Gunster is proud to be a sponsor of the 2026 Florida Tax Institute Annual Conference. The three-day Institute features programming delivered by nationally recognized speakers devoted to individual income tax, entity tax, and estate/gift tax. It is designed to be practical, informative, engaging, and innovative.
The Institute draws attorneys, accountants, trust officers, estate planners, insurance and financial planners, appraisers, and planned giving professionals from across Florida and the United States. Gunster's George S. LeMieux, Gregg Polsky and Matthew Scheer will both be speaking at the event.
Meet Our Speakers:
George S. LeMieux2026 Macro Outlook & Florida Economic Trends | Thursday, April 9 | 12:25 pm - 1:25 pm | This presentation features a conversation between Gerard Nout and Senator LeMieux integrating Bessemer’s 2026 macro outlook with Florida’s evolving economic landscape. The discussion explores resilient growth, earnings expansion, policy trends, valuations, and private market momentum, and connects those themes to Florida’s population gains, income migration, corporate relocations, and expanding finance and technology ecosystem. Together, the conversation highlights how broader macroeconomic forces are increasingly concentrated in Florida, positioning the state as a structural beneficiary of sustained growth and long-term capital formation.
Gregg D. PolskyThe Qualified Small Business Stock Exclusion | Thursday, April 9 | 1:30 - 2:30 pm | This presentation will discuss section 1202, which excludes from gross income certain gains from the sale of qualified small business stock. Besides describing the technical rules, including important changes in the 2025 tax legislation, the presentation will discuss planning opportunities and traps for the unwary.
Taxable & Tax-Free Mergers and Acquisitions | Thursday, April 9 | 4:05 - 5:05 pm |This presentation will discuss the tax consequences of corporate mergers and acquisitions. It will cover taxable deals and tax-free reorganizations, as well as other common reorganization-like structures.
Matthew J. ScheerFamily Office Structuring: Overview of Different Models & Their Tax and Non-tax Considerations (speaking alongside Benetta Y. Park) | Friday, April 10 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm | What is a family office? What kind of family office does a client need? This presentation will provide an overview of various family office structures and the tax and non-tax considerations for each one.
