Steven W. Vazquez

Steven Vazquez is a corporate lawyer focusing on mergers & acquisitions, securities, and information technology transactions, primarily within the Health Care & Life Sciences and Innovative Technology sectors. He is best known for his ability to manage complex corporate finance deals for payors and providers across the health care industry. Clients share insight into Steven’s edge in mergers & acquisitions: “…he is a sophisticated lawyer… keeps the bigger picture in mind and has all the technical skills you need to be a good M&A lawyer.” Steven is chair of Foley & Lardner’s national Business Law practice and a member of the firm’s Transactional & Securities and Private Equity & Venture Capital practices.

Immersed in middle market deals, Steven counsels private equity groups as they buy and sell assets and advises public companies on securities matters. His experience includes representing issuers and underwriters in initial public offerings and follow-on offerings. With deep and practical knowledge of business and legal principals, public and private companies rely on Steven’s counsel as they undergo mergers and acquisitions. In addition to managing these transactions, clients call upon him to advise their boards of directors and special committees of independent directors on corporate governance matters, change in control issues, and anti-takeover  strategies.

Based in the firm’s Tampa office, Steven is a former member of Foley & Lardner’s Management Committee.

Representative Experience

Sell-Side Transactions on Behalf of Family-Owned Businesses

• Represented Meridian, a family-owned business, in its $2.5 billion sale of Meridian Health Plan of Michigan, Meridian Health Plan of Illinois and MeridianRx to WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
• Represented Lee Container, a family-owned business, in its sale to Greif.
• Represented Dex Imaging, a family-owned business, in its sale to Staples.
• Represented Cox Lumber, a family-owned business, in its sale to Home Depot.
• Represented Freedom Health Care and Optimum Health Care, a family-owned business, in its sale to Anthem.
• Represented WellCare Health Plans, a family-owned business, in its sale to a private equity firm.
• Represented MMM Healthcare, a family-owned business, in its sale to a private equity firm that we then represented in several other acquisitions.
• Represented Gardner-Gibson, a family-owned business, in its sale to a private equity firm.

Mergers and Acquisitions Matters 

• Represented Care1st Health Plan, a California Medi-Cal and Medicare managed care plan owned by providers, in its $1.2 billion sale to Blue Shield of California.
• Represented Select Medical, a publicly held long-term acute care provider, in its $2.3 billion leveraged buyout transaction.
• Represented Maxim Healthcare Services in several M&A transactions, including its proposed $1.2 billion sale to Aveanna Healthcare.
• Represented Redwood Capital Investments, LLC, in several transactions, including, its acquisition of Tampa-based Pepin Distributing, and Ohio-based Heidelberg Distributing.
• Represented Dream Finder Homes Inc. in several transactions, including its acquisition of McGuyer Homebuilders Inc., for $471 million.
• Represented Jet Sports Management in its sale to Wasserman Agency.
• Represented publicly held Sykes Enterprises and FARO Technologies in several public offerings and strategic acquisitions.
• Represented publicly held Pulte Homes in its acquisition of Innovative Construction Group.
• Represented Gardner-Gibson in its sale to Innovative Chemical Products, an Audax Private Equity portfolio company.
• Represented Health Care Service Corporation, the country's largest customer-owned health insurer, in the purchase of Trustmark Health Benefits, a leading administrator of self-funded employer health plans.
• Represented RV Retailer, LLC, a leading recreational vehicle retail company, in its acquisition of three Cousins RV locations in Colorado Springs. The transaction was structured as an asset purchase.

Recognition

• The Best Lawyers in America^©
  • Securities/Capital Markets Law (2007-2024)
  • Mergers & Acquisitions Law (2007-2024)
  • Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law (2013-2024)
  • Corporate Governance Law (2014-2024)
  • Venture Capital Law (2016-2024)
• Best Lawyers^®, "Lawyer of the Year" in Tampa
  • Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law (2024)
  • Corporate Governance Law (2022)
  • Mergers and Acquisitions (2021)
  • Securities/Capital Markets Law (2020)
• Florida Super Lawyers^® for Securities & Corporate Finance

• Florida Trend magazine's Florida Legal Elite™ for corporate law

• Chambers USA, corporate, mergers and acquisitions and private equity (2008-2023)

Education

• University of Florida College of Law, J.D.
  • Order of the Coif
  • Associate Editor, Florida Law Review
    
  • Associate Editor, Florida Tax Review
• Florida State University, B.S., Finance

Admissions

• Florida