Florida's Commission on Ethics has cleared the way for attorneys at Rep. Mike Redondo's Miami law firm to represent a paying health care client before state agencies, as long as Redondo himself stays off those agency-facing matters. The green light means the firm can take on licensing, Medicaid and administrative complaint work while Redondo remains behind an internal screen that keeps him out of direct contact with state regulators.
The advisory opinion followed a June 10 request from Redondo asking for formal guidance on what his private practice can and cannot do while he serves in the Legislature. Commission staff concluded that the firm may pursue matters with the Agency for Health Care Administration as long as Redondo "does not personally engage in any conduct that would amount to 'representation,'" according to the Miami Herald. Staff also advised that Redondo himself could still represent a paying client in court, even if he cannot represent that same client before state agencies.
What the ethics panel said
According to meeting materials from the Florida Commission on Ethics, the arrangement stays within Florida's ban on in office representation as long as Redondo is effectively screened off and does not interact with agency staff on the firm's agency matters. The commission has a history of drawing a bright line between courtroom work and appearances before state agencies, and its advisory opinions have carved out space for screened colleagues to handle agency-facing work in some situations.
In Redondo's case, the commission is effectively saying that what happens in a courtroom is one thing, what happens in front of a regulator is another, and that the lawmaker cannot cross that second line on behalf of paying clients.
Political stakes in Miami
Redondo, first elected in a 2023 special election, is viewed as a rising Republican who could be in line to lead the Florida House after the 2030 election if he keeps winning reelection and Republicans maintain control of the chamber, according to Florida Politics. That kind of long game makes the fine print of his ethics opinion more than just lawyerly detail.
He faces an August primary challenge from Marco Insua, and campaign filings cited by the Miami Herald show that Redondo's political committees have raised roughly $92,200, while Insua has reported about $100. Industry interests including Humana, Recovery Solutions of Nashville and Tenet Health have also contributed to Redondo's committees, the Herald reported. Redondo has told reporters he "will be screened from the client's agency matters by an internal ethical wall," per the Herald.
How the law treats agency work and court cases
Florida's ban on in office representation is intended to keep public officials from using their positions to advocate for private clients before state agencies. Earlier advisory opinions, including CEO 11 07, have underscored that the prohibition typically does not reach courtroom litigation and that screened firm representation in front of agencies can be acceptable in limited circumstances. That tension, between maintaining public trust and allowing lawyer lawmakers to keep a private practice, is what prompted Redondo to seek a written opinion in the first place.
Legal watchdogs and political opponents are likely to scrutinize how effectively Redondo is kept away from the firm's agency files. If the firm begins handling Agency for Health Care Administration matters, the overlap of private clients and public power is almost certain to become a talking point in his Miami district as the August primary approaches.
