Board Extends Law Firm

PALMETTO -- One thing that seemed to slip through the cracks in Monday night’s city commission meeting was the board’s unanimous decision to extend Kirk Pinkerton as the law firm hired for city attorney at the bargain rate of $18,333 dollars a month or $220,000 a year.

Item number 13 on the agenda didn’t seem to have any background information like all the others and barely initiated any board discussion, but Alan Clark, who’s running for Palmetto City Commissioner of Ward 3 raised eyebrows at the selection, calling it a questionable practice.

”They just created a two year non-competitive contract. There was no proof that this was a competitive bid–they basically let the incumbent stay in office by changing the action request and letting the contract go. None of that seems to be within normal city practice,“ he said. ”This really stunned me.“

Mayor Shirley Bryant had originally set the contract to be in effect for one year, from November 1, 2010 to October 31, 2011 but City Commissioner Brian Williams extended it to January 1, 2013 before the board voted.

”I did that to lock in the dollar amount, otherwise he can raise his rates,“ he said.

Kirk Pinkerton is a private law firm that specializes in land use and local government law. Mark P. Barnebey, the Palmetto City attorney, works for this law firm. He practices before municipal and county commissions, planning and zoning boards, local boards of adjustment and zoning appeals boards as well as development review committees.

”It is really up to the Mayor,“ said Williams. ”She has the authority to make the appointment and we vote on whether to ratify her decision.“

The firm gained prosperity when it was hired as personal representative to handle the John Ringling’s estate for his nephew after the former’s death. Since then, they have expanded into two counties

Barnebey was born in Bradenton, Florida. He attended Florida State University, where he received his Bachelor's in Finance. He received his Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning and his Juris Doctorate from Florida State University College of Law.