Joseph J. Polzak
Joe Polzak advises the City of Sarasota on governance, risk, and compliance as the City Attorney for Sarasota. Previously, he served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Sarasota since 2014. He also works closely with the Sarasota Police Department (SPD) as a U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholar. As a LEADS Scholar, he works nationally with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on the development of evidence-based programming to help local government stay out in front of rapidly developing, complex, and nuanced authority and oversight, and advance the legitimacy of their operations throughout their communities. Joe formerly served as a felony prosecutor for the State of Florida after earning a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Florida State University and a Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law, with an Honors Certificate in International Law.
Joe has been selected to present best practices in governance at many national conferences including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), CIT International, and International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and has co-presented at events with the Council of State Governments, National Policing Institute, and U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Joe was co-recipient of the Sarasota NAACP President’s Award for co-developing SPD’s homelessness response program with the SPD Patrol Division Commander. This program was selected for the IACP Leadership in Human and Civil Rights Award. He also developed an environmental compliance program for the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix, which was selected for the IACP David C. Cameron Leadership in Environmental Crimes Award.
John K. Shamsey
John K. Shamsey practices in the areas of Local Government Law, Real Estate/Real Property, Land-Use/Zoning, and Foreclosures. Mr. Shamsey is board certified in City, County and Local Government Law by the Florida Bar.
Mr. Shamsey received his undergraduate degree from Samford University in 1995 and graduated with honors from Florida State University College of Law in 2002. Upon receiving his Juris Doctor, Mr. Shamsey became an Assistant County Attorney for Charlotte County. After serving in the government sector, Mr. Shamsey entered private practice in Sarasota where he continued his land-use and real property work. Mr. Shamsey has represented the City of Sarasota since 2008 and is currently serving as Deputy City Attorney, where he assists the city in numerous property, land-use, code enforcement, and real estate matters and serves as board counsel to the Board of Adjustment and the Planning Board. Additionally, he has represented various local governments in the Sarasota/Manatee area, including serving as code compliance special magistrate for the City of Venice.
Mr. Shamsey, a Sarasota native of over forty years, has been involved in numerous community boards and organizations, including the Sarasota County Historical Commission, the Sarasota Bar Young Lawyers’ Division, the Affordable Housing Committee of the Real Property Probate & Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar, the Realtor-Attorney Joint Committee of the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee, and the City, County & Local Government Law Section of the Florida Bar.
Mr. Shamsey is a member of the Florida Bar, the Florida Municipal Attorneys Association, the Sarasota County Bar Association, and the Armenian Bar Association, and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida.
Joseph C. Mladinich
Joe Mladinich received a Bachelor in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. After his undergraduate studies, Mr. Mladinich worked in procurement for NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He then took a job in international diplomacy in Belfast, Northern Ireland for the next three years before attending law school at Stetson University. During law school, Mr. Mladinich studied international law at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. He also served as a law clerk for Judge Robert N. Davis of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran’s Claims in Washington, D.C. While in law school he was a member of the Dean’s List, recipient of the Judge Edith M. Atkinson Scholarship, and earned the William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award. Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Mladinich prosecuted criminal cases for the Office of the State Attorney, 12th Judicial Circuit. As trial counsel, he garnered convictions for multiple high profile crimes, ranging from fraud to homicide. Mr. Mladinich joined the firm in January 2013 and enjoys a wide and varied Local Government Law practice, including Contracts, Contraband Forfeiture, Constitutional Law, Public Records, Sunshine Law, Personal Injury, Procurement, and general Civil Litigation.