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The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners voted March 25 to make Rich Komando its permanent lead attorney, through his private practice.
Komando, of Bradley, Garrison & Komando, has served as interim county attorney for more than a year.
The firm was approved in a 3-2 vote. Vice Chair Clay Murphy and Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst voted in favor. Chair Krista Joseph and Commissioner Anne Taylor were opposed.
The fees and terms were not discussed.
Komando was one of three finalists interviewed for the position at the March 25 meeting. The other finalists were city of Jacksonville Assistant General Counsel Bradley Bulthuis and city of Palm Beach Chief Deputy City Attorney Michael Rodriguez.
Komando earned his undergraduate degree from Florida State University and his law degree from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law. Over the past five years, he has built a private law practice while handling civil, criminal, appellate, juvenile and international cases.
From 2009 to 2013, he was a criminal prosecutor with the State Attorney’s Office, serving as Division Chief of the Special Prosecution Division and Executive Director for the 4th Judicial Circuit of Florida, covering Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties.
Former St. Johns County Attorney David Migut left the role in March 2024.
The commission voted 4-1 on Feb. 20, 2024, to hire Komando as interim county attorney through his firm. Joseph did not support the motion.
An initial search for a replacement yielded no qualified candidates. The position description was later revised, the salary was increased and it was reposted, resulting in eight candidates.
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