Judge Craig Villanti’s caution, great attitude should give voters confidence for retention
Possibly the most impressive case to point to is the Florida Bar vs Winters and Yonkers and an incredible attitude.
William Winters and Marc Yonker marketed themselves as aggressive attorneys, but the Florida Bar alleged that Winters and Yonker broke several laws and rules when they split with Mulholland in 2001, a bitter breakup that has played out for years in other courtrooms.
TampaBay.com detailed the case, referring to Villanti’s handling of allegations which were raised in a 2008 lawsuit filed by Mulholland and a 2010 decision describing the facts as “enough to make any legal ethics professor cringe.”
Villanti wasn’t involved with every aspect of this long, drawn out mess, but stood firm. (Emphasis added, The Dispatch)
I made mention of Villanti’s attitude and a from February told me what I wanted to hear.
While addressing the need to move the Lakeland operations to a larger facility, Villanti said: “This is an issue whose time has come. It’s time and we can’t wait any longer because basically our building in Lakeland is a ticking time bomb. We’re likely to get to the point where we have to take emergency action.”
“I can’t personally complain because I would work in a broom closet because I love this job,” Villanti said. “But it’s not right to pack people in like sardines. It’s not conducive to a good working environment.” (Emphasis added, The Dispatch)
Check out the full article HERE
Thanks for posting such a detailed and thoughtful examination of Villanti record since he was appointment to Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeals. This article and the several case studies it reviewed provided a well-substantiated argument for retaining Judge Villantii in office.
It has been difficult to find good reviews of the records of the 13 judges up for retention on the Florida ballot this election, but this was definitely the most helpful in my opinion. I really appreciated that this article cited cases and let them speak for themselves (clarifying when emphasis or opinions were added by the author).
Great article – definitely solidified my decision to vote to retain Judge Villanti.