Agency Accomplishments

A Word from Your Regional Counsel

BOMS Conference

February 2024

Congratulations Ita Neymotin, Andrew Crawford, Richard Watts, and Chris Boldt

March 2024

Congratulations Ita Neymotin, Andrew Crawford, Richard Watts, and Chris Boldt on getting a life-in-avoidance plea for our client Abron Scott and saving him from the death penalty!

Nearly 40 years after the wrong man was convicted of a Florida woman’s murder, Abron Scott confessed to killing a Tampa woman and asked her daughter to forgive him as he was sentenced in a Tampa courtroom.

Stetson Law Career Fair

March 26, 2024

Ethyn Stewart sworn in as Polk County Sheriff Deputy

Jenafyr G. Stewart, FRP, Homicide Division Office Manager/ Mitigation Specialist, could not be any more proud of her son, Ethyn, who was sworn in on May 21, 2024 as a Polk County Sheriff Deputy.

Discussion: Statutory Changes to Chapter 63

May 24, 2024

Ms. Ita M. Neymotin, Regional Counsel, Second Region hosted Ms. Jeanne T. Tate, Renowned Adoption Attorney, and Mr. Robert L. Webster III, B.C.S.

Ita Neymotin re-appointed to The Supreme Court of Florida Steering Committee on Problem-Solving Courts

Region’s Office of Criminal Conflict honored with Governor’s Sterling Award

Statewide honor signifies innovation, high performance and strong leadership

On June 4, 2024, under the leadership of Ita M. Neymotin, the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Second Region, has received the 2024 Governor’s Sterling Award in the Team Showcase Competition.

The Sterling Council, a public/private not-for-profit corporation supported by the Executive Office of the Governor, annually honors high-performing organizations with the Governor’s Sterling Award to recognize public and private agencies that demonstrate superior management approaches and strong results.

Team Showcase entrants present improvement projects live-on stage at the Sterling Leadership Conference, which was held May 29-31 in Orlando. Judges evaluate entrants against criteria for project selection, problem statement, root cause analysis, final solution, project implementation, results and presentation.

Group members representing the Regional Counsel performed a skit demonstrating the steps of a dependency court case. Through this exercise, the team showcased the benefits provided by social workers who assist the legal team, a partnership that results in vast financial savings by shortening the time children remain in foster care and reducing the time to family reunification. Once fully implemented region-wide, this dependency program is projected to save Florida taxpayers $30 million while reducing a dependent child’s time in foster care by six months.

The Regional Counsel represents indigent defendants in certain criminal, dependency and civil cases, as well as appeals and post-conviction motions. The agency’s second region covers 12 counties from Collier County through Pasco County, including inland communities.

“Governor’s Sterling Award recipients are considered role model organizations that are doing things the ‘right way,’” Neymotin said. “Receiving the Sterling Award validates that our office is thinking outside the box to reduce children’s time in foster care while saving taxpayer money.”

Professionalism Seminar in Tampa, Florida

Ms. Ita M. Neymotin, Regional Counsel, for the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Second Region, hosted a Professionalism Seminar in Tampa, Florida on November 8, 2024, featuring five wonderful guest speakers.

Ita M. Neymotin is qualified as a Governor’s Sterling Examiner for Florida and Georgia

“Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers” meeting with President Mike Raheb at Regional Counsel Office

The Honorable Rex Dimmig, Public Defender, receives a “Lifetime Achievement Award”

The Honorable Rex Dimmig, Public Defender, receives a “Lifetime Achievement Award” presented by Ms. Ita M. Neymotin, Regional Counsel Second Region, at his retirement party!

Professionalism & Civil Rights CLE Luncheon in Naples, Florida

The Collier County Bar Association with Ms. Ita M. Neymotin, Regional Counsel for the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel Second Region, hosted a Professionalism & Civil Rights CLE Luncheon in Naples, Florida, on December 20, 2024, with Mr. Frank G. Abernathy as the Keynote Speaker.

Professionalism and Civil Rights Luncheon with Frank Abernathy sponsored by The Collier County Bar Association

In memory of Peter Candela

On February 2^nd, 2025, we said goodbye to a dear friend and colleague, Peter Candela. He left us much too soon. He will always be remembered and forever missed! May he rest in peace.

Office Lunch in Bartow

Congratulations to Honorable Hillsborough County Judge Christine Edwards, former Assistant Regional Counsel!

