Town approves 50% compensation increase for Vose Law Firm
The Town of Fort Myers Beach Council unanimously approved increasing the amount of the town’s contract with Vose Law Firm from $25,000 a month to $37,500 a month during Monday’s council meeting.
The contract will increase the annual contract for the law firm by 50% from $300,000 to $450,000.
Fort Myers Beach Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt said he fully supported the new contract.
“It’s difficult for the public to see what we see behind the scenes,” Atterholt said. “Not only have they more than covered their fees in terms of various litigation they have been involved in on behalf of the town. I think what the public doesn’t see is their dedication to Fort Myers Beach.”
Mayor Dan Allers said he supported the increase in the contract for Vose Law Firm, citing the amount of time the firm has spent on “unwinding contracts” and handling mediation matters.
“You get what you pay for,” Councilman Scott Safford said. “I think what we are getting is a Ferrari.” Safford said “I think it’s money well spent.”
Councilman John King said he had no questions about the increase in the contract and said he can’t thank the firm enough for their work. Addressing the town’s legal representation directly, King said “It’s very apparent to me how important this is to you as much so, if not more so, than we sitting here ourselves.”
Vose Law Firm partner Becky Vose said “I couldn’t ask for a better town council to work with.” Vose said she and law firm partner Nancy Stuparich have to “pinch ourselves that we are the town attorney here.”
Vose requested the increase in the firm’s contract in a July letter to the town council in which she cited an increased workload for the firm based on litigation and staff turnover, among other town issues.
When her firm was hired, Vose cited their flat rate for services as one of the advantages for a municipality to hire them since they don’t charge extra for handling litigation. The firm has deferred though, to the attorneys representing Seagate Development Group, in the response to the lawsuit over the Seagate Development Group. In the recall election facing King and Council member Karen Woodson, the town council has voted to authorize compensating King and Woodson for their outside attorney fees to defend against the recall. King and Woodson have filed a court challenge to stop the recall through the use of a Sarasota-based law firm, which the town is paying for.
The Vose Law Firm was chosen in 2023 by the town council to replace Fox Rothschild LLP. The firm was chosen by the town council after former town managers Chris Holley and Keith Wilkins secured the services of the law firm of Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson for $25,000 to review the credentials of the law firms seeking to provide the town legal counsel after the town sought proposals from law firms to represent the town. The only two firms that applied were Fox Rothschild LLP, represented by former town attorney John Herin Jr., and Vose Law Firm. King and Councilwoman Karen Woodson sought to hire the firm of Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson to be the town’s attorney to replace Herin despite a request for propsoals process already in place to secure the town’s new legal representation. That was the second failed attempt by King and Woodson to replace the town’s legal counsel, following an earlier attempt in January in which King and Woodson both reached out to a Fort Myers law firm to represent the town. The firm of Boy Agnew Potonovic Miller then sent a letter to the town offering their services though ultimately pulled back their offer. Former Fort Myers Beach Councilman Bill Veach objected at the time to the move by saying King and Woodson’s attempt to hire that law firm violated the town’s policies and procedures, a charge that is now one of three allegations King and Woodson are facing in their Nov. 4 recall.
A poll running on the Fort Myers Beach Observer website found 100% of respondents opposed to the compensation increase for the Vose Law Firm.