Office Location:
111 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 202
Sarasota, Florida 34236

Mailing address:
Post Office Box 1000,
Sarasota, FL 34230

Telephone: (941)263-6980
Fax: (941) 263-6989 Email: Joe.Polzak@sarasotafl.gov 

Joseph J. Polzak

Joe Polzak advises the City of Sarasota on governance, risk, and compliance as the City Attorney for Sarasota.  Previously, he served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Sarasota since 2014.   He also works closely with the Sarasota Police Department (SPD) as a U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholar.   As a LEADS Scholar, he works nationally with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on the development of evidence-based programming to help local government stay out in front of rapidly developing, complex, and nuanced authority and oversight, and advance the legitimacy of their operations throughout their communities.   Joe formerly served as a felony prosecutor for the State of Florida after earning a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Florida State University and a Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law, with an Honors Certificate in International Law.

Joe has been selected to present best practices in governance at many national conferences including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), CIT International, and International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and has co-presented at events with the Council of State Governments, National Policing Institute, and U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).  Joe was co-recipient of the Sarasota NAACP President’s Award for co-developing SPD’s homelessness response program with the SPD Patrol Division Commander.  This program was selected for the IACP Leadership in Human and Civil Rights Award.  He also developed an environmental compliance program for the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix, which was selected for the IACP David C. Cameron Leadership in Environmental Crimes Award. 

John K. Shamsey

John K. Shamsey received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Samford University in 1995, a Master of Arts in History from the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 1997, and a juris doctor, with honors, from the Florida State University College of Law in 2002. Mr. Shamsey then served as an Assistant County Attorney for Charlotte County, Florida, representing and counseling the County Commission on land-use/zoning and real property matters. After serving in the government sector, Mr. Shamsey entered private practice in Sarasota where he continued his land-use and real property work, representing clients in real estate closings and real property litigation and serving as a title agent for a national title insurance underwriter. In recent years, Mr. Shamsey also served as a Consulting Attorney for Charlotte County, assisting the government in implementing numerous affordable housing projects/programs. In 2008, Mr. Shamsey joined the City Attorney's office and represents the City in land-use/zoning matters, real estate/real property issues, foreclosures, and affordable housing matters. Mr. Shamsey is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Joe Mladinich

Joe Mladinich received a Bachelor in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology from the University of Texas in 2001, and a Juris Doctor and Master in Business Administration from Stetson University in 2008. After undergrad, Mr. Mladinich worked in procurement for NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He then took a job in international diplomacy in Belfast, Northern Ireland for the next three years before attending law school. Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Mladinich worked for three and half years at the State Attorney’s Office before joining the City Attorney’s Office.