From FBI to Florida Bar: Doyle makes big transition

Jeffrey Schweers
Tallahassee Democrat

The application of the new executive director of the Florida Bar reads like the blurb for a spy novel: Undercover agents, intelligence analysts, covert vehicles, an airplane, and audio and video surveillance equipment over a two-year operation.

Josh Doyle, new executive director of the Florida Bar

Sounds like an exciting career. Too bad he can't talk about it.

During a half-hour interview Monday, Josh Doyle, who grew up in Tallahassee, deftly sidestepped questions asking to delve deeper into his 7-plus years at the FBI. He wouldn't even talk about what he put in his application, which the Tallahassee Democrat obtained through a public records request.

“I’m no longer employed by FBI and not authorized to speak about anything on their behalf,” Doyle said.

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The former Tallahassee FBI field supervisor began his new career last week, stepping into the big shoes that Jack Harkness is stepping out of after running the 105,000-member agency that regulates the legal profession in Florida for 37 years.

Two days into the job, Doyle attended his first Florida Bar Board of Governors. “It was like drinking from a fire hose but really exciting,” he said of the four-day meeting at Turnberry Isle in Miami.

Doyle steered the conversation toward his first impression of the board of governors ("prominent, hard working lawyers who take their own time and expense to travel to these meetings"), the five-point program laid out by the incoming president, Michael Higer ("we are engaged in a lot of exciting programs"), and the 345 employees of the Bar ("people who work here, and get up every day with one goal and that is to serve the public").

While his application offers a tantalizing look into details of FBI procedures and investigations that rarely get public attention, Doyle wouldn't pull the curtain back further.

"I am happy to talk about the exciting stuff the bar is doing," he said.

That stuff includes helping Higer achieve his goals to make the bar more inclusive, monitor the Constitutional Revision Commission, use technology to make legal services more accessible to Floridians, and focus on the mental health and well-being of lawyers and judges and the people who engage in the legal system.

When he applied for the job, however, he wasn't shy to tout his FBI experience. When asked on his application to summarize what qualified him, Doyle chose to highlight one assignment: a recently concluded and “sensitive two-year undercover investigation where we used an undercover technique that had not been used in my office in more than 15 years.”

He established a $500,000 budget, built a team of 20 people, including “undercover employees, forensic accountants, intelligence analysts, auditors and support staff,” he continued and engaged in overt and covert travel and purchases.

Doyle also said he “identified experts who could assist me in utilizing new technologies, some rarely used, in order to effectively gather evidence.”

His application said the investigation wrapped up in June, which coincides with the FBI’s investigation into the city of Tallahassee’s Community Redevelopment Agency. Sources close to persons of interest said undercover agents met with city and county officials.  

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The FBI served subpoenas on the city and CRA in mid-June, the same month Doyle concluded his operation and left the FBI. Doyle's name is across the top of one of the subpoenas, both of which show the investigation began in 2015.

A search of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District reports no cases or recent indictments that match the scope described by Doyle in his application.

Doyle’s application also cites his involvement in the FBI’s anti-public corruption efforts.

“For the past two years, within my division, I have been responsible for leading the discussion with executive management regarding the short- and long-term plans of the public corruption program,” he wrote.

Doyle was named Coordinator for the North Florida Public Corruption Task Force in 2016, supervising agents from other law-enforcement agencies assigned to the task force.

On Monday he politely refused to expound on those details. 

When asked if his training in crisis and hostage negotiations could come in handy if a labor dispute arose at the bar, Doyle just laughed.

He spoke about his overall experience, which included stints as a lawyer/lobbyist with Metz, Husband and Daughton, a certified legal intern with the Office of the State Attorney, a special assistant to U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, and a special assistant to Martha Barnett when she was president of the American Bar Association.

"I am service-oriented by nature," Doyle said. "I have the ability to work with and engage many different groups and constituencies, which will come in handy."

Doyle seemed confident he could move from the cloistered world of the FBI to the more public arena of the Florida Bar.

"I am fortunate throughout my career to have been with several different entities," he said.

"Every entity has its own set of clearly defined rules. The Bar has its own rules. And the Supreme Court has ensured, rightfully in my opinion, that the Bar should be as transparent as possible."

In his own words: Former FBI agent's description of 'recent investigation'

Then FBI special agent Josh Doyle's application for the Florida Bar executive director position, which was obtained by Tallahassee Democrat, includes a detailed account of a "recent investigation." The FBI would not confirm whether this investigation was related to the subpoenas served to City Hall last month. 

Below is the full statement about the investigation in Doyle's own words.

"I recently concluded a sensitive two-year undercover investigation where we used an undercover technique that had not been used in my office in more than 15 years. I was the team leader who took the initiative to use this rarely used technique.

"I had to quickly develop an expertise in the subject of the investigation. I identified well-qualified people, persuading them to assist me using new investigative techniques and demanding that everyone comply with the highest degree of ethics.

"I built a team of about 20 people, including undercover employees, forensic accountants, intelligence analysts, auditors and support staff. In conjunction with prosecutors, I established long-term goals and strategies for achieving those goals. I motivated my team to prioritize my case and meet deadlines. I established a budget of approximately $500,000 and accounted for that budget. I proactively sought regular audits in order to mitigate potential challenges.

"I complied with all government-procurement laws and regulations relating to overt and covert purchases and travel. I identified experts who could assist me in utilizing new technologies, some rarely used, in order to effectively gather evidence. I communicated regularly and often with my team. I also anticipated the concerns of my supervisors at FBI headquarters and regularly communicated with them as well. I made certain my team achieved results, and that I achieved my goals."

Contact Schweers at jschweers@tallahassee.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffschweers.