Lawyer facing ethics charge files for seat on Manatee County Commission
Lifetime Manatee County resident and attorney Melton Little, who is facing an ethics complaint for giving baseball tickets to a judge hearing one of his cases, has jumped into the political fray after filing with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office to run for the District 4 seat on the county commission.
Commissioner Robin DiSabatino has decided not to seek another term, and several people have filed to succeed her.
A Democrat, Little, 56, is a partner in the Palmetto-based Kallins, Little and Delgado law firm. Also seeking the Democratic nomination is Ericka Lundquist. On the Republican side so far, the candidates are Mark Black, Laurie Galle and Misty Servia.
The primary elections are Aug. 28 and the general election is Nov. 6.
Little said he decided to run, "to bring a strong voice to a deteriorated south county area sorely in need of revitalization and stability."
A resident of the south county area since 1977, Little said more emphasis is needed in creating and encouraging incentives for economic development and infrastructure improvements, "to draw businesses and people back to south county."
Little said his experience of graduating Leadership Manatee and serving on the Manatee County Children Services Advisory Board and numerous other boards has prepared him to be a county commissioner.
The Bayshore High School graduate went on to graduate from Samford University with a bachelor of science degree in public administration and received a law degree at Cumberland School of Law.
Little is among three attorneys that are fighting ethics complaints filed by the Florida Bar with the Florida Supreme Court. The complaints are in connection with baseball tickets that former Circuit Judge John Lakin solicited and received from the Palmetto-based law firm Little's law firm, according to the Bar, while the law firm was representing a client in a civil suit Lakin was presiding over.
The complaint filed against Little and his law partner Kallins allege that by offering and later gifting the tickets to Lakin, it created an appearance of impropriety, and called into question Lakin’s impartiality as a result. Last month a judge from the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida, appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to serve as a referee in the disciplinary matter, presided over a three-day-long hearing in the case. A ruling is pending.
A hearing in the complaint against Lakin is scheduled for later this month.
This story was originally published May 4, 2018 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Lawyer facing ethics charge files for seat on Manatee County Commission."