By Steve Plunkett
Changing town attorneys may save the town upward of $30,000 a year if January’s legal bill is any guide.
New attorney Glen Torcivia billed Highland Beach $6,396 for 32.8 hours of work in his first month on the job. The total is just 71 percent of the $9,000-a-month retainer paid the man he replaced, longtime Town Attorney Tom Sliney.
“I’m pleased that our bill was less, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions,” Torcivia said. “It could have just been a slow month.”
Besides attending meetings of the Town Commission, the Planning Board and Code Enforcement Board, Torcivia billed Highland Beach $975 for five hours drafting legal opinions about bicyclists on State Road A1A and Florida statutes that affect town government. Also on the bill: $585 for three hours’ work on former Town Manager Dale Sugerman’s lawsuit against the town.
Torcivia, who is paid $195 an hour, did not charge Highland Beach for 5.1 hours of work during the transition between Sliney and himself, or for the time he spends traveling to and from town.
Another freebie: the 12 minutes Torcivia spent writing a bio for the town newsletter.
Torcivia is also town attorney for Palm Springs, Belle Glade and Sewall’s Point in coastal Martin County.
Sliney, who became Highland Beach’s attorney in 1973, resigned Dec. 31 after Commissioner Dennis Sheridan said he wanted to find out how much other law firms would charge to represent the town. Ú
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