Pensacola City Attorney

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The Pensacola City Attorney is a staff position of the City of Pensacola appointed by a majority vote of the Pensacola City Council. The City Attorney provides legal counsel for the city's representatives and staff and oversees the rest of the city's legal department, which can include several assistants and a budget for outside counsel.

Requirements to become city attorney include a minimum of five years' experience practicing law in Florida, or at least three years' experience practicing municipal law by an incorporated Florida municipality. Obtaining city residency within six months of employment is also required.[1]

The current Pensacola City Attorney is William D. "Rusty" Wells, a longtime assistant city attorney who was selected abruptly by the City Council on May 8, 2008, foregoing a ranking system that had been established for the hiring process.[2] His base annual salary is $145,000,[3] up from the $131,435 salary of previous City Attorney John Fleming.[4]


References

  1. "City attorney applicants sought." Pensacola News Journal, March 22, 2008.
  2. "Council halts search, hires city attorney." Pensacola News Journal, May 10, 2008.
  3. Wells' employment contract
  4. "Candidate list to be narrowed." Pensacola News Journal, May 6, 2008.