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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

PENSACOLA DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

and THE STATE OF FLORIDA, 

ex rel. ROBERT V. SMITH, 

Qui Tam Plaintiff,

v. CASE NO.: 3:20-cv-03678/MCR/ZCB

JAY A. ODOM; OKALOOSA 

COUNTY, BOARD OF COUNTY

COMMISSIONERS,

Defendants.

__________________________________________________________________

NOTICE OF APPEAL

__________________________________________________________________

Notice is hereby given that Qui Tam Plaintiff, United States of America and 

the State of Florida, ex rel. Robert V. Smith (“Relator”), in the above named case, 

hereby appeals to the United States Court of Appeal for the Eleventh Circuit from 

the Northern District of Florida’s “Order” granting Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss 

the First Amended Complaint (ECF No. 76), filed on June 22, 2023, and “Order” 

denying Plaintiffs’ Motion to Amend the Judgment (ECF No. 80), filed October 5, 

2023. A copy of said orders are attached as Composite Exhibit A.

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Respectfully submitted this 2

nd day of November 2023. 

/s/ Elizabeth C. Billhimer

ELIZABETH C. BILLHIMER

Florida Bar No. 0121986

CLARK PARTINGTON

4100 Legendary Drive, Ste. 200.

Destin, Florida 32541

(850) 650-3304 telephone

(850) 650-3305 facsimile 

ebillhimer@clarkpartington.com

fkendall@clarkpartington.com

bgilman@clarkpartington.com

Attorney for Qui Tam Plaintiff, 

United States of America and 

the State of Florida, 

ex rel. Robert V. Smith

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the foregoing has been 

served by electronic mail via the Court’s transmission of the Notice of Electronic 

Filing to the following, this 2

nd day of November 2023:

A. BENJAMIN GORDON, III

Anchors Gordon, P.A.

2113 Lewis Turner Blvd., Suite 100

Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547

bgordon@anchorsgordon.com

aizzo@anchorsgordon.com

cyndi@anchorsgordon.com

mary@anchorsgordon.com

SARAH WILBANKS

NATHANIEL H. HUNT

PETER J. KIRSCH

Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP

1675 Broadway, Suite 2300

Denver, CO 80202

swilbanks@kaplankirsch.com

nhunt@kaplankirsch.com

pkirsch@kaplankirsch.com

COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT

JAY A. ODOM

GREGORY T. STEWART 

LYNN M. HOSHIHARA 

KERRY A. PARSONS 

Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson, P.A. 

1500 Mahan Drive, Suite 200 

Tallahassee, Florida 32308 

(850) 224-4070 

(850) 224-4073 Facsimile 

gstewart@ngnlaw.com 

lhoshihara@ngnlaw.com 

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kparsons@ngnlaw.com 

legal-admin@ngnlaw.com

COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT

OKALOOSA COUNTY, BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

DAVID M. SOBOTKIN

Trial Attorney

U.S. Department of Justice

Civil Division, Fraud Section

Post Office Box 261

Ben Franklin Station

Washington, D.C. 20044

(202) 353-1291

David.m.sobotkin@usdoj.gov

ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

And by regular U.S. mail to the State of Florida

CHRISTOPHER A. KNIGHT

Office of the Attorney General

State of Florida

PL-01 The Capitol

Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050 

Christopher.knight@myfloridalegal.com

And 

JIMMY PATRONIS, Chief Financial Officer

Florida Department of Financial Services

200 East Gaines Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399

/s/ Elizabeth C. Billhimer

ELIZABETH C. BILLHIMER

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