W.A. “Drew” Crawford advises Boswell & Dunlap LLP’s clients on government operations, appellate relief and remedies, civil rights claims, constitutional claims, commercial real estate transactions, open government requirements, public contracting and procurement, real estate planning and development, real property taxation, utilities construction and development, local and state legislation, and other special legal projects. His practice areas include government law, real estate law, business law, civil litigation and community association law. Drew devotes the majority of his practice to representing Florida municipal governments, special districts, community redevelopment agencies and educational institutions in day-to-day administrative, operational and lawmaking affairs.
Always meticulous and innovative, Drew leaves no detail unaddressed when searching for an effective legal strategy or solution. He is passionate about advocating and protecting the interests of the local governments, businesses and citizens that our firm represents in the greater Central Florida area, including the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Polk County, Hardee County and Highlands County.
Drew actively represents the City Commissions for the Cities of Bartow, Lake Alfred, Mulberry and Winter Haven, the Boards of Commissioners for the Community Redevelopment Agencies of Bartow, Lake Alfred, Mulberry and Winter Haven, the School Board of Polk County, Florida and the District Board of Trustees of Polk State College. In addition, Drew currently serves as the Special Magistrate for the Town of Lake Hamilton.
Drew has extensive litigation experience representing private businesses and public agencies in public records litigation. Drew has also served as special counsel to the City of Bartow Charter Review Committee (2008), the City of Winter Haven Charter Review Committee (2017), the City of Mulberry Charter Review Committee (2017) and the Polk County Charter Review Commission (2017-2018).
Before joining the firm, Drew litigated for a plaintiffs’ employment law boutique and served as an assistant public defender for the Second Judicial Circuit in Tallahassee. During law school, he clerked for the Florida House of Representatives and the law firm of Holland & Knight LLP. Drew did his undergraduate work at Clemson University earning his B.S., magna cum laude with departmental honors in Computer Science in 1999. He earned his J.D., with honors, from Florida State University in 2002. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Delta Phi, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon.
Drew is licensed to practice in all state courts in Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida and the U.S. Tax Court.
A Bartow native, Drew is an eighth generation Floridian and a fifth generation resident of Polk County. His wife Amanda is a tenth generation Floridian and a descendent of the Minorcan settlers of New Smyrna and St. Augustine.