The purpose of this summary provided by the Communications Department of The Florida Bar is to present media coverage that may be of interest to members. Opinions expressed in the articles are attributable solely to the authors. The Florida Bar does not adopt or endorse any opinions expressed below. For information on previous articles, please contact the publishing newspaper directly.
September 02, 2025
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The Florida Bar
NOTA, THE FLORIDA BAR-BACKED TOOL EASES TRUST ACCOUNTING BURDENS FOR SOLO AND SMALL FIRMS
The Florida Bar | Article | September 02, 2025
Hundreds of Florida lawyers are embracing Nota, a free, trust-accounting solution that helps ensure compliance with Bar rules while easing some of the drudgery of modern legal practice. Robert Becerra, a Coral Gables international trade lawyer, is one of 1,157 Florida Bar members who integrated the platform into their practice in the past few years. Becerra says Nota eliminated a nagging concern. “Nota has helped me with my trust account fears by making tracking funds to clients easy, sending reminders if anything is out of balance or any amount is not properly attributed to a client, and makes reconciliation automatic and easy.” Designed in close consultation with The Florida Bar, the financial platform was customized to help solo and small law firms in Florida manage trust accounts and better adhere to accounting requirements. Former President Scott Westheimer, a small-firm Sarasota lawyer, made the development of a simplified, seamless, and efficient trust accounting platform a priority in his presidential year.
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The Florida Bar
MICHAEL FOX ORR, LAWSIKIA HODGES APPOINTED TO FLORIDA BAR COMMITTEE
Jacksonville Daily Record | Article | September 02, 2025
Michael Fox Orr and Lawsikia Hodges were appointed by Florida Bar President Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes to the Special Committee on the Sustainability Initiative for Attorneys. Orr, Florida Bar president-elect, is co-chair of the committee. He is the managing partner of Orr | Cook and a former Jacksonville Bar Association president. Hodges leads the governmental affairs practice at Smith, Gambrell & Russell’s Jacksonville office. She is a member and former chair of The Florida Bar City, County and Local Government Board Certification Committee. Assistant State Attorney in the 7th Judicial Circuit Sarah Elizabeth Thomas and Whitney Carson Harper, co-founder of Advos Legal in Ponte Vedra Beach, also are members of the committee. The special committee is assessing the current state of legal career sustainability in Florida, identifying emerging trends and challenges legal professionals face, and will recommend best practices to support sustainable careers.
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Legal Discipline
DAYTONA BEACH ATTORNEY SUSPENDED AFTER SENDING 'SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE' MESSAGES TO CLIENT
Daytona Beach News-Journal | Article | August 29, 2025
The Florida Supreme Court has suspended Daytona Beach attorney Kevin T. Vagovic for two years for misconduct, including sending sexually suggestive Facebook messages and texts to a client, according to a report and court records. Vagovic also failed to show in person for a trial in a separate case as required by the court, according to The Florida Bar. In addition to the suspension, Vagovic must complete an Ethics School and Professionalism workshop. His suspension takes effect immediately. In one case, he was hired to represent a mother and her adult daughter in a real property dispute. But Vagovic “undermined their confidence in his representation by sending unsolicited sexually suggestive messages" to the daughter, according to the report from the referee, and then failing to appear for a hearing in the case. In the other case, Vagovic failed to show for a hearing having to do with an unlawful detainer case.
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Judicial Discipline
BROWARD JUDGE TO FACE DISCIPLINE FOR SERVING AS FRIEND’S LAWYER
Sun Sentinel | Article | September 01, 2025
Broward County Judge Woody Clermont is facing a reprimand for stepping down from the bench to head for another judge’s courtroom, where he acted as a lawyer for a female friend facing a domestic violence charge. Clermont, who was first elected to the bench last year, appeared on April 11 in first appearance court on behalf of a “personal friend” who had been arrested and was set to appear in front of the judge on duty. According to the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC), which polices allegations of judicial misconduct, Clermont identified himself as a judge when he entered the courtroom, then stepped up to talk to prosecutors about his friend’s case. Clermont then walked up to the courtroom podium when his friend’s case was called and announced he was serving as her lawyer. Clermont handles civil cases and does not interact with the Broward State Attorney’s Office in a professional capacity.
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Criminal Justice Issues
BAIL OR BUST: FLORIDA STANDS ALONE IN TAKING FINES FROM THOSE WHO HELP DEFENDANTS POST BOND
Florida Politics | Article | September 01, 2025
Florida is the only U.S. state that requires local governments to take money from organizations and individuals who post bail for another person to cover the defendant’s debt. State law mandates that county clerks must seize bail money that’s usually returned to pay for defendants’ fines and fees, regardless of who paid. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit recently heard oral arguments on the issue after Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued an injunction preventing enforcement of the state statute in question. The case stems from a 2022 lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (ACLU) against Leon County Clerk Gwen Marshall on behalf of the local Tallahassee Bail Fund nonprofit. The ACLU alleges that Florida’s bail system violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on excessive bail and punishment, since it drains funds from innocent third parties rather than defendants.
