CONSTRUCTION & BUSINESS LAW
Start your business. Put strong contracts in place.
Protect your right to payment. Resolve disputes with purpose.
Not just the legal language.
The business behind it.
Scott’s attorney licensure, Florida Certified General Contractor and Standard Building Inspector licenses, and ICC certification. Dayanna’s construction and business law focus, 24+ years in real estate, and 16 years in finance and accounting. Together, a perspective that connects the jobsite, the business, and the legal stakes.
01 / HOW WE HELP
A connected resource for starting, operating, and protecting your business—with practical support for different stages, priorities, and budgets.
From project agreements to payment conflicts, delays, and claims, we focus on the documents, the work, and your business objectives.
Explore document drafting →Help assessing payment rights, lien issues, and collection options. When a notice, demand, or payment dispute arrives, timely review matters.
Discuss a payment issue →Contractor licensing, unlicensed-contracting allegations, and workers’ compensation enforcement require different responses.
Explore regulatory defense →From business formation and owner agreements to customer contracts, subcontracts, payment procedures, and ongoing guidance, we help put the legal building blocks in place. When commercial disputes arise, we bring that same business-minded perspective to resolving them.
Talk about your business →Practical guidance for starting, operating, and growing a business: stronger contracts, clear processes, useful tools, and better-informed decisions. We work with owners to identify priorities and discuss a defined scope suited to their stage and budget. We help clients think through business readiness and build a foundation for opening doors with confidence. This service does not promise business success or replace specialized tax or accounting advice.
Build your business foundation →Representation concerning criminal allegations arising from construction activity. Matters are evaluated individually, with attention to potential consequences for your livelihood and business.
Request a confidential consultation →DEFEND YOUR LICENSE. PROTECT YOUR LIVELIHOOD.
A licensing complaint or stop-work order can threaten projects and cash flow. We help Florida contractors and construction businesses assess the notice, the immediate steps, and the licensing, business, and criminal consequences.
Guidance through investigations, administrative complaints, evidence review, potential resolutions, and administrative proceedings.
Allegations may involve abandonment, financial mismanagement, permit violations, misconduct, or improper license use. We examine contracts, payment and project records, communications, and the licensing facts—not just the allegations.
We examine the work performed, advertising, license status, applicable exemptions, and business qualification.
We address administrative citations, cease-and-desist demands, enforcement matters, and construction-related criminal charges. Administrative and criminal proceedings are separate; resolving one does not necessarily resolve the other.
Workers’ compensation enforcement is handled by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers’ Compensation—separately from DBPR.
We review stop-work orders, release or conditional-release requirements, payroll and record requests, penalty assessments, coverage gaps, classifications and job duties, owner-exemption eligibility, and subcontractor coverage.
We evaluate administrative challenges, compliance steps, and available payment options. A policy alone may not resolve an enforcement issue: payroll or job-duty misrepresentation can also matter. An owner's exemption does not exempt an entire workforce. No release, dismissal, or timing is guaranteed.
Received a complaint, citation, or stop-work order?
Discuss your notice & next steps →Applicable deadlines depend on the notice and circumstances. Seek advice promptly.DOCUMENTS THAT DO THE WORK
Agreements built around how your construction business operates.
Clear documents establish expectations before a project, a business relationship change, or a dispute. We draft, review, and negotiate construction and business agreements with practical operations, payment, and legal risk in view.
For licensed contractors considering qualifying a business—and business owners preparing to work with a qualifying agent. Your agreement should reflect actual authority, access, supervision, and responsibilities.
A lawful relationship—not just a document. A qualifier agreement must support a lawful qualifying relationship. It cannot replace required regulatory approval or remove responsibilities Florida law places on a qualifying agent. The agreement and the way the business operates need to align.
Before you sign, qualify a business, or bring a qualifier into your company, discuss the agreement with The GC Lawyers.
Talk about your documents →THE GC PERSPECTIVE
Scott is a Florida Certified General Contractor and an ICC Certified Commercial Building Inspector, bringing licensed construction experience and inspection knowledge to the firm's legal perspective.
Dayanna's background in real estate, finance, and accounting adds a practical understanding of the numbers behind a legal decision.
Getting paid and moving forward matter. We prioritize practical resolution and informed decisions, rather than treating prolonged litigation as an end in itself.
02 / THE PEOPLE IN YOUR CORNER
Get to know the attorneys behind The GC Lawyers.
OUR COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE
Multimillion-dollarnegotiations
Hundreds oflitigation cases
ArbitrationOur team has handled dozens of arbitrations, achieving favorable resolutions and negotiated settlements for clients.Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Experience that informs practical counsel—from your first business contract to a complex dispute.
CONSTRUCTION & BUSINESS ATTORNEY
Legal strategy. Financial discipline.
A negotiator's perspective.
Federal court admission
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
Dayanna sees more than a legal issue. She sees the business, the investment, and the decisions that brought a client to the table.
