIT Inc. in its $85 million acquisition of JAVELIN Mortgage Investment Corp. via a merger/tender offer
- Served as special corporate counsel to the board of Mercy Hospital in its $132 million sale to HCA Inc.
- Served as counsel for Enterprise Acquisition Corp., a SPAC, in a $21.3 million merger with ARMOUR Residential REIT Inc.
- Served as counsel for Ideation Acquisition Corp., a SPAC, in a $156.7 million acquisition of Search Media International Limited
- Served as counsel for Coconut Palm Acquisition Corp., a SPAC, in a $277 million merger with Equity Broadcasting Corporation
- Served as counsel for Baby Universe Inc., a leading online retailer of baby products, in a purchase of the assets of PoshTots LLC for $14 million
- Served as counsel for Palm Beach County Bank in a $100 million merger with Commerce Bancorp Inc.
- Served as counsel for Boca Resorts Inc. (f/k/a Florida Panthers Holdings Inc.) in a $1.2 billion cash merger with an affiliate of The Blackstone Group
Credentials
Education
- University of Iowa College of Law, MBA
- University of Iowa College of Law, J.D.
- Drake University, B.S.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
- Florida
Certifications
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Memberships
- Orange Bowl Committee, President
- The Beacon Council, Former Executive Committee and Board Member
- St. Stephen's Episcopal Day School, Board of Trustees, former Chair
- Iowa Law School Foundation, Lifetime Honorary Board Member
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- The Florida Bar
- American Bar Association
Honors & Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, 2011-2025; Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2018-2025
- Florida Legal Elite, Florida Trend magazine, 2017
- Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2020, 2021
- Chambers USA - America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Corporate/M&A, Private Equity, 2006, 2008-2013; Banking & Finance: Transactional, 2007-2015
- Top Lawyer, South Florida Legal Guide, Corporate and Business, 2014, 2015
- Florida Super Lawyers magazine, Securities & Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business/Corporate, 2009, 2010
- The Legal 500 USA, Mergers & Acquisitions, 2007-2009
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
