Last week we reported that former Tampa City Councilman John Dingfelder would not attempt to re-enter the political arena, ending specu
In a press release today Dingfelder announced that his new law firm, Dingfelder Law," is now open for business. Read below:
After 22 years of practicing law and almost 8 years of serving people on City Council, John Dingfelder
is hanging out his shingle so he can continue serving and meeting the legal needs of our community.
In his own law practice, John is providing the same common sense, down-home personal approach that his constituents are accustomed to.
No issue is too small ... because we all know that when it is your legal problem, it is always "big" to you.
With experience in a wide variety of practice areas
(civil and criminal), Dingfelder Law
will help people with their legal needs the old fashioned way: personally, promptly and professionally.
The release goes on to that Dingfelder's practice will include small business assistance with contracts, corporate structure, collections and litigation, as well as all civil litigation, wills & trusts, criminal (including DUI's), environmental, land use and condemnation. Oh, and Real Estate, including foreclosure defense. And family law as well.
This wasn't in the game plan until recently, obviously. Dingfelder has been a political player in Tampa for nearly the past decade, and had hoped to continue his political career by being elected to the Hillsborough County Commission last November.
But that didn't work out, as he lost to Republican Sandy Murman.
There had been speculation that he would then run again for City Council, where he would undoubtedly be a serious contender, what with his experience and name recognition. But that would have meant going back to court, to fight a seemingly punitive vote the council made last fall that singled out Dingfelder and Linda Saul-Sena, by stating that members who didn't finish out their terms could not run in the next city election.
Dingfelder says he is confident that if he went to court he would win, calling the law "unconstitutional." But he's also told the St. Pete Times that with Mike Suarez now in the race in the District 1 seat, he believes there is a candidate who represents his values in the race now (District 1 candidates also include Rick Barcena, Chris Cano, Guido Maniscalco, Tom Slaughter and Curtis Stokes).
