Submitted by Susan Hardee Steger
May 22, 2014 9:22 a.m.
File photo of Jacobs after receiving Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award.
City Attorney Tammi Bach confirmed that local attorney Arthur I. (Buddy) Jacobs has been hired to provide legal counsel to the City of Fernandina Beach for the impact fee lawsuit. Jacobs will support the City’s appeal now before the Supreme Court of Florida on that portion of the lawsuit dealing with bond validation.
According to Bach, she and City Manager Joe Gerrity made the decision to hire Jacobs “due to his extensive experience appearing before the Supreme Court of Florida.” Bach said the $10,000 offered to Jacobs is within the City Manager’s expenditure limits and does not require formal approval by the commission. “At this time, we are not certain what his [Jacob’s] role will be in the case,” said Bach.
Jacobs has served as general counsel for the State Attorneys of Florida since 1971, and has represented the State Attorneys in the U.S. and State Supreme Court, District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Legislature. He also serves as the lobbyist for the City of Fernandina Beach.
On January 2, 2014, former Circuit Court Judge Brian Davis ruled that the City lacked the authority to issue $5,000,000 in refunded bonds secured by the water utility impact fees and that the impact fees do not comply with Florida Law. A decision was made to appeal Davis’ ruling to the Supreme Court of Florida on February 3.
The law firm of Rumberger, Kirk, and Caldwell, wrote on November of 2013 to the city auditor Purvis and Gray, that in a “worst case scenario” and “depending upon the Court’s ruling,” the City could lose “up to 3.6 million.”
Click here for “The $5,000,000 Impact Fee Lawsuit – Day One, by legal analyst Adam Kaufman
Click here for “Impact Fees – A paper napkin calculation? by legal analyst Adam Kaufman”
When does the craziness end. Jacobs is now the third law firm hired after about $600K has already spent for lawyers. No one mentions Jacobs without characterizing him mostly as a lobbyist. What else could he be given that the City already has two law firms working on the case. The case is now before the FL Supreme Court. So what is Jacobs to do; take justices to lunch? If anyone believes that makes a difference we in Florida have even bigger problems than the City’s continuing illegal charging of impact fees. The illegal part has been the decision of the lower court on two occasions now. The County suspended impact fees six years ago. The City tried to increase those fees. Why do we citizens permit City officials to continue to abuse their powers?
Incidentally, isn’t Jacobs the same fellow who persuaded City officials to hire him at $70K/year to get the USPS to transfer the downtown post office to the City. How did that turn out?
Pat Keogh
904.277.6760
[email protected]
FYI – Your figure of $70,000 being paid to Attorney Jacobs for lobbying services for the city is highly inflated. The figure is more like $10,000 per year.
Thanks. Just filed a public records request to get the accurate number.
Received the response to my public records request. Jacobs has been paid $528,390.28 between 2.10.09 and 5.30.14. That seems like a ton of money to me. Do not yet have a specific number yet on what portion of that that was for the PO. But virtually all of his periodic reports mention continuing work on the PO project. I will request individual invoices and report on findings. I’m thinking the exaggeration here may be the co-editor’s $10K estimate.
Pat: That figure is exaggerated because of a previous beach project. Not sure details. It was before my time. You need to separate that project from his lobbying efforts.