BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — On Sept. 20, the Ocala City Council approved an employment agreement with Will Sexton, who is expected to become the new staff attorney there.
According to the Ocala StarBanner, Sexton is expected to be appointed in October.
The 25-month employment agreement includes a $200,000 annual salary.
The Ocala Gazette reported the city is building a new legal department, bringing the job in house. For more than 30 years, the city has been served by the same outside counsel.
Ocala’s first choice declined when relocating his family became a concern. The Gazette reported Sexton’s wife has ties in Ocala.
While Sexton is tasked with building this new legal department, he won’t be alone. The city’s prior legal representation will remain on retainer, so he will be able to tap into the institutional knowledge. The city contracted with an additional law firm to assist with land use and transactional issues on an as-needed basis.
Sexton will also have a $1 million budget — minus his salary — with which to build the legal department.
Sexton has been Bradford’s first in-house attorney since July 2013. He previously worked with the county as an associate at Terry Brown’s law firm. Last year, the commission appointed him to handle managerial duties in lieu of hiring a new county manager.
Sexton told the commission Sept. 26 that there should be ample time for him to help wind things up, addressing both his departure and the need to find a new auditing firm. The request for qualifications for auditors is on the commission’s next agenda for approval, and Sexton said one firm has already expressed interest.
“’I’m not going to leave the board or the clerk’s office hanging without anyone there whether it’s from a management standpoint or from a legal standpoint,” he said.
The county’s previous auditor, Purvis Grey, walked away at the end of its contract this year, saying it hadn’t been able to find the right person to manage the project since the prior manager retired.
