Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has turned to Naples attorney Tom Grady’s firm to represent the state in a high-stakes lawsuit against streaming-platform company Roku. The choice, and the fee deal that comes with it, is drawing extra attention because a rival proposal offered a lower contingency structure and because of Grady’s political ties. At the center of it all is a clash between Florida’s new data-privacy rules and growing questions about how the state picks and pays its outside lawyers.
As reported by the Miami Herald, the Attorney General’s office selected Grady Law after soliciting bids last summer. The paper notes that Grady is a former GOP state representative, previously served as Florida’s commissioner of financial regulation and has been a supporter of Uthmeier. The Herald also quotes a top aide to the attorney general calling its coverage “nothing more than a political hit job,” and reports that Grady told the paper his proposal followed state law. The Attorney General’s Office did not respond to additional questions about how the firm ended up with the work.
What The Lawsuit Alleges
Florida filed the case in Collier County in October 2025, alleging that Roku collected and sold children’s personal data, including viewing histories and voice recordings from voice remotes, without first getting parental consent. The state is asking the court to impose enhanced penalties of up to $150,000 for each known violation involving a child. Legal observers say the complaint focuses heavily on Roku’s partnerships with data brokers and on how data that is presented as de-identified can still be re-identified by advertisers. According to Holland & Knight, the Florida case is among the first major enforcement actions brought under the state’s Digital Bill of Rights.
How The State Solicited Outside Counsel
Uthmeier’s office issued a request for proposals that invited private law firms to explain whether they would take the Roku case on a contingency basis, an hourly basis or a mix of the two, and whether they would front litigation costs, consistent with the state RFP. The notice asked bidders to spell out their relevant experience, proposed staffing and whether they would bring in local Florida counsel. State law also sets a tiered cap on contingency payments to outside firms and requires that signed contingency contracts be posted for the public to see. For the full terms, the documents are posted at the Attorney General RFP and Florida statute 16.0155.
The Bids And The Price Tag
Records show just two responses landed on the state’s desk: Israel David LLC, a national plaintiffs firm, and Grady Law, the Naples practice led by Tom Grady. Israel David proposed a sliding contingency that started at one-fifth of any recovery up to $15 million and stepped down as the total increased, and it offered to pay local counsel from its share. Grady proposed a fee deal pegged to the statutory caps. On paper, that approach could leave Florida paying Grady more than it would have paid Israel David, including about $50,000 more on a $1 million recovery and roughly $750,000 more on any recovery above $25 million. For detailed bid comparisons and the Herald’s math, see the Miami Herald.
Money, Ties And Prior Controversies
Critics pointing to campaign finance records and public donation databases note large, recent contributions to Uthmeier’s campaign and political committee, and say those optics get complicated when lucrative state work flows to politically connected lawyers. Public transparency tools and watchdog reporting document sizable gifts to Uthmeier’s political accounts this year. Grady has previously faced questions about spending while in state roles and has been active in prominent tech and securities cases. The Rippling-Deel corporate-espionage fight that drew national tech coverage last year is one illustration of the contentious litigation world his firm has operated in, as detailed by TechCrunch and public contribution databases such as Transparency USA.
Legal Implications
Florida law requires the Attorney General to make a written finding that using contingency-fee counsel is cost-effective and in the public interest before entering into those contracts. The same law caps the total contingency fee through recovery tiers and limits overall payouts. Signed contingency agreements must be posted on the Department of Legal Affairs website within five business days, and the Attorney General must report on those arrangements and any payments in an annual report to the Legislature. Those transparency rules are designed so lawmakers and the public can gauge whether the state is getting a fair deal. The full requirements are set out in Florida statute 16.0155.
The Roku case will move forward in Collier County while Floridians watch to see when the Attorney General’s office posts its contingency contract and how any fee payments are calculated if the state wins money. For now, the lawsuit is both an early test of Florida’s data-privacy regime and a political flashpoint over procurement, influence and how aggressively the state spends to police Big Tech.
