Business newsmakers: Demers joins GrayRobinson's litigation section in Melbourne
Demers joins GrayRobinson's litigation section
The GrayRobinson law firm recently announced that Shawn Demers joined its litigation section. Demers will part of the firm’s Melbourne office.
Demers serves as a commercial litigator, handling a diverse portfolio of complex commercial litigation matters from inception through trial; a business transaction attorney handling asset and purchase agreements; and as counsel for small and growing businesses.
Demers regularly works with developers, investors, contractors, residential and commercial property owners, commercial tenants and other parties in the real estate and litigation arena.
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Demers received his Juris Doctor from Florida State University, and his bachelor’s degree in history and classical civilizations from FSU.
He is admitted to practice in Florida and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Demers also is an avid vegan Ironman triathlete, and races for team Vegan Powered Athlete and the “Team Infinit” Competition Team.
New board officers named at Neighbor Up Brevard
Neighbor Up Brevard has announced the appointment of two key board positions.
Leslie Tibbetts, vice president of commercial services at Community Credit Union, has been appointed board president.
Jordin Chandler, governmental relations consultant for Space Coast Strategy, has been selected as board vice president.
Tibbetts succeeds Peter Mannino, who has served as Neighbor Up Brevard’s board president since 2020.
“I am excited to pass the torch to wonderful community advocates like Leslie and Jordin," Mannino said. "With their leadership, along with the rest of the board, the future of Neighbor Up is bright.”
Tibbetts has sat on the Neighbor Up board for two years, and before that she served as an adviser to the Evans Center project.
Chandler, who has been involved with Neighbor Up Brevard as a board member since 2020, is an advocate for equity, community action and leadership. He also recently was named one of LEAD Brevard’s 4 Under 40 awardees.
For more information on Neighbor Up Brevard, go to www.neighborupbrevard.org.
Melbourne Police Department staff members honored
The Melbourne Police Department recently recognized police officers, communications officers and civilian employees for outstanding accomplishments, dedication, bravery and professionalism.
Within these groups, the department also gave special awards to officers and employees who stood out among even these exceptional honorees. The 2022 winners of these awards are as follows:
Officer Greg Hughes was named Officer of the Year. He was been with the department for more than 26 years, and known for consistently providing excellent service to the people of Melbourne. In 2022, he conducted 69 searches, responded to 386 calls for service, responded to back up other officers 512 times, responded to assist other agencies on 34 incidents and made three K-9 apprehensions. His efforts resulted in seizure of more than 2 kilograms of various illegal drugs. Additionally, he assisted with numerous K-9 demonstrations throughout the year.
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Hughes was awarded the Police Combat Cross and Police Purple Heart for responding to and engaging with an armed subject who was barricaded in a room at a hotel on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. During the incident he was shot and wounded while attempting to peacefully resolve the barricade. At imminent personal hazard to his life, he had engaged in dialogue with the room’s occupants. A gunshot was fired through the door from within the room, resulting in a bullet striking Hughes in the chest. He was wearing his department-issued ballistic vest, and the bullet did not penetrate his skin. However, the force of the impact caused him to fall to the ground.
LeSean Campbell, the Communications Officer of the Year, with the Communications Center, has been with the department for more than 20 years. For the past 10 years, she has been second in charge on the night shift, where she plays a critical role in helping supervisors during high-volume incidents and seamlessly fills in for supervisors on their days off. She shares her knowledge with her peers and helps whenever requested.
Crime analyst Sheree Payne, the Employee of the Year, was honored for consistently demonstrating passion and attention to detail in her day-to-day responsibilities, often working outside of her normal hours to accomplish tasks. Her exceptional efforts resulted in significant law enforcement accomplishments in 2022, including documenting a new criminal gang responsible for significant violence in the community. This was the first time a new gang had been documented in Melbourne in close to a decade.
She also helped officers quickly locate a vehicle that was involved in a shooting. Officers found a loaded AK-47 and arrested the suspect who had been associated with the new gang during an attack at Palm Bay High School. Due to the swift actions of Payne and police officers. a dangerous firearm was taken off the street, and a gang associate was charged with several felony crimes. It is likely that further violence was prevented due to their actions.
Also in 2022, her quick action in cross-referencing evidence from the scene of a hit-and-run crash led to the location of the vehicle involved and the arrest of its driver. She also helped officers quickly locate a Silver Alert vehicle and safely return a disoriented elderly driver to his family members. She provided key intelligence support for various incident action plans throughout the year and took the lead on implementing a large investigative database of cellular phone data that has been used to assist with many major cases and to help curb overdoses in the city.
Timothy Clifford received the department’s Detective Award of Excellence. He consistently deals with the highest-profile and most-violent offenders in the community, and his reputation is well-known among them.
A sworn officer since 2016, Clifford was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division as a member of the Juvenile Unit in 2022, where he was assigned 34 cases, 27 of which he has closed. The department said his significant achievements last year are indicative of someone who is consistently and knowingly placing themselves on the leading edge of whatever mission is at hand.
He played a key role in the cooperative effort to document a new street gang in south Brevard tied to multiple shootings and other violent criminal acts in several jurisdictions. He was temporarily integrated with Brevard County Sheriff’s Office GAMEOVER Task Force to assist with apprehension efforts to arrest the one out of four suspects who had not yet been arrested after an incident at Palm Bay High School during which a Melbourne Police Department officer was struck with a vehicle.
In 2022, he also served on the SWAT Team, as a task force officer on the Central Florida Homeland Security Task Force, and represented the department at CEASEFIRE Task Force meetings hosted by the State Attorney's Office and on the Brevard County Public Schools Threat Assessment Boards for several schools.
Field Training Officer of the Year Baylee Sudman was noted for her work and dedication in aiding the Training and Accreditation Units in important areas. In 2022, she mentored trainees through the assigned phases, ensuring she exposed them to sufficient training opportunities with effective and proper feedback, including additional training when necessary, so they would be prepared to progress through field training to solo patrol.
In 2022, Sudman received a Unit Meritorious Performance Award for her role in responding to an aggravated assault resulting in officers taking gunfire. She helped form a perimeter around the incident location and safely evacuated nearby residents until the suspect was apprehended.
She has achieved general instructor certification and has attended numerous advanced training courses to improve her abilities and increase the number of topics she is able to teach.
Sgt. Michael Tatalias received the Supervisor Award of Excellence Award. He was instrumental in developing Day Watch Bravo squad into a consistent and reliable representation of the Melbourne Police Department. Under his leadership, the squad consistently yields high levels of self-initiated activity, as well as dependable cohesive work on large-scale incidents.
He was awarded an Exceptional Duty Bar for apprehension of a known gang member who fired multiple gunshots into a residence. He was awarded another Exceptional Duty Bar for apprehending the armed driver of a vehicle that was involved in an armed robbery, and supervising officers from three agencies and multiple internal units to conduct a successful search for a second vehicle and firearm that were involved in the incident. He was awarded a third Exceptional Duty Bar for his quick actions at the scene of a stabbing that helped save the victim, and led to the arrest of the suspect and recovery of the knife he used in the attack. He also helped arrest several members of a new street gang.
If you have a Business Newsmakers item you'd like to publish, please email details to Wayne T. Price at wtpkansas@yahoo.com or contact him at 321-223-0230.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: GrayRobinson adds Demers to its litigation section in Melbourne
