Steven W. Vazquez

Steven Vazquez is a corporate lawyer focusing on mergers & acquisitions, securities, information technology transactions, primarily within the Healthcare and 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 healthcare 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

Health Care Industry Experience

• 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 Meridian 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 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 America’s 1st Choice, the holding company for Freedom Health and Optimum Health, Medicare Advantage plans, in its sale to Anthem.
• Represented WellCare Health Plans, Inc. in several acquisitions and in its sale to a NY investment group led by George Soros.
• Represented Easy Choice Health Plan, Inc., a Medicare Advantage Plan, in its acquisition and subsequent sale to WellCare Health Plans, Inc. 
• Represented MMM Healthcare, at the time the largest Medicare Advantage and Medical Plan in Puerto Rico, in its sale to the Straus Group.
• Represented MMM Healthcare in its acquisition of Preferred Medicare Choice, a Puerto Rico-based Medicare Advantage health plan.
• 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 GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation, the parent to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, in several transactions, including its acquisition of WebTPA, a leading administrator of self-funded employer health plans, and its acquisition of Onlife Health Inc., a digital behavioral health company, from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Inc. and Cambia Health Solutions Inc.
• Represented New Directions Behavioral Health in its acquisition of Tridiuum, a digital behavioral health company. 
• Represented Avera Health in the sale of its national telemedicine subsidiary, Avera eCARE, to Aquiline Capital Partners.
• Represented MD Now Medical Centers, a leading provider of urgent care medical services, in various transactions from inception to its ultimate sale to a private equity firm.
• Represented MedHOK, a leading provider of healthcare technology compliance services, from inception, through various rounds of equity financing, to its ultimate sale to Hearst Healthcare. 
• Represented MDLIVE, a leading telehealth provider of online and on-demand healthcare delivery services and software, in various equity financings and M&A transactions.
• Represented Radiology Associates of South Florida in its sale to MedNax, a publicly held physician’s practice management company, in the country’s first sale of a radiology practice.
  
   

Additional M&A Experience

• 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 Product’s, an Audax Private Equity portfolio company.
  
   

Recognition

• The Best Lawyers in America^©
  • Securities/Capital Markets Law (2007-2023)Mergers & Acquisitions Law (2007-2023)
  • Mergers & Acquisitions Law (2007-2022)
  • Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law (2013-2023)
  • Corporate Governance Law (2014-2023)
  • Venture Capital Law (2016-2023)
• Best Lawyers^®, "Lawyer of the Year" in Tampa
  • 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 (2008-2021)

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