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Board of Directors

Mickey Godat
President
Chair, Insurers' Section 
Title Resources Guaranty Company


Mickey Godat was born in St. Louis, MO.  He graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a Bachelor of Arts in History and obtained his law degree from St. Louis University School of Law.  Mickey began his title career as in-house counsel for a large title agency in St. Louis, MO.  From there he traveled back down the Mississippi River to New Orleans where, in 1996 he was hired by Lawyers Title.  For the next 14 years, through industry consolidations with LandAmerica and Fidelity, he held various positions throughout the Southeast; including underwriting counsel in Louisiana and Florida and managed a major commercial transactions division in Central Florida.  In 2010, he moved to Title Resources Guaranty Company.  He is currently a Vice President and Underwriting Counsel for the East Region.  He manages underwriting and regulatory issues from Florida to Louisiana up to Maine.

John Sthreshley
First Vice President
Chair, Agents' Section
First International Title



John Sthreshley is Vice President for First International Title, Inc. based in Coral Springs, FL. and has been with the company since its inception in 2009.  A Bradenton, Fla. Resident since 1999, John has more than 30 years of proven management, personnel training, sales, and strategic territory development in the highly competitive financial solutions industry.  John has work history including restaurant management, residential and commercial building, construction supply chains, and real estate software analytics sales.  He is a graduate of Mary Baldwin College at Staunton, VA with a bachelor’s degree in business.  Past chair of the Cyber Fraud Committee with the Florida Land Title Association (FLTA).   John and his wife, Valerie, reside in Bradenton, they have four children and two grandchildren.

Melissa Murphy
Chair, Insurers Section
The Fund





Melissa Jay Murphy, Attorneys Title Fund Services, LLC, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel. Ms. Murphy obtained her B.S. degree from Florida State University and her J. D. degree from the University of Florida. Prior to joining The Fund, she was in private practice in Gainesville, Florida for over 30 years, with a focus on real property transactional law.  Ms. Murphy was an agent for The Fund and her firm was a Top 25 Member of The Fund for many years.  Ms. Murphy was an adjunct professor at the University of Florida prior to moving to Orlando, teaching at both the UF law school and in the Masters of Science in Real Estate program in the business school. She serves on the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar and was Chair of the Section in 2005-2006.  Ms. Murphy currently serves on the FLTA Bylaws Committee and the Government Affairs Committee. She is currently Vice Chair of the Insurers Section.

Timothy Steele
Treasurer
Investors Title Insurance Company
 




Tim Steele is a Past President of FLTA.  He has been involved in title law and real estate since moving to Florida almost 20 years ago.  His most recent experience includes starting a title company from scratch for a local builder in the Tampa market.  Prior to that, Tim represented Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, practiced real estate litigation, and oversaw title operations for the largest division of Lennar Homes, a national builder, where he was noted for his leadership, innovation, and communication skills.  He has extensive experience in drafting state statutes and local ordinances, representing governmental bodies and real estate law.  Tim graduated from Stetson College of Law in St. Petersburg and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife biology from Arizona State University.

Sabine Seidel
Director
Westcor Land Title Insurance Company




Sabine is State Counsel for Westcor Land Title Insurance Company in its Maitland office.  She has been with Westcor since 2005 and is in charge of the Florida underwriting department as well as assisting with commercial underwriting.  She also teaches at Westcor’s annual seminars and various agent events.  Sabine is originally from Germany and grew up in a military family.  She received her undergraduate degree in legal studies from the University of Central Florida and her J.D. from the University of Memphis.  Sabine was briefly in private practice but starting in 1999 at American Pioneer Title Insurance Company, her career has been in title insurance underwriting and claims.  Sabine is a member of the Real Property Probate and Trust section of the Florida Bar and serves on the Title Issues and Standards, Commercial Real Estate and Title Insurance and Liaison Committees, as well as being a member of CREW Orlando.  When not working Sabine loves spending time at the beach or the barn with her husband Joel and 9-year-old daughter Hailey.

Joseph Tschida
Director
WFG National Title Insurance Company




Joe Tschida is a Vice President and the Florida State Counsel for WFG National Title Insurance Company.  Joe has 28 years of experience in the title industry and has a wide range of underwriting experience from residential transactions to complex commercial transactions.  Joe provides underwriting support, guidance, and education for WFG’s Florida agents.  Joe is a member of the Florida Bar and is on the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar.  Joe was a co-author of an Article titled “Navigating A Foreclosure Title Commitment” published in the Summer 2018 Edition of the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section’s ActionLine Magazine; and Joe was the author of an Article titled “Waiver of The Spousal Devise Restriction Under New Fla.Stat. § 732.7025” published in the 2019 Spring Edition of ActionLine Magazine.  Joe is on the Board of Directors of the Florida Land Title Association; and serves on the Governmental Affairs Committee and the Forms Committee for the FLTA.  Joe is based out of WFG’s Regional Office in Lake Mary, Florida.

