At today’s City Commission meeting, the Commissioners authorized the City to reimburse Mayor John Dailey for attorney’s fees related to an ethics complaint. Dailey prevailed against an ethics complaint filed against him in June 2020 and is now requesting to be reimbursed for $5,092.10 in legal costs.
The ethics complaint was filed by K. Lennorris Barber and was dismissed by the City of Tallahassee Ethics Board in November 2020. Dailey prevailed on every aspect of the complaint that was brought against him. He was represented by Ron Meyer and his firm.
City Commission Policy 103 states that the City shall reimburse public officials for reasonable attorney’s fees and costs that have incurred when they successfully prevail in ethics complaints that arise out of their City employment.
City Attorney Cassandra K. Jackson found that the average hourly rate for attorneys in Tallahassee with similar experience and representation as Dailey’s attorney is $400 per hour. Jackson also determined that the attorney’s time spent on Mayor Dailey’s defense, 14.4 hours, was necessary and reasonable.
The City will reimburse Dailey a total of $5,092.10 from the Risk Management Claims Fund.
What was the complaint? Since it's taxpayer money they're giving to Fred we should know what happened. Don't you think?
What was the ethics complaint?
What was the ethics complaint?
This is being used as deterrent to stop citizens from filing... wow ?
The city commission policy on which the city attorney incorrectly relies, authorizes reimbursement only in cases brought by the Florida Commission on Ethics. The policy does not address or authorize reimbursement for complaints brought by the Tallahassee Independent Ethics Board. The board did not exist at the time of the adoption of the policy.
The city policy grants no authority to reimburse legal fees paid in the successful defense of a city ethics complaint.