Special City Commission Meeting - September 16, 2025: Settlement Discussion for Adrian Langford IV Lawsuit
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Special City Commission Meeting (Attorney-Client Session) - September 16, 2025
A special meeting was held on September 16, 2025, at 1:00 PM, primarily to discuss settlement negotiations and strategy in the case Adrian Langford IV v. City of Sarasota, et al., Consolidated Case No. 2020 CA 004688 NC. After a closed attorney-client session, the Commission reconvened and voted unanimously to authorize a settlement.
Public Comments & Testimony
No members of the public signed up to speak.
Discussion Items
- The meeting began with an invocation and pledge of allegiance. City Attorney Joseph Polzak announced that the Commission would recess into a closed attorney-client session in accordance with Florida Statutes Section 286.011(8) to discuss settlement strategy for the Langford case. The session was held in Room 109 at City Hall from approximately 1:04 PM to 1:37 PM, with the Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners, Interim City Manager, City Attorney, Deputy City Attorney, outside attorney Andrew Douberly of Dickinson & Gibbons, P.A., and a certified court reporter present.
- Upon reconvening at 1:37 PM, City Attorney Polzak confirmed that no votes were taken during the closed session.
Key Outcomes
- Commissioner Kathy Kelley Ohlrich made a motion, seconded by Vice Mayor Debbie Trice, to direct the City Attorney's Office to settle the case for $150,000.
- The motion carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote.
- The meeting was adjourned at 1:38 PM.
Meeting Transcript
All right. I would like to call this uh Tuesday, September sixteenth, twenty twenty-five special city commission meeting to order and call on the city honoring clerk to do the invocation. Heavenly Father, we affirm our faith indeed. We seek your divine strength wisdom and guidance in the deliberations that affect the lives of each other citizens of our community. No, we don't have any other comments, so I think that's all right. Uh item two one, the attorney client session. And I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Polzak to uh announce the agenda item and an introduction. In accordance with section two eighty-six point zero one one subsection eight Florida statutes. I know, I know. Okay, we are back in session. I think it's one thirty seven PM from the shade meeting, and I'll turn it over to Mr. Polzak. Yes, uh, as you stated, we're now back in open session. The shade meeting regarding Adrian Langford the fourth versus the city of Sarasota at all has concluded. No votes were taken during the closed session. And mayor, I hand it back to you for any action. Okay. Um, can we get a motion on the action that uh we propose to take. I'll make the motion move to settle this case for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Second. No discussion, Commissioners. Okay. Ummissioner Ulrich moved to settle the case for a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Vice Mayor Trice seconded, and is that your vote, Commissioners? It passes unanimously. All right, thank you.
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