Marty Solomon
Immediate Past President
Marty James Solomon PA








Marty Solomon has litigated for title insurers around the country for the past 20 years, first with Carlton Fields and now with Awerbach | Cohn.  He is a past chair of the FLTA Defense Roundtable committee, and first attended the Roundtable 17 years ago, with founding member Mark Brown.  He typically handles title curative litigation, coverage litigation, bad faith defense, defalcations, and closing protection letter claims.  He is an Executive Council member of the Florida Bar’s Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section (RPPTL).  He has also been active with the Title Insurance Committee of the American Bar Association’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS).  He earned a B.A. in political science and sociology from New College of USF in Sarasota, and a J.D. from Tulane.  He enjoys bicycling, photography, and sailing.

Paul McLaughlin
Chair, Governmental Affairs
Bluegreen Vacations





Paul McLaughlin is Director of Corporate and Regulatory Compliance at Bluegreen Vacations Corporation.  In addition to supporting Bluegreen’s corporate and regulatory compliance efforts, Paul focuses on Consumer and Data Privacy.  Prior to joining Bluegreen’s Legal Team, he spent 3 years as Director of Title Operations, Compliance and Business Development at Resort Title Agency, Bluegreen’s in-house title company, leading a team of title professionals in multi-state operations supporting Bluegreen’s sale of vacation club interests.  Paul serves on Bluegreen’s 401K Fiduciary Oversight Investment Committee.  A New York native and graduate of Siena College, Paul relocated to Florida in 1996, and following graduation from the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University with a Juris Doctor began his career in the title industry in 2001.  Since then, Paul has lead title and compliance departments in a variety of real estate and financial services organizations.  He is a member of the FLTA Cyber Security Committee.  Paul, his wife Rachael and two children live in Pompano Beach and enjoy everything South Florida has to offer, including the beach and boating with friends.  Paul volunteers as an assistant lacrosse coach for the Fort Lauderdale Landsharks U8 boys’ team and is an active participant in his children’s schools and activities.

Lindsay R. Hall Harrison

Vice Chair, Insurers' Section
First American Title Insurance Company






Lindsay R. Hall Harrison is Lead Senior Underwriting Counsel for First American’s NCS Division in Miami. Lindsay has practiced as a litigation attorney representing lenders and servicers, Managing Partner of a boutique real estate law firm and title company, and prior to becoming a title underwriter held the position of Associate General Counsel of a national mortgage lender. Lindsay is honored to serve as Founding President of the FLTA Charitable Action Foundation. Lindsay also serves as Co-Chair of the ALTA PRIA Liaison Work Group and is also a member of PRIA, the Property Records Industry Association, the Florida Bar Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section, and CREW Orlando. Lindsay also serves as an elected official sitting on City Council for the City of Maitland, Florida and was re-elected for a second term in March 2023.

Robert Cohen
Director
FNF Family of Companies



Robert Cohen received his BS in Advertising from the University of Florida in 1988. He began his title insurance career as an agency sales representative in 1992 for American Pioneer Title Insurance. In 2002, he became the Florida Agency Manager for American Pioneer until the company was acquired by Fidelity National Financial (FNF) in 2004. Mr. Cohen managed FNF’s Florida Agency operations for Ticor Title Insurance until 2010 when FNF brought together Chicago Title, Commonwealth Land Title and Fidelity National Title. He currently serves as SVP- North/Central Florida Agency Manager and oversees the Fidelity National Timeshare operations nationally. He currently resides in Maitland, FL with his wife Janice and they have two daughters Layne and Lindsay. He is an active member of The American Resort Development Association, American Land Title Association, Florida Land Title Association, and has served on the Central Florida YMCA Board.


Joe Teichert
Director

First American Title Insurance Company


Joe joined First American in 2017 and has served in various roles within the Agency Division including state underwriting counsel, senior operations manager, and now Vice President and Area Manager of Florida, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Before joining First American, Joe spent several years as a litigator before entering the title insurance industry as an assistant vice president and claims counsel for a national title insurance underwriter. A native Floridian with strong ties and a deep connection to this great State, Joe is a “double Gator”, having graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Joe resides in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife, Morgan, and two children, Wakeland, and Lottie.

