Commissioners should have to foot Aqua by the Bay legal bills

In a recent decision by the Board of County Commissioners to approve Aqua by the Bay against the advice of its legal counsel will now cost the taxpayers of Manatee County tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Suncoast Waterkeepers have filed a lawsuit, and rightfully so.

Why should the citizens foot the legal bill for such a lawsuit? Bad decisions by the Board of County Commissioners should come with consequences. In fact, all the legal bills from both sides of this lawsuit should come out of the commissioners’ pockets, all who unanimously approved this ill-thought decision.

Commission Chair Betsy Benac stated on the record that the county attorney recommended that they do not take action because of stipulations in the plan.

But at the end of the day, it appears that Benac and the board had more wisdom than what the legal team had advised them.

The citizens of Manatee County foot the bill for the entire legal team at the county. If the board does not want to take its advice, perhaps the taxpayers can save some money in eliminating the legal staff at the county.

Until then, the commissioners should take the advice of legal professionals we employ.

Lawsuits only cost the taxpayer’s money, but it is job security for our attorneys. It’s not supposed to work that way.

After all it’s OUR tax dollars that pay ALL of them.

This story was originally published November 11, 2017 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Commissioners should have to foot Aqua by the Bay legal bills."