Sarasota paralegal Michael Barfield hopes his civil lawsuit against three Manatee County commissioners was a learning experience for the defendants.
Six months after suing County Commissioners James Satcher, Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Vanessa Baugh Dec. 7, 2020, for allegedly violating the Florida Public Records Act, the final defendant — Baugh — agreed to settle June 18 for $4,319.
The agreement states, “Without admitting any liability, the parties recognize that it is in the parties’ best interest to settle the action and all claims between them” to avoid “greater future costs.”
Barfield’s lawsuit initially pegged Satcher as the lone defendant, then Baugh and Van Ostenbridge were added as co-defendants.
The lawsuit claimed the defendants failed to comply with Barfield’s public records requests asking for communications between the trio from the Nov. 3 election date through when he submitted the requests Nov. 20, 2020.
The requests came a day after Van Ostenbridge moved to schedule a discussion about terminating the county administrator, Cheri Coryea, during a Nov. 19, 2020, special meeting without advance notice — an action that Commissioners Reggie Bellamy and Carol Whitmore called “premeditated” and “orchestrated.”
Van Ostenbridge’s efforts prevailed in February, when Coryea and the county reached a separation agreement ending her tenure and awarding her $204,000 in compensation.
Satcher and Van Ostenbridge agreed in April to settle with Barfield, collectively paying the paralegal $6,000.
County commissioners unanimously voted in May to reimburse Satcher and Van Ostenbridge $56,000 to cover their legal fees and settlement costs.
Baugh may seek similar taxpayer-funded reimbursement when the board reconvenes July 27.
Barfield’s litigation against Baugh was partially focused on a resolution she presented Nov. 19, 2020 — the day Van Ostenbridge motioned to discuss terminating Coryea — without notice.
The resolution, which involves meeting protocols and commission actions in certain meetings, passed on a 4-3 vote but weeks after was unanimously rescinded.
Baugh originally claimed she wrote the resolution but, during her deposition for the case, she said she received the resolution during a random encounter with someone in the lobby of the county administrative building before a meeting.
She claimed she had no communication with the person before or after the encounter and refused to name the author.
Barfield said he hoped county voters would remember Baugh’s deception in future elections.
“I think it’s important to the public that they know who is drafting resolutions,” Barfield said. “They would be astounded to think that a random person in the lobby of the county administration building is passing out resolutions and the next day it’s introduced and made law in the county — and then to lie about it.”
However, even if his lawsuit doesn’t sway voters, Barfield says legal actions such as his play an important part in holding public officials accountable.
The settlement comes after Barfield’s criminal complaint — alleging Baugh’s actions in creating a VIP list for a pop-up vaccine clinic violated state law — was dismissed June 22 by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s special investigations division.
However, the criminal complaint was not the last measure seeking accountability for Baugh’s VIP vaccine controversy. A complaint about the commissioner’s actions had yet to be heard by the Florida Commission on Ethics as of July 9.
Baugh, who was reelected as commissioner in 2020, would be up for reelection in 2024.