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Board approves County Attorney contract with Richard Komando amid debate over office management
Summary
By a 3-2 vote, the board approved terms of an Agreement for Legal Services selecting Richard Komando to serve as County Attorney, including language around managing the County Attorney’s Office; dissenters raised concerns about firm management of county employees.
The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners approved the terms of an Agreement for Legal Services on April 15, appointing Richard Komando (Bradley, Garrison & Komando, P.A.) to serve as County Attorney and adding language about his responsibility to manage the County Attorney’s Office. The motion passed 3-2 after debate about the legal and managerial structure of the arrangement.
Commissioner Clay Murphy presented the background that the board had selected Komando on March 25 and authorized contract negotiations. Discussion at the April 15 meeting focused on whether a private firm could legally manage county-hired office staff and how the arrangement compared with county law governing the County Attorney position. Kealey West referenced a county ordinance describing the County Attorney’s duties and selection responsibilities.
Public commenters expressed both support and opposition. Supporters said Komando provided stable leadership during a challenging period; opponents raised concerns about conflict of interest, salary, and whether a firm should manage county employees.
The final motion to approve the contract, with the suggested amendment to add verbiage that the County Attorney has responsibility to run and manage the office, was moved by Commissioner Sarah Arnold and seconded by Commissioner Christian Whitehurst. The board recorded the vote as: Yea — Arnold, Whitehurst, Murphy; Nay — Joseph, Taylor. The clerk noted the motion carried 3-2.
Chair Krista Joseph stated she was uncomfortable signing a contract that involved a firm managing county employees and asked whether she could be held personally liable; counsel responded that the Vice Chair may be designated to sign if needed. No subsequent vote to change signing authority was recorded.
The action authorizes county staff to proceed with executing the Agreement for Legal Services consistent with the approved terms and amendment; the transcript does not record additional administrative steps or a finalized contract text in the public record at the meeting.