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Criminal Justice
DESANTIS SIGNS DEATH WARRANT FOR MAN IN 1990 MURDER OF MARRIED COUPLE
Associated Press | Article | August 29, 2025
Victor Tony Jones, a Florida man who fatally stabbed a married couple during a robbery, is set to be executed Sept. 30 under a death warrant signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The state already has put to death more people this year than ever before since the death penalty was restored nearly 50 years ago. Jones would be the state’s 13th execution scheduled for this year. DeSantis signed the warrant Friday [Aug. 29], as another man, David Pittman, already awaits execution this month. Since the death penalty was restored by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, the highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Florida has already executed 11 people this year, more than any other state — ahead of Texas and South Carolina, which have each executed four people.
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Civil Justice
JUDICIAL PANEL SIDES WITH FLORIDA HOMEOWNER. INSURER FACES PAYING HER ATTORNEY FEES.
News Service of Florida | Article | August 29, 2025
When Florida lawmakers in December 2022 overhauled property-insurance laws, they shielded insurers from having to pay policyholders’ attorney fees after claims disputes — a top priority of the industry. But a three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal Thursday [Aug. 28] said the change only went so far. The panel sided with a homeowner who argued that an insurer, Security First Insurance Co., should be required to pay her attorney fees because her home was damaged before the 2022 law took effect. While the homeowner did not file a claim until January 2023, the appeals court said her policy was in effect at the time the law passed and that the law doesn’t apply retroactively. “Because attorney’s fees are a substantive right, an amendment limiting that right is presumed to apply prospectively,” Judge Jordan Pratt wrote in an eight-page opinion, which overturned a ruling by a Volusia County judge.
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Civil Justice
FOR THE SECOND TIME, APPEALS COURT BLOCKS MIAMI’S EFFORT TO DELAY ELECTION
Miami Herald | Article | August 29, 2025
The city of Miami has lost its latest bid to postpone the November 2025 election to 2026. On Friday afternoon [Aug. 29], Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal denied the city’s request for a rehearing in the election lawsuit brought by mayoral candidate Emilio González, who sued in June after the City Commission passed an ordinance postponing the election to next year. Last month, a panel of the Third DCA upheld a lower court’s ruling finding the city’s decision to postpone the election via ordinance and without voter approval to be unconstitutional. That prompted the city to ask for a rehearing en banc, meaning before the entire appellate court rather than a three-judge panel. In their ruling Friday, the judges did not provide an explanation for the denial.
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Legal Aid
JACKSONVILLE AREA LEGAL AID OFFERING VIRTUAL PRO BONO CLINICS IN CLAY
Clay Today | Article | September 01, 2025
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA) is currently hosting ongoing virtual pro bono clinics for those looking for convenient assistance. "A lot of people think [of] JALA as being just in Jacksonville, but we're not," said Deputy Director of Pro Bono Stacey DeVall. "We have offices in Clay and Nassau, and we do pro bono clinics often. I would estimate five to seven clinics per month." JALA is a nonprofit organization that provides high-quality legal assistance to low-income and special-needs groups. They serve 17 counties in North Florida, including Clay. From family law, consumer, and federal court clinics to rental housing clinics, the nonprofit offers a variety of free opportunities. Additionally, the organization will host an Ask-A-Lawyer session on Sept. 16. and Nov. 18.
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Obituary
FOUNDER OF DAYTONA LAW FIRM CHANFRAU & CHANFRAU REMEMBERED AS CHAMPION FOR THE VICTIMIZED
Daytona Beach News-Journal | Article | September 01, 2025
William "Bill" Michael Chanfrau Sr., founder of the law firm Chanfrau & Chanfrau, has died. Chanfrau died on Aug. 23 at a hospital in Akuryeri, Iceland, after suffering injuries from a fall and then contracting pneumonia. Chanfrau grew up in Daytona Beach where his family has been in the legal profession nearly a century. Chanfrau was president of the Volusia County Bar Association in the early 1980s. He was honored in 1982 by The Florida Bar with a pro bono service award for starting the Volusia County Service Project to provide free legal assistance to the poor. He became founding president of the Volusia County Civil Trial Attorneys Association in 1989. He was recognized twice with the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers' Silver Eagle Award. "Bill had a remarkable ability to connect with people," said retired appellate court judge David Monaco, a longtime friend. "He was a passionate advocate for his clients and a pillar of the legal community."