Fort White: Town Attorney Rhett Bullard is like the 6th Council member, only much more expensive
October 21, 2025 12:40 pm | 3 min read
Vice Chair Kathryn Terry ran an efficient meeting last
night.
FORT WHITE, FL – Fort White's Town Attorney, Rhett Bullard, has a wealth of experience representing small communities. His governmental rate is fair, but with council members in constant contact, his first month’s bill (August) went into the stratosphere.
Mr. Bullard’s September bill was down, but still way above the clouds.
August: billing style, a record bill, and the chatty councilman
I want everybody to think before you pick up the phone and call him (Town Attorney Bullard) or email. I want you to think, ‘Is that really necessary?’”
Fort White Councilman Bill Koon
First, a little about Mr. Bullard's billing style: Mr. Bullard, for the most part, follows recognized good practices. His descriptions are descriptive, although the billing descriptions regarding the investigation of charges by former Clerk Carrie Shaper of a hostile workplace are never really connected in his invoicing, and it is unclear which law firm the investigator, Attorney Kendall Manini, is working for.
Columbia County School Board Attorney Megan Logan is only identified as M. Logan. Those unfamiliar with Ms. Logan's official capacity as school board attorney may be unaware of who she represents and why she is calling the Town.
Mr. Bullard’s August bill totaled $7,244.40. This represents 41.4 hours of billing. His attendance at the August 18 meeting, excluding phone calls from council members and others, cost taxpayers a minimum of $1,200, which does not include other research time.
Shorter meetings and more concise conversations from council members would lower legal costs.
Council members can be chatty, with Councilman Lonnie Harrell leading the way in August. Mr. Harrell was on the phone fourteen times, with his longest conversation lasting over an hour.
For August, Mr. Harrell added $1,312.50 in phone calls to Mr. Bullard’s invoice.
Mayor Thomas was involved in three calls totaling $525. His longest call lasted 1 hour and 18 minutes, or $227.50.
There were a bunch of calls about special meetings and meeting notices that council members should have known about, and an assignment from Councilwoman Terry regarding the responsibilities of strong vs. weak mayors.
Councilwoman Monica Merricks taking care of business
last night.
Councilwoman Monica Merricks doesn't feel the need to speak frequently at meetings, and for August and September, she found no reason to call Town Attorney Bullard.
September: Councilman Harell maintains his record of being the most-chatty
For September, Attorney Bullard's bill just about reached the five-thousand-dollar mark, coming in at $4,943.75, or $1,235.74 per week (28.25 hours). This is half the monthly rate charged by the Town’s previous two attorneys. Part of the increase is that things are becoming more complicated for the Town as utility issues kick in and more time is spent addressing them.
In January of this year, when all the Town’s institutional knowledge resigned en masse (clerk, deputy clerk, and attorney) because they couldn’t take it anymore, the Town was left in the lurch.
Previously, Council members would see the Town Clerks for information and explanation. Now, it is off to the attorney for $175 hr. for the simplest of questions.
For September, Councilman Lonnie Harrell was once again the leader in chat-correspondence among council members, with $691.25 in billing, or 14% of the monthly total.
Mayor Thomas came in second to Councilman Harrel, with $577.50 billed or 11.7% of the attorney's billing.
Combined, Councilman Harrell and Mayor Thomas accounted for over 25% of the Town's billing for September.
A marathon 4.5-hour ($787.50) meeting in September helped to empty the coffers of the Town.
This month, Councilwoman Terry had only one interaction with the attorney, and Councilman Koon and Councilwoman Merricks had none.
Last Night in Town Hall
Councilman Bill Koon listens to Attorney Rhett Bullard
last night. He spoke on the phone with Attorney Bullard
one time in August and not at all in September.
Last night, the Town went through its business in a little over an hour and a half, a refreshing change from its marathon meetings. Mayor Thomas was absent, and in his place, the meeting was run by Vice Chair Terry, who kept things moving along, running the meeting efficiently.
Mr. Bullard’s invoices and the fact that he does not have a contract came up. Councilwoman Terry said she was happy with Mr. Bullard’s work and understood he was going from “crisis to crisis.” The Council did not think Mr. Bullard needed a contract.
Councilman Koon said, “I want everybody to think before you pick up the phone and call him or email. I want you to think, ‘Is that really necessary?’”
During the conversation about Mr. Bullard's billing, he mentioned that he expected a downward trend in his monthly fees.
After the meeting adjourned, Councilman Harrell said he would be calling Attorney Bullard “tomorrow.”