By Tom McLaughlin | 315-4435 | @TomMnwfdn | tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS - Three of five Walton County commissioners voted Tuesday to take the advice of their attorney and pay $175,000 in attorneys' fees to citizen activist Suzanne Harris.
Commission Chairwoman Cecilia Jones, however, voted against accepting the terms, and was later chewed out by Harris for trying to extend a legal battle Harris claims has cost the county $700,000.
"I told Cecilia after the vote was over that (attorney) Mark Davis told you it would cost you more money to continue this case. His recommendation was to settle and you voted against that with no regard to what's good for the county. "I said, 'You are spending what I call other peoples' money,'" Harris said after the meeting.
Commissioners Tony Anderson, Bill Chapman and Melanie Nipper voted to take Davis' recommendation and agree to pay the attorneys' fees. Commissioner Sara Comander was not present at the meeting.
Jones did not return phone calls and replied to questions via email. She declined twice to specify her reasons for casting a no vote.
"My vote today is consistent with the vote I made earlier this year to appeal the judge's ruling in this case," her email said.
Two people present at Tuesday meeting's said Jones had told Harris she voted against the settlement because she wanted a judge to hear testimony on the issue. Technical problems prevented a videotape of the meeting from being available for review, county spokesman Louis Svehla confirmed.
A judge issued an order Dec. 12 that ratified a negotiated settlement between attorneys for the county and Harris' attorney, Matt Gaetz.
It stated the county would pay Harris $175,000 to cover legal costs incurred since 2011 in a lawsuit in which she alleged the County Commission had violated the Florida Sunshine Law by retaining an attorney, George Ralph Miller, outside of a public meeting.
Santa Rosa County Circuit Judge John Simon granted a motion for summary judgment on Harris' behalf in October of 2015. The county then opted to fight a request that it pay attorneys' fees. That battle ended with the Dec. 12 agreement.
Tuesday's vote brought to a close the third of three lawsuits Harris has filed against Walton County alleging Sunshine Law violations. She has prevailed in all three cases.
Harris took issue with Jones's vote during the time set aside at each commission meeting for public comment. She said she faulted her willingness to "spend other peoples' money" and also reminded Jones that it was the county's attorneys who opened the negotiations that eventually led to the fee settlement.
Gaetz, who was elected to Congress in November, has represented Harris in all of her lawsuits against the county. He said if other county commissioners had joined Jones in opposing the awarding of attorneys fees, his client and the county would have found themselves back in court.
"They (the county) lost on summary judgment. The (Dec. 12) hearing was to determine payment," he said. "If the commission had voted to reject I would have gone back and gotten more (money). The meter would have kept running."
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS - Three of five Walton County commissioners voted Tuesday to take the advice of their attorney and pay $175,000 in attorneys' fees to citizen activist Suzanne Harris.
Commission Chairwoman Cecilia Jones, however, voted against accepting the terms, and was later chewed out by Harris for trying to extend a legal battle Harris claims has cost the county $700,000.
"I told Cecilia after the vote was over that (attorney) Mark Davis told you it would cost you more money to continue this case. His recommendation was to settle and you voted against that with no regard to what's good for the county. "I said, 'You are spending what I call other peoples' money,'" Harris said after the meeting.
Commissioners Tony Anderson, Bill Chapman and Melanie Nipper voted to take Davis' recommendation and agree to pay the attorneys' fees. Commissioner Sara Comander was not present at the meeting.
Jones did not return phone calls and replied to questions via email. She declined twice to specify her reasons for casting a no vote.
"My vote today is consistent with the vote I made earlier this year to appeal the judge's ruling in this case," her email said.
Two people present at Tuesday meeting's said Jones had told Harris she voted against the settlement because she wanted a judge to hear testimony on the issue. Technical problems prevented a videotape of the meeting from being available for review, county spokesman Louis Svehla confirmed.
A judge issued an order Dec. 12 that ratified a negotiated settlement between attorneys for the county and Harris' attorney, Matt Gaetz.
It stated the county would pay Harris $175,000 to cover legal costs incurred since 2011 in a lawsuit in which she alleged the County Commission had violated the Florida Sunshine Law by retaining an attorney, George Ralph Miller, outside of a public meeting.
Santa Rosa County Circuit Judge John Simon granted a motion for summary judgment on Harris' behalf in October of 2015. The county then opted to fight a request that it pay attorneys' fees. That battle ended with the Dec. 12 agreement.
Tuesday's vote brought to a close the third of three lawsuits Harris has filed against Walton County alleging Sunshine Law violations. She has prevailed in all three cases.
Harris took issue with Jones's vote during the time set aside at each commission meeting for public comment. She said she faulted her willingness to "spend other peoples' money" and also reminded Jones that it was the county's attorneys who opened the negotiations that eventually led to the fee settlement.
Gaetz, who was elected to Congress in November, has represented Harris in all of her lawsuits against the county. He said if other county commissioners had joined Jones in opposing the awarding of attorneys fees, his client and the county would have found themselves back in court.
"They (the county) lost on summary judgment. The (Dec. 12) hearing was to determine payment," he said. "If the commission had voted to reject I would have gone back and gotten more (money). The meter would have kept running."