Admin Office Lunch

Ita M Neymotin presents Regional Counsel priorities

Pasco County’s Legislative Delegation Meeting

Collier County Legislative Delegation

Glades County Legislative Delegation

Lee County Legislative Delegation

Hendry County Legislative Delegation Meeting

Meet Our Interns

Happy Birthday!

Birthdays

Attorney & Staff Recognitions!

Congratulations to Becket McGinn!
Becket received a Not Guilty Verdict in a Jury trial on a 2nd Degree Felony – Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon!

Congratulations to Zachary Miller!
Brian Charles Miller was born to Zachary and Bekah Miller, 8 lbs, 1 oz!

Congratulations to Marta Sokolowska!
On February 12th and 13th, she had her first trial as a Regional Counsel Attorney, which went very well. The case, involving a 5-month-old child who survived a fentanyl overdose due to parental care, was emotionally driven. Despite the tragic circumstances, the client, who has worked hard to turn her life around, expressed satisfaction with the representation.

Congratulations to Christopher Boran!
Nolle Prosse on May 28, 2024 on 1st degree drug trafficking case with 7-year min., man.

Mr. Boran in addition resolved a few difficult cases for favorable resolutions for our clients. In a 1st degree felony carjacking case with a Prison Release Reoffender designation, life exposure and a 30-year minimum, mandatory sentence, he negotiated a resolution for the client to plea to a third-degree felony and 60 months DOC. He also resolved a drug trafficking case that began with a 16 year offer, 7-year minimum, mandatory sentence for a lesser charge and 20 months DOC. He also arranged a resolution on a 1st Deg. Witness Tampering case where the exposure was 80 years with an initial offer of 15 years for a 30-month DOC sentence, 24 months of which the client was already serving. The co-defendant was sentenced to 20 years.

In the Spotlight: Mr. Frantz Michel, Circuit Chief, 10th Circuit

Mr. Frantz Michel serves as the Circuit Chief for the 10th Judicial Circuit. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and is married to Arlanda Michel. Together, they have seven children: James, Tyler, Frederic, Andrew, Emma, Anacely Zervos, and Katherine Zervos.

His prior careers include 25 years of service with the New York State Police, where he worked as a Computer Forensic Investigator before retiring in 2011. Additionally, he served in the New York Army National Guard for 30 years, deploying to Iraq from 2004 to 2005. He retired as a Colonel in 2014, having earned the Bronze Star Medal for combat service and the Legion of Merit for peacetime contributions.

Beyond his professional career, Mr. Michel has been an active volunteer in youth soccer coaching. He spent three years coaching recreational soccer at the Clifton Park Soccer Club in Clifton Park, N.Y. and later coached competitive boys’ teams (U14 to U17) and girls’ teams (U13 to U17) at Charlotte Premier Soccer Club. He also coached a competitive U17 girls’ team at North Port Fusion Soccer Club for one year.

His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the State University of New York at Albany (1986), a Master of Public Administration from Marist College (1999), and a Juris Doctor from Ave Maria Law School in Naples, Florida (2021).

Mr. Michel is an active member of various organizations, including the Rainbow Division Veterans Foundation, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the American Legion. He is also a retired member of the New York State Police Investigators Association and serves as a board member for Warrior Homes of Collier County. Additionally, he is a member of the Ave Maria Law Alumni Association.

His hobbies include target shooting, sports, fishing, hunting, music, and history. He is multilingual, with fluency in Haitian Creole as his native language, along with extensive experience in French and Spanish, having studied both languages for four years in high school and college.

HR Announcements: Tidbits from Human Resources

By: Administrative Director Tami Holliday

It’s that time again…
Paper W-2s were mailed out for 2024 on January 31, 2025, for employees who did not sign up for electronic delivery.

We encourage you to sign up for Electronic Delivery. Check out these advantages!

• Available an average of 25 days sooner
• More secure, protected delivery method
• 24/7 access to the site
• Terminated employees can access online without your involvement
• Deadline to sign-up for 2025 is not until early Jan. 2026

Visit the Employee Information Center to register and/or retrieve a copy: apps.fldfs.com/eic/employeeinfocenter

Contact Information Updates for Current and Exiting staff
Please remember to keep HR and People First updated with your current personal email address and mailing address so that you can receive correspondence from People First or FRS.

Reminder to attorneys to check that your contact information on file with the Florida Bar is correct.

Thank you for all of your hard work, dedication, and for helping to make our agency a success!