Bradenton Beach commissioners voted 4-0 Oct. 23 in favor of Mayor John Chappie’s recommendation to hire Erica Augello and the firm of Trask Daigneault LLP as the city’s interim legal counsel for the next six months.
Commissioner Jan Vosburgh was absent with excuse.
The move follows the Sept. 18 resignation of city attorney Ricinda Perry, who represented Bradenton Beach for more than two decades.
Perry’s dual role as legal counsel and project manager had drawn concern from commissioners, who, following her resignation, said they wanted a separation between legal and management duties going forward.
Even with Perry’s departure, the city continues to feel the weight of her invoices as it transitions to a firm-based legal model. As of Oct. 24, city treasurer Shayne Thompson said Perry had invoiced the city for $177,410 for January-September.
Thompson said the city was reviewing Perry’s invoices.
Under the interim agreement, Augello will serve as lead city attorney for six months to evaluate whether the firm is a good fit.
Augello also is the city attorney for the city of Holmes Beach.
Commissioners voiced support for the hire while noting some concerns.
“I still am not entirely comfortable with Erica because of her role in Holmes Beach,” Commissioner Debbie Scaccianoce said during the meeting.
“But we do have six months to work through this and make sure everything goes smoothly. So I’m definitely open-minded. I know Trask is an outstanding law firm.”
Chappie said, “I’m not overly concerned, but there could be some issues at times. The nice thing about it is we’re very familiar with Rob Eshenfelder, and he’s a great guy — very smart, scary smart. And he has a good track record.”
Augello, a Florida Bar board-certified specialist in city, county and local government law and a Florida Supreme Court certified mediator and the firm offers access to a full team of attorneys with expertise in FEMA compliance, building codes and legislative tracking.
According to the firm’s proposal, Augello will bill the city $285 per hour for legal services.