Dayanna combines more than 24 years of real estate experience with over 16 years in finance and accounting, bringing a practical understanding of transactions, cash flow, and business operations to her construction and business law practice. Her professional background spans property management, hospitality, government, retail, and construction—industries where contracts, cash flow, timing, and relationships all matter.
Dayanna personally handled first-party property insurance matters arising from Hurricanes Irma, Michael, Sally and Ian, securing more than $50 million in settlements for policyholders.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
That experience shapes how she approaches a negotiation or dispute. She looks beyond a single demand to understand the financial implications, the client's leverage, and the practical options for moving forward. Her approach combines creative deal-making with disciplined attention to cost, quality, and long-term objectives. She believes a business needs a solid operational foundation, beginning with contracts that clearly address the work, responsibilities, and payment.
She helps clients understand not only the legal questions, but also the commercial consequences of the choices in front of them.
Dayanna earned her Juris Doctor from Ave Maria School of Law in 2018. Her academic background at Hodges University includes accounting and legal studies, complementing her experience across the real estate and financial sectors.
Dayanna is listed on the Twentieth Judicial Circuit’s roster of qualified arbitrators.
She values clear communication, thoughtful preparation, and negotiation that stays focused on the client's priorities. Whether a client is assessing a business opportunity, addressing a project dispute, or preparing for litigation, her focus is on connecting legal strategy with real-world goals.
CONSTRUCTION & BUSINESS ATTORNEY
Florida Certified General Contractor
License No. CGC1537742
Florida Standard Building Inspector
License No. BN9651
Jobsite knowledge.
Legal and investigative experience.
Scott brings the perspective of an attorney who understands that a construction dispute begins long before it reaches a courtroom.
His Florida Certified General Contractor and Standard Building Inspector licenses, together with his ICC Certified Commercial Building Inspector certification, inform his approach to both commercial and residential construction matters. He understands the relationship between project documents, field conditions, workmanship, payment, and regulatory requirements—and how those issues can become central to a legal dispute.
Scott's experience as an Army veteran and retired NYPD lieutenant adds an investigative perspective to his legal work. He approaches complex matters by examining the facts, asking focused questions, and considering how the available evidence fits together. That background is particularly relevant when a construction matter involves competing accounts, regulatory concerns, or criminal allegations.
Scott connects the legal stakes with the practical realities facing the people and businesses involved. He treats negotiation, arbitration, and litigation as tools to pursue the client’s objectives—not as reasons to prolong a dispute.
Scott earned his Juris Doctor from St. John's University. His work draws on the intersection of law, construction, commercial inspection, and public service.
From evaluating a project conflict to preparing a matter for negotiation or litigation, he brings a practical, evidence-focused perspective. The goal is to help clients understand the issues and make informed decisions about the path ahead.
The contractor license and ICC inspection certification identified here belong to Scott, not Dayanna.
03 / A CLEAR WAY FORWARD
Our goal is to help clients get paid and resolve disputes—not prolong them. We pursue practical negotiated outcomes where appropriate, with litigation or arbitration when the circumstances call for it.
Clear contracts, defined scope, payment terms, and sound operating practices help a business address risk before a disagreement becomes a dispute.
We evaluate the facts, your rights, and the business realities to pursue a practical path toward payment or settlement where appropriate.
Negotiation, arbitration, and litigation serve the client’s objectives. We consider the costs, risks, and potential benefits before recommending a path forward. No result is guaranteed.
LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT
Starting out, growing, or facing a dispute?
Discuss a scope that fits your business, priorities, and budget.
Please do not send confidential information until we confirm that we can represent you. Contacting us does not establish an attorney-client relationship.
Facing a deadline? Call the firm. Sending an email does not extend or protect any deadline.
CONTACT & DOCUMENT INTAKE
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DOCUMENT UPLOAD
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KNOW WHO YOU ARE ENGAGING
Explore legal representation and nonlegal construction consulting through two separate businesses.
Common ownership. Separate businesses. Scott J. Forster, Jr. is the sole owner of both Forster Law, PA and Suncoast Construction & Loss Consulting Inc. They are separate businesses.
LEGAL SERVICES
Forster Law, PA d/b/a The GC Lawyers
A law firm providing construction and business legal representation, including contracts, qualifier agreements, business formation, disputes, and regulatory defense.
Explore the firm's legal servicesNONLEGAL CONSTRUCTION CONSULTING
A separate construction consulting business
Nonlegal construction consulting and project oversight. Suncoast is not a law firm. It does not provide legal services or handle insurance claims.
Visit Suncoast's website (opens in a new tab)Engaging Suncoast does not engage Forster Law, PA or The GC Lawyers. Legal representation requires a separate agreement with the law firm. Nonlegal consulting services do not, by themselves, create an attorney-client relationship.
This section is an informational directory, not a combined service engagement. Nothing in this disclosure limits duties or protections imposed by applicable law or professional conduct rules.
A FEW THINGS TO KNOW
Have the names of the parties, a short timeline, and any relevant contracts, notices, correspondence, and known deadlines ready. Please wait for instructions before sending sensitive materials.
No. Representation begins only after the firm agrees to accept your matter and the applicable engagement arrangements are completed.