Erik J. Arroyo, Esq.

About Erik

Erik J. Arroyo advises financial institutions, closely held businesses, entrepreneurs, fiduciaries,

private foundations, and high-net-worth individuals and families on sophisticated legal and

business matters.

Erik counsels individuals and families on advanced estate planning and wealth-transfer strategies. His practice includes the preparation of wills and trusts, tax-sensitive estate and gift planning, asset-protection planning, charitable planning, business succession, and the preservation and multigenerational transfer of family wealth. He regularly advises trustees, beneficiaries, and family offices concerning trust administration, fiduciary duties, governance, and complex distribution matters. Erik also serves as an independent trustee and fiduciary, bringing legal judgment, practical business experience, and institutional discipline to the administration of substantial trusts and family wealth structures.

Erik maintains a substantial banking and finance practice, serving as lender’s counsel to numerous banks and other institutional and private lenders in connection with commercial real estate financings, business and asset-based loans, refinancings, loan modifications, and other secured credit transactions. His representation encompasses transaction structuring, due diligence, collateral and guaranty analysis, loan documentation, and closing.

His corporate practice includes entity formation and governance, capital and organizational structures, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, equity-owner arrangements, business succession planning, and other strategic transactions. Erik represents businesses across a range of industries, with particular experience advising distillers and participants in the alcohol and beverage industry on corporate, transactional, governance, and regulatory matters.

A significant portion of Erik’s practice is devoted to private foundations and charitable organizations. He advises founders, directors, and fiduciaries on formation, governance, grantmaking, regulatory compliance, succession, and the responsible stewardship of charitable assets. His experience allows him to address the often-interrelated legal, tax, governance, and family considerations that arise in sophisticated philanthropic planning.

Before returning his focus to private practice, Erik served as Mayor of the City of Sarasota. His public service and executive leadership experience inform his practical approach to governance, organizational decision-making, strategic planning, and risk management. He has also received advanced training in board governance and frequently speaks on leadership, governance, organizational growth, and corporate management.

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised by a single mother, Erik came to the United States as a teenager and attended Riverview High School, where he met his wife, Victoria. He became the first member of his family to graduate from high school. His personal history continues to shape his commitment to service, opportunity, and the Sarasota community.

Erik and Victoria, a history teacher at Sarasota High School, live in Sarasota with their two children, Ava and Max.

Education

Florida A&M University College of Law, Juris Doctor
University of Florida, Bachelor in Political Science, Communications
State College of Florida, Associate’s Degree

Current & Past Professional Memberships

and Community Involvement

Mayor, City of Sarasota
City Commissioner & Vice Mayor, City of Sarasota
Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota, Board Member
Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, Board Member
Metropolitan Planning Organization, Board Member
Seacoast Bank, Sarasota Board Member
BBVA Bank, Advisory Board Member (2019-2021)
Sarasota Sheriff Advisory Board
Gulf Coast Community Foundation

Board Institute Graduate

Sarasota Community Foundation

Scholarship Committee (and former recipient)

Sarasota YMCA, Board Member (Former – largest nonprofit charity in Sarasota, I assisted with the transition into the Safe Children’s Coalition)

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sarasota, Board Member and Big Brother (2019-2021)
University of Florida Alumni Association of Sarasota (Sarasota Gator Club), President (2015-2020)
Sarasota Bar Association, Member (2016-Present)