Author Archive
Silhouettes profiles Erin Smith Aebel
July 17, 2020 | 
Author Originally published in the july 17, 2020 edition of La Gaceta
By Tiffany Razzano
Erin Smith Aebel is probably the happiest attorney you’ll ever meet.
“It’s true,” said the partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP. “I’m one of the very few happy lawyers. And I’m one of the few women who has lasted 20 years in a big law firm.”
Ask her the secret to her happiness and success, and she’ll be quick to tell you that the autonomy to do her job well has kept her going all these years. “The key to making me happy is that I’ve always had my own clients,” she said. “I bring in money and do my own thing, and that gives me some degree of protection and freedom.”
A board-certified health care attorney, she’s co-administrator of the firm’s health care practice. Aebel fell into health care law 20 years ago when she happened to be assigned a few cases in the field. “I was working with other lawyers and they said, ‘Here, take care of this doctor,’” she said.
She was drawn to the “really complex laws” governing health care covering everything from HIPAA to kickbacks. “It’s a very technical area and very difficult and constantly changing,” she said. “Every year there are new federal, state, and local laws.”
In her role, she works closely with those in the medical field, such as physicians and dentists, “to try to boil down complex laws in a way that’s affordable and makes sense for them.”
Though she has some larger, national clients, her “passion” is working with small business owners. With small businesses, it’s about cultivating long-term relationships, she said. “I’m not replaceable with many of my clients. They know me. I know them. I know their dogs and I know their children. These longer client relationships are the most rewarding.”
Aebel, a fifth-generation Floridian and St. Petersburg native, didn’t set out to be an attorney. Instead, the Gibbs High School graduate thought she would become a history professor.
She attended Loyola University in New Orleans on a full scholarship, majoring in history and French. Then, she began to think about her future more practically. “My history professor made $30,000 a year and had to get a Ph.D. and live somewhere they might not want to, like South Dakota, to get tenured,” she said.
So, she turned her sights to law. She got into some impressive law schools, including the University of Florida. “I actually turned down UF twice. I don’t want to go to school in a swamp and I don’t like football,” she said.
She decided to attend law school at Loyola because she loved her undergraduate experience there and thought she could excel in the program, making it easier for her to find a job after graduating.
After earning her law degree, Aebel decided to return to the Tampa Bay area. Though she loved New Orleans, she knew it wasn’t the city for her to grow roots. “I think there’s a lot of opportunity for people in Tampa Bay,” she said. “What I learned about living in an old, Southern city is everyone wants to know who your daddy was and how many lawyers your family has. It’s hard to break into there, but in Tampa Bay, it’s easy to come from anywhere and get very involved easily… People are very welcoming here. They’re not judgey or snotty.”
She started her career working in litigation, but she never enjoyed it. “I like to prevent problems and work behind the scenes and make deals happen,” she said.
Though she didn’t enjoy trials, “what does appeal to me is finding justice for your clients and advocating for other people,” Aebel said. As she began growing her client list and working with them outside the courtroom, she found her niche and began to enjoy being a lawyer.
In addition to her career, her other great passion is community involvement. She sits on the state advisory board for Ruth’s List, which encourages pro-choice, Democratic women to run for office. She’s also served on the boards for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg and the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association.
In recent years, she’s started working with organizations that “focus on marginalized people in healthcare” and sits on the boards for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and Brain Expansions Scholastic Training, which encourages disadvantaged youth to pursue careers in medicine.
Aebel is a leader in other ways, as well, and is vocal about her political beliefs. “I believe political action is important,” she said. “You want to see the world change in the way you want to see it change.”
This means being educated and involved at a local level. “It means knowing your city council members, knowing your school board members, knowing your local representatives,” she said.
For decades, she’s made it a point to be “a very informed voter,” ever since she returned to the Tampa Bay area after law school. But in 2016, with the election of Pres. Donald Trump, she “decided, clearly, that was not enough.” She wanted to do something more.
Aebel and her friend, a fellow lawyer, Mary Elizabeth Lanier, started a Facebook group, Surly Feminists for the Revolution.
The purpose of the group was to create a safe space for positivity, inclusiveness, progress and feminism, a space that rejects misogyny and prejudice. The name was a play on the phrase “nasty woman,” which was used by Trump to reference his opponent Hillary Clinton. “I came up with the name (Surly Feminists,)” she said. “It’s indicative of its time but also timeless and continues on.”
Today, the group has nearly 13,000 members and has hosted everything from book clubs and other live events to a radio show that airs on WMNF.
When they created the group, Aebel never anticipated its popularity. “That wasn’t my intent,” she said. “It just spontaneously happened. I wasn’t trying to get attention on myself or the group or anything.”
The timing was right for progressive women, stung by Clinton’s loss as a female presidential candidate, to come together to speak out about their own experiences. “What happened with a lot of women, especially middle-aged women, was they had enough, and they said, ‘This is bullsh*t. We need to get more representations. We need to talk about me, too,” she said.
