Attorneys

Mr. Blank is the founding shareholder of Blank & Meenan, PA. He spent more than six years with the Florida House of Representatives and was its first full-time General Counsel. He also served as staff counsel to numerous House committees. Mr. Blank directed the largest investigation of state agencies ever conducted by the Florida House of Representatives. He also served as General Counsel to the Florida Patients' Compensation Fund, recovering in excess of $110 million in less than twelve months.  Mr. Blank helped establish the Florida Prep... {READ FULL BIO}

Timothy J. Meenan serves as the firm's Senior Insurance regulatory shareholder.  While Deputy Treasurer for the State of Florida, Mr. Meenan oversaw Florida's four billion-dollar State Treasury as well as three other divisions of the Florida Department of Insurance, including the Division of Risk Management.  He also served for three years as the Executive Assistant to the Florida Insurance Commissioner, where he helped formulate and implement legislative and regulatory proposals for the Department.  Mr. Meenan received his Bachelor of Arts ... {READ FULL BIO}

Joy M. Ryan has represented insurance, technology, local government and law enforcement clients before legislative and executive branches. Ms. Ryan has broad experience in regulatory matters, with an emphasis on insurance regulatory work in the areas of life, health, long-term care, disability, property and casualty, and title insurance. She has also worked extensively in the procurement arena, identifying opportunities at executive agencies and assisting in the preparation of a winning bid for a large dollar multi-year contract. Ms. Ryan re... {READ FULL BIO}

Chris Long received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2006. He received his law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010.  Mr. Long is admitted to practice law in the courts of Florida, including the Federal Northern District Court. Mr. Long served as the Daniel Sumner Fellow in Law and Policy in the Office of Florida’s Chief Financial Officer within the state’s Department of Financial Services. In that role, ... {READ FULL BIO}

Stephen McDaniel received his Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting and Finance at Florida State University, graduating Cum Laude in 1999. Mr. McDaniel passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant exam in Georgia where he received the Gold Key Award for scoring the highest score of the 1,462 candidates. He graduated from the Florida State University College of Law, Summa Cum Laude, in 2004. He was ranked third in his graduating class, and received the distinction of being selected as a member of the Florida State Chapter of the Order of t... {READ FULL BIO}

Matthew Nowels received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996 from Davidson College and his Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law in 2001. Mr. Nowels began his legal career at the Florida Department of Insurance (now the Department of Financial Services) where he represented the Department in administrative and appellate litigation matters. In 2003, he joined the Office of Insurance Regulation as Assistant General Counsel. In that capacity, he reviewed applications for Certificates of Authority, provided legal advice to... {READ FULL BIO}

Mr. Tharpe received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 from the University of South Florida and his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law in 1980. Mr. Tharpe began his legal career in private practice in Tallahassee in 1981.  In 1982 he joined the Legal Division of the Florida Department of Insurance (now the Department of Financial Services) where he represented the Department in administrative and appellate litigation matