Milton council chooses new city attorney

MILTON — The city of Milton officially has a new city attorney.

City Council held a special council meeting June 11 to hear from two law firms for their candidacy to replace Heather Lindsay who resigned June 4. At the June 12 city council meeting, city council voted to appoint Gulf Breeze resident Alex Andre as the new city attorney in a 3 to 5 vote with Councilwomen Pat Lunsford, Sharon Holley and Heather Hathaway casting the nay votes. Andre will officially become city attorney following Lindsay’s last day on July 31.

The two applicants for the position were Kimberly Kopp, managing attorney of Romano Kopp Law, and Andre, associate attorney with Moore, Hill & Westmoreland Law.

Kopp, who has 16 years of law practice and is a board-certified attorney by the Florida Bar, currently represents the city of Destin. Kopp lives in Oviedo, Florida, which is near Orlando.  

“I have a thorough understanding of government laws,” Kopp said.

Councilwoman Sharon Holley said she was impressed by Kopp’s education and asked if she could commit to moving to Santa Rosa County.

“I don’t know if I could commit to a time limit but it is my ultimate goal,” Kopp said.

Kopp acknowledged there would be a schedule conflict with some meetings due to her work with the city of Destin but she has attorneys in her law firm that will be committed to attending the meetings in her stead.  

A resident of Gulf Breeze, Andre has worked with the city of Milton on other occasions. He is a board-certified attorney based out of Pensacola. He also teaches as an adjunct with the University of West Florida.

Councilwoman Pat Lunsford asked Andre if he had ever had any dealings with historic Milton or the preservation board.  Andre said he had not.  

“My hope is I would serve as the quarterback for the city,” Andre said. “This is a beautiful city and I would love to play a role in it.”

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton council chooses new city attorney