On the political spectrum, she tends to fall further to the left than many Democrats, she said, so, Clinton wasn’t her top candidate in 2016. She did vote for Clinton, though, and was disheartened by her loss. “It was still sad that a woman couldn’t get to that position of power in the United States,” Aebel said.
After the election, discussing the outcome with her family, she was moved when her mother noted that she likely wouldn’t see a woman president in her lifetime. Aebel knew she needed to do more politically.
The 2016 election and creating the Surly Feminists changed her life. “(Women my age) have lived through a lot of sexism and things and survived them. We learned what we’ll put up with and what we won’t. We’re not naïve anymore,” she said. “Normally, I’m a very upbeat, optimistic person, but I am tired of this sh**.”
In January 2017, the day after Trump’s inauguration, she attended the first St. Petersburg Women’s March. “It was the first march I ever did,” she said. “It was the most thrilling, fun and great experience.”
Now, she doesn’t hesitate to march for causes close to her heart. Since 2017, she’s participated in the second St. Petersburg Women’s March, the local March for Science and various Black Lives Matter gatherings.
“Once you do that a few times, you realize that a protest is very powerful,” Aebel said. “You want to have the energy of the moment and connect with people and use that energy and connection to go to the next steps, which for me, in my position, is to make procedural change and legal change. (Protests) really can spur on change. I’ll never take it for granted.”
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La Gaceta Endorses Washington and Ward for School Board District 5
From As We Heard It, by Patrick Manteiga, July 17, 2020
Incumbent School Board Member Tammy Shamburger faces three challengers for her District 5 seat.
Elvis Piggott is a local pastor who is politically active. He ran for County Commission in 2018 and has been involved in campaigning for others.
Piggott is passionate in helping youths and enjoys mentoring kids and leads the Gentleman Scholars at a local elementary school.
Selena Ward served in the Army Reserve, was a teacher in Compton, California schools and is a substitute teacher. She has three school-age children and is the president of a high school PTSA and involved in the Junior League.
Henry “Shake” Washington ran two years ago for School Board countywide and got into the runoff. This year, he is trying for a district seat. He has served in the school district for 42 years and is an Army veteran. He’s been a teacher, coach, principal, area director and Area IV superintendent.
Incumbent Tammy Shamburger is at the end of her first term. She has been vocal about racial inequality in the district and is a passionate advocate for District 5, but she’s been quick to take offense and has alienated some in her district.
The board member for District 5 will need to have the skills to build a team and create consensus.
We believe this race will go to a runoff. Just like the last race, we will co-endorse in this one.
We believe Ward and Washington have the temperament and skills to create a coalition to tackle the problems of District 5. Both have an understanding of education and the existing problems. Washington offers more on an inside perspective, while Ward can bring the district more of an outsider’s view.
La Gaceta co-endorses Selena Ward and Henry “Shake” Washington for School Board District 5.
La Gaceta endorses Thrower and Hill for School Board District 3
From As We Heard It, by: Patrick Manteiga July 17, 2020
There are six candidates running for School Board District 3 to replace the retiring Cindy Stuart, who is running for Clerk of the Circuit Court.
All the candidates we interviewed should be thanked for running for public office. It’s not a fun process and people can be exceptionally mean. The whole group seemed to genuinely care for our students and teachers and wanted to improve the district.
Alexandra Gilmore has two children in public schools and has been a substitute teacher for three years. She tells us of failures in the district she witnessed as a substitute and knows the problems well.
Leo Haggerty has 32 years as a school district employee. He served on the teachers’ union bargaining team. He knows the system and wants to be holistic in serving students. Haggerty is also a man of great faith.
Rick Warrener is a retired CFO and controller and became interested in politics after helping his son run for State House. His focus and claim is that he understands the school district budget and wants to use the Board position to pressure the Legislature to increase school spending.
Jessica Vaughn was a classroom teacher who started substituting after her son was born. She feels her experience as an elected member of her CDD board will help her navigate the School Board and its budget. Vaughn would be a strong advocate for children with disabilities.
There are two candidates we feel stand above the others.
Jennifer Hill has over 17 years of IT and special education teaching experience. She is very focused and excited about technology. She is also preparing to open her own business.
We found Hill to be honest, humble and passionate. She seemed to be a good listener and has a calm and patient demeanor that would serve her well on the School Board. Her knowledge of technology and its use in teaching would be valuable as the district will continue to expand online learning.
Mitch Thrower also impresses us. He currently works for the Aviation Authority and is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor.
He has a lot of experience on public boards from the County Charter Review Board to the Hillsborough County Planning Commission, where he was elected chair six times. His leadership experience is needed on the School Board, as are his skills in understanding the budget.
With six candidates, this race will likely go to a runoff in November. La Gaceta co-endorses Jennifer Hill and Mitch Thrower for School Board District 3.
La Gaceta Endorses Bill Yanger for Judge
From As We Heard It, by: Patrick Manteiga July 10, 2020
The race for County Judge Group 7 has four candidates, Nancy Jacobs, Monique Scott, Rickey “Rick” Silverman, and Bill Yanger.
