TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Six Tampa Bay area attorneys are among 32 attorneys who were recently disbarred, reprimanded, or had their licenses revoked or suspended by the Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders.
The Florida Bar released the following information about the local attorneys–
- Tucker Skyrocki Boyt, 617A Cleveland St., Suite 10, Clearwater, suspended until further order, effective 30 days from an April 29 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2013) Boyt was found in contempt for non-compliance, for failure to respond to Florida Bar inquiries regarding four complaints. (Case No. SC16-493)
- Nicole Mae Frost, 300 Turner St., Clearwater, suspended until further order, following a June 3 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1998) Frost was found in contempt for non-compliance. She failed to respond to an official Bar inquiry regarding a complaint. (Case No. SC15-1972)
- John R. Griffith, P.O. Box 24628, Lakeland, disbarred effective immediately, following a June 9 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1983) A Bar investigation revealed that Griffith misappropriated client trust funds. (Case No. SC16-900)
- Tonja J. Helton, 10150 Highland Manor Drive, Suite 200, Tampa, suspended until further order, effective 30 days from a June 13 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2009) According to a petition for emergency suspension order, Helton appeared to be causing great public harm by misappropriating thousands of dollars in client funds. (Case No. SC16-865)
- Antonios Poulos, 1502 W. Busch Blvd., Suite 200, Tampa, suspended for two years, effective immediately, following an April 14 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2007) Further, upon reinstatement, Poulos shall be placed on probation for one year. Poulos advised a client of his receipt of settlement funds in an employment discrimination case in September 2013. He then failed to communicate with the client and did not provide the funds to the client until May 2014. In another matter, a case was dismissed because Poulos failed to respond to the federal court and comply with local rules. When he appeared in court, Poulos falsely advised that he’d informed his client that the case had been dismissed. No. SC15-272)
- Phillip Harding Taylor, 200 Central Ave., Suite 710, St. Petersburg, disbarred effective immediately, following an April 4 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1989) Taylor was found in contempt for failure to comply with the conditions of a Sept. 16, 2015, suspension order. Specifically, Taylor was ordered to notify his clients, opposing counsel and tribunals of his suspension and provide to The Florida Bar a sworn affidavit listing the names and addresses of all persons and entities that received a copy of the suspension order. (Case No. SC16-249)
According to The Florida Bar, court orders are not final until time expires to file a rehearing motion and, if filed, determined. The filing of such a motion does not alter the effective date of the discipline.
Disbarred lawyers may not re-apply for admission for five years. They are required to go through an extensive process that rejects many who apply. It includes a rigorous background check and retaking the bar exam. Historically, less than 5 percent of disbarred lawyers seek readmission.
Discipline case files that are public record are posted to attorneys’ individual online Florida Bar profiles. To view discipline documents, follow these steps. Additional information on the discipline system and how to file a complaint are available here.