Florida Taxpayers have incurred $900,000.00 in Attorney's Fees, whether they know it or not. These are their fees for defending frivolous laws, over $640,000.00 billed by foreign law firms located outside of Florida, for defending such as:
- Mandatory drug testing of people who apply for welfare.
- Mandatory payment in 2012 by certain Florida public employees who previously contracted for lower rates of pay in exchange for the State contributing to their retirement.
- "Docs v. Glocks": Enough said.
- Prison privatization. In this lawsuit, even the State agency responsible declined to appeal an adverse ruling from a Florida Circuit Court Judge. However, Florida Attorney General Pamela Bondi tried to take an appeal without a client. Predictably, the appellate court took note and dismissed Bondi's attempted appeal.
- Voting repression. This case involves a Washington, D.C. law firm which was hired to defend the State of Florida. At least the lawsuit is pending in D.C. That may explain why the foreign law firm has been retained and why it has billed so much more time than Ms. Bondi's office.
- Teacher contracts and evaluations laws eliminating long-term contracts for teachers and instituting evaluations based not on peer review but instead on how well students perform on Statewide exams written by the Department of Education in Tallahassee.
- Finally, the attack on the Affordable Care Act (1) individual mandate and (2) Medicaid Expansion. The individual mandate was upheld; Ms. Bondi lost. To her credit, Ms. Bondi's office was one of many law firms and offices of record who helped to secure a decision which left the Medicaid Expansion intact but changed it from being mandatory to becoming voluntary. This result allegedly on behalf of Florida, a State where vast numbers of people will benefit from the Medicaid Expansion -- if it is followed, which the political leaders in Tallahassee have issued press releases that it will not be followed, voluntarily.
Once again, the total attorney's fees bill for all this frivolous legal action and omission is $900,000. Over $640,000 of that amount has been billed by foreign, non-Florida law firms although Florida has an Attorney General who is elected to perform exactly these legal services. All of that amount has been incurred on behalf of, and must be paid by the Florida Taxpayers. See Kathleen Haughney, "Legal Bills to Defend New Laws Hit $900 K," p. A1, col. 5 (Orlando Sentinel, Monday, July 30, 2012).
There ought to be a law against these practices. For Florida's Attorney General, in Good Faith there ought to be the practice of law, not the privatization of law.
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