Nancy Baumann
Chair, Past Presidents’ Council
Independent Agent


Nancy’s esteemed career as a title insurance professional began in the mid-1980s when she was employed by Florida Title in St. Petersburg to prepare property profiles.  Within four years she rose from that position to title processor, closer and then office manager.  In 1996, she began her own successful Sun Title Insurance Agency, Inc. also in St. Petersburg.  In 2020, Sun Title was acquired by the law firm of Berlin Patten Ebling where Nancy worked during a short transition period.  Today, mostly retired, Nancy occasionally assists other professionals as a title insurance agency consultant.  Nancy’s title insurance leadership expanded in 2020 when she began as President of the Florida Land Title Association.  In that position, and in other leadership roles in the Association, Nancy has worked with elected and appointed state and local officials on behalf of the title insurance industry and Florida consumers concerning all aspects of title insurance business and regulation.  Nancy’s husband, Phil Baumann, a probate attorney, is also a leader in his industry.  Through him, Nancy has come to know and work with many of the very best real estate attorneys in the state of Florida and has often called upon those expert lawyers in her work for FLTA.  Nancy and Phil, both licensed pilots, have for years been flying their plane to professional association meetings throughout the country.  Nancy supports the MacDonald Training Center, Inc., in its mission to assist persons with disabilities to live the lives that they choose, and the Judeo-Christian Health Clinic, Inc., a free medical clinic for the uninsured working poor staffed by an all-volunteer medical professional.  Nancy is a member of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and is a former member of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis Club of St. Petersburg, and the Pinellas Realtors Organization (PRO).

Cheryl A. Rapoano, CLC
Chair, CLT Institute Council
Southern Title Holding Company, LLC


Cheryl A. Rapoano began her career in the title insurance industry in 1985 and has experience working for both attorney and independent title agencies. She became a Florida Licensed Title Insurance Agent in 1995 and in 2005 achieved the Certified Land Closer (CLC) professional designation. Cheryl joined Southern Title in 1995 and currently serves as the company's Education & Training Manager, Closing Branch Operations, oversees the Builder Division while also acting as the interim manager of the company's Deltona and Daytona Beach - Mainland offices.

Brian Hoffman
Vice Chair, Agents' Section
Carver Darden Koretzky Tessier Finn Blossman & Areaux LLC


 



Brian W. Hoffman is a partner with Carver Darden Law Firm, practicing in the firm’s Pensacola office. Mr. Hoffman is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Real Estate. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration majoring in Finance with high honors from the University of Florida in 2000 and received his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Mississippi in 2002. His practice focuses substantially on real estate litigation and real estate transactions.  Mr. Hoffman is a member of the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar. He is actively involved with several substantive committees within the Section. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of Commercial Real Estate and the Real Property Problems Study Committee, and previously served as Chair of the Title Insurance and Title Insurance Liaison Committee for several years.  Brian and his wife, Stefanie, have three children and reside in Pensacola, Florida.

Andrea Somers
Director
Florida Agency Network




Andrea Somers is the Operations Manager for Florida Agency Network (FAN), a conglomerate of independent title agencies, settlement service providers, and innovative technology companies within the State of Florida. In this role, she is responsible for formulating strategy, providing leadership, oversight, and management of the company’s ancillary divisions. She is a licensed title agent and veteran in the field with over 20 years’ experience. She began her career in 2001 as the National Vendor Manager with a national title company in Clearwater, FL. In this role, she was responsible for managing a nationwide network of title abstractors and mobile closers. She moved into managing the REO closing division for a foreclosure law firm before accepting her current position at FAN in 2015. In 2019, Andrea was awarded the widely recognized CAMS® credential by the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists® (ACAMS®). This designation is awarded to professionals who successfully demonstrate their aptitude and expertise in anti-money laundering detection and enforcement by completing a rigorous examination on terrorist financing methods, best practices, and global key legislation to aid in developing defenses for financial institutions. Andrea is an active member of the Florida Land Title Association, currently serving as Chair of the Cyber Security Committee. In her spare time, she volunteers as a student mentor for Hillsborough Education Foundation. Andrea’s passions include yoga, paddle boarding, kayaking, and spending time outdoors with her family.

Florida Land Title Association is a 501(c)6 not-for-profit organization.

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Mailing Address:
Florida Land Title Association
P.O. Box 66145
St. Pete Beach, FL 33736

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