Nancy Jacobs has the most years as an attorney, with 35. She was a prosecutor for the state attorney’s office for close to 10 years and has been in private practice ever since. She focuses on criminal defense and family law. Jacobs is smart and experienced.
Rickey “Rick” Silverman came from humble beginnings and saw that college and a law degree would be his best way out. He joined the Bar in 1988 and worked in South Florida in general law practice and later in The Ticket Clinic. He moved to Tampa in 1995 and opened his own practice, specializing in traffic and criminal. He has 32 years of experience, with most of it in county court.
Silverman shows great compassion and would be a people’s judge in a people’s court.
Monique Scott started on the path to be a police officer and was sworn in with the Tampa Police Department, but she discovered she had epilepsy and had to end that career. She became a teacher in elementary and middle schools in Pasco County but had a passion for the law and started to attend Stetson Law School. She was admitted to the Bar in 2013 and joined the state attorney’s office. She has served in several divisions.
Scott volunteers in the community and works with children with epilepsy through the Epilepsy Services Foundation.
We really like Monique Scott. She is bright, involved and while young, she has life experience. She will make a great judge one day.
Bill Yanger has 34 years of experience, having joined the Texas Bar in 1986 and the Florida Bar in 1989. He has an AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell and has experience in workers compensation, criminal law, family law and Social Security disability. His focus has been on business litigation for the last 20 years.
In this field, Yanger stands out. He is knowledgeable, ethical and exhibits judicial temperament. He is a Tampa native who has grown as a candidate after having run and failed two years ago. The election process is humbling and makes a better judge.
La Gaceta endorses Bill Yanger for County Judge Group 7.
La Gaceta Endorses Wendy DePaul for Judge
From As We Heard It, by: Patrick Manteiga July 10, 2020
In the Group 39 Circuit Judge race, incumbent Judge Scott Stephens is being challenged by Wendy DePaul.
The reason Judge Stephens has a challenger is last year he made it known he would leave the bench to pursue other opportunities. He then changed his mind to say he may be leaving the bench. Later, he said he was staying because other opportunities were no longer options. He told us he enjoys the job and would likely keep on until 65, but he told others during his campaign he might stay on another two years out of the six-year term before retiring.
Judge Stephens is smart, experienced and runs his court well, although he seems to have some critics among lawyers. He has also contributed much more than sitting in the court over his 19 years on the bench. He wrote a manual for judges on family law and helped bring technology to the courts. He conducts himself in a professional manner, which might come from his 23 years of on and off teaching at Stetson, USF and University of Tampa.
Being a judge is a public service, it’s not a job. If you’re not passionate about it, you should leave. It’s not where you suffer another year or two to pad your retirement account. It’s not to be used as something to do for those fearing retirement. To us, it’s clear Judge Stephens doesn’t have the passion and is already focused on retirement and finding something that excites him more.
Wendy DePaul is passionate about wanting to serve and has the credentials to make a good judge. She has 22 years of legal experience. She owns her own firm Cohen and DePaul, P.A. since 2004. Her experience spans family law, foreclosure defense, collection, bankruptcy, corporate, criminal defense and civil law.
Equal access to the justice system is important to her. That’s why she joined the Board of Directors of Bay Area Legal Services in 2013 and has volunteered since 2011. Her list of community service is long and a lot of her focus is on helping our four-legged friends.
DePaul has been the nicest candidate we’ve been around this season. She has a great judicial temperament, she’s smart, ethical, hardworking and she won our vote.
La Gaceta proudly endorses Wendy DePaul for Circuit Court Judge Group 39.
La Gaceta Endorses Kelly Ayers for Circuit Judge
From As We Heard It, by: Patrick Manteiga July 3, 2020
Voters can’t go wrong in this race for Circuit Court Judge Group 9 between Kelly Ayers and John Schifino.
Schifino has been practicing for 25 years and is currently a trial and litigation attorney with Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been included in the Best Lawyers in America. Schifino is active in the Bar and was the president of the Hillsborough County Bar in 2019. He is also very involved in civic work and served as president of the board for PACE Center for Girls.
Schifino is a complete package – experienced, professional and involved. He would make a great judge.
Ayers, formerly Kelly Ayers Overfield, has one more year of experience than Schifino and her experience seems to be broader. She started her career at a big law firm, Fowler White, and soon opened her own private practice. She now owns three firms and handles county criminal, civil litigation, family law and private dependency.
Ayers has a friendly personality and would offer a courtroom where people could feel they had their side heard in court. She is smart and would be able to handle a busy docket.
It’s a hard choice. Schifino has a longer résumé of community service, but Ayers offers insight into part of her practice that we find interesting. One of her firms handles a lot of cases involving Hispanics. That practice has made her handle cases in Pasco, Polk and Hardee counties. She has a first-row seat in seeing how unfair law enforcement and the system can be to some of the poorest people in our community. That is experience and knowledge we would like to see sitting on the bench.
La Gaceta endorses Kelly Ayers for Circuit Judge Group 9.
