Sean Gellis, Esq. Of-Counsel to the Firm
Sean works with Maldonado Law Group on civil litigation, administrative law, regulatory compliance as well as cybersecurity and Private Sector Information Privacy matters. Sean founded his own Tallahassee-based law firm, Gellis Law, PLLC, in November 2022 after a nine-year career in state government. He began co-counselling matters with Maldonado Law shortly thereafter. Prior to this, the last four years of Sean’s career were spent serving in the administration of Governor Ron DeSantis. In September 2021, Sean was appointed Chief of Staff/Chief Operating Officer for the Department of Management Services (DMS), known as the “business arm of Florida government.”
As Chief of Staff, Sean also served as the primary lobbyist for the agency. DMS is responsible for providing back-office support for all other Florida state governmental agencies and their employees. This includes providing retirement benefits, health insurance benefits, human resources services, information technology, and state purchasing. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, Sean was appointed General Counsel for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in September 2020. FDOT is the nation’s third largest state transportation department with an approximately $10 billion work program. He also served as Interim General Counsel for DMS. This unique combination of skill and experience allows Sean to offer the highest quality legal and consulting services.
Department of Management Services (DMS)
At DMS, Sean served as Chief Operations Officer to this $1 billion state agency. He supervised internal agency operations, including overseeing a total of 116 FTE spread across the Division of Finance and Administration, and Offices of the General Counsel, Communications, Legislative Affairs, Strategic Planning, and Information Technology. As Chief of Staff, he was selected to serve as the transition team lead for the state data center outsourcing initiative. He successfully led the contract negotiations which resulted in a friction-free transfer of state data center operations from DMS to the Florida State University Northwest Regional Data Center (NWRDC). This included negotiating the process to access the $163 million cloud modernization appropriation.
Sean had prior experience with DMS which helped him succeed as Chief of Staff. He was first hired by DMS in July 2018 as Chief Contracts Attorney. He quickly promoted to Deputy General Counsel for Litigation and then Interim General Counsel. In these capacities Sean was responsible overseeing the Department’s litigation caseload, as well as providing legal advice to all DMS program areas. Sean’s success in these roles led to his appointment as General Counsel for FDOT, and then Chief of Staff for DMS.
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
While General Counsel of FDOT, Sean supervised an office of 77 attorneys and 45 paralegals across all FDOT districts and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise. He reviewed procurement specifications and provided legal advice about the FDOT’s procurement processes. In total, Sean has appeared as counsel of record in 14 bid protest disputes at the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH). While at FDOT, he personally handled two bid protest disputes as lead counsel and was victorious in both matters (DOAH Case Nos. 21-1728BID and 21-2161BID).
Sean’s service as General Counsel included advising the FDOT executive team on all pertinent matters. He directly communicated with all 7 District Secretaries as well as the CEO of the Florida Turnpike Enterprise. This experience gave Sean a unique insight into FDOT operations that not many other attorneys can offer. For example, Sean personally worked on the I-4 Public Private Partnership (P3), the Pensacola Bay Bridge issue during Hurricane Sally, the Garcon Point Bridge purchase, the Formula 1/Turnpike Enterprise Permitting Issue in Miami, and the Miami Dade Expressway Authority/Greater Miami Expressway Agency dispute.
Other Prior Experience
Aside from DMS and FDOT, Sean has also worked for the Florida Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). He began his career as an Assistant Attorney General (AAG) in the Civil Division in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in October 2013. As an AAG, he defended state agencies and employees against civil lawsuits. He then transferred to Tallahassee, where he exclusively defended the Florida Department of Corrections and its employees against federal constitutional lawsuits filed by incarcerated individuals. This position is where Sean learned the bulk of his litigation skills. Sean handled a high volume caseload of over 100 active cases at a time, including federal civil rights cases and state court petitions for writs of mandamus. This high volume caseload gave him the opportunity to fully engage in the world of litigation. For example, he conducted oral arguments at the federal Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta Georgia, and sat as co-counsel for two federal civil trials. He also served as lead counsel in over 20 state and federal appeals.
Aside from DMS and FDOT, Sean has also worked for the Florida Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). He began his career as an Assistant Attorney General (AAG) in the Civil Division in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in October 2013. As an AAG, he defended state agencies and employees against civil lawsuits. He then transferred to Tallahassee, where he exclusively defended the Florida Department of Corrections and its employees against federal constitutional lawsuits filed by incarcerated individuals. This position is where Sean learned the bulk of his litigation skills. Sean handled a high volume caseload of over 100 active cases at a time, including federal civil rights cases and state court petitions for writs of mandamus. This high volume caseload gave him the opportunity to fully engage in the world of litigation. For example, he conducted oral arguments at the federal Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta Georgia, and sat as co-counsel for two federal civil trials. He also served as lead counsel in over 20 state and federal appeals.
After serving as an Assistant Attorney General, Sean took a position as Assistant General Counsel at FDC in the contract procurement and bid protest litigation unit. Sean was an ample litigator and was willing to learn procurement law so he could defend FDC in bid protest disputes. He spent time reviewing hundreds of purchases and procurements and learning the mechanics of Florida procurement law. This experience allowed him to successfully defend FDC in five bid protest cases.
Courts Admitted
All Florida Judicial Circuits
All Florida District Courts of Appeal
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Professional Certifications
Board Certified in State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice by the Florida Bar
Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
AV-Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell with Endorsement for High Ethical Standing
Certified Digital Asset Advisor from PlannerDAO
Education and Personal
Mr. Gellis was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2013. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Florida in 2009, and a Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University College of Law in Miami, Florida in 2013. Sean followed in his family’s footsteps of entrepreneurship. Sean’s brother Kyle founded Warped Cigars, a successful cigar company, and his mother Kathy founded Gellis Consulting, a successful concierge bookkeeping and management company in the Palm Beaches.