AGAdministrative & Government

Government is a party like any other. It simply keeps better records and follows different rules.

The approach

What this department is, and who calls on it.

The department handles disputes with agencies and units of government: licensing and permitting, regulatory investigations and enforcement, public records and Sunshine Law, municipal and local government matters, and government contracting including bid protests.

Administrative matters are won on procedure far more often than on the merits. Deadlines are short, the record closes early, and the right to a hearing is frequently waived by inattention rather than by decision. The first week of an agency matter is worth the following six months.

Major areas within the department

5 areas within the department.

Licensing & Permitting

Professional and business licence applications, renewals and disputes before the agency that issues them.

Licensing/Permitting
Regulatory Enforcement

Defending an agency investigation or an administrative enforcement action from the first notice through any hearing.

Regulatory Enforcement
Open Government

Public records requests and Sunshine Law compliance and disputes, for requesters and agencies alike.

Public Records/Sunshine
Local & Contract Government Matters

Municipal and county disputes, code enforcement, and government contracting, including bid protests over a public procurement.

Municipal/Local GovernmentGovernment Contracts

From the journal

Writing that touches this department.

Resources

If you are looking into this on your own.

Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Law — Fla. Stat. § 286.011
Florida’s Public Records Act — Fla. Stat. ch. 119

Representative matters

A sample of the work.

Details are altered to preserve confidentiality.

01Defence of a professional licensee before a state board following an administrative complaint
02Bid protest challenging an award on evaluation-criteria grounds
03Public records action compelling production by a municipal agency
04Code enforcement appeal resolved by a negotiated compliance schedule

Questions

What clients actually ask.

How quickly must I respond to an agency notice?

Usually within twenty-one days, and sometimes far less. The deadline stated in the notice is real and is rarely extended.

Can I challenge a permit denial?

Yes, but the route matters. An administrative hearing, a local appeal and circuit court review are different proceedings, with different records and different standards.

Are all government records public in Florida?

Most are. The exemptions are statutory, specific, and narrower than agencies commonly assert.

Related

Matters rarely arrive alone.

Discuss a government matter.

The first conversation costs nothing, and commits you to nothing.