Candidate: Thomas Wells

Tom Wells is a corporate, tax, transactional and estate planning attorney with the law firm of Wells & Wells, P.A. that he founded in 2008 and is located in Coral Gables. He has resided in Coral Gables since 1994 where he and his wife, Diane, raised their 2 daughters. He graduated from: 

• The Citadel, cum laude, in 1985 in the top 3% and was selected as captain his Junior and Senior Years, named to the  first-team all-conference in soccer his Senior Year and was elected class Vice-President his Junior and Senior Years.

• The University of South Carolina School of Law in 1988 in the top third of his class.

• The Graduate Tax Program at the University of Florida College of Law, LL.M. in Taxation in 1992 where he graduated #2 in his class.

Tom served as an officer in the Ordinance Corp of the United States Army until honorably discharged in 1994 as a First Lieutenant. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a Board-Certified Tax Law Lawyer with The Florida Bar. He was named the Outstanding CPA of the Year for 1999 in Business and Industry in Florida by the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“FICPA”).  He is a past-President of the FICPA’s Miami-Dade Chapter, former member of the FICPA’s Board of Governors and past-President of the Miami Tax Institute. Tom passed all parts of the CPA exam the first time he took it in 1985. He was named Top Dealmaker in 2007 in Real Estate – Retail/Entertainment by American Law Media’s Daily Business Review.

Tom chaired a Florida Bar Grievance Committee which reviewed the conduct of local attorneys under The Florida Bar’s ethical rules. He also served on the Executive Counsel of Tax Section of The Florida Bar as Vice Chair of Partnerships Taxation Subcommittee. He has published numerous articles in The Florida Bar Journal (including most recently in the January/February 2025 edition), spoken nationally on various legal topics and named to multiple lists of top attorneys and lawyers.

As to Coral Gables, he currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Charter Review Committee considering changes to the City’s Charter. He has spoken before the Commission on numerous issues, including (a) urging for completing the City’s renovations of Burger Bob’s which is now Birdie Bistro, (b) supporting the renewal of the City’s lease with Fritz and Franz, and (c) protecting local elections being held in April as has been done for the past 100 years in Coral Gables. He is actively promoting the construction of permanent pickleball courts at the Biltmore Tennis Center. He is a former Senior Warden and member of the Vestry of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. He served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law, Graduate Estate Tax Program, teaching Partnership and Other Pass-Through Entity Taxation.

Tom contributes his time by helping the owner of Birdie Bistro, Rita Tennyson, in restaurant operations on the weekends. For example, he provided ice cream to people who recently attended the 76th Annual Junior Orange Bowl Parade held on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. Tom is a regular playing pickleball on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Youth Center. He recently won the Men's Over 50 Doubles 3.5 Pickleball Tournament held at The Biltmore in October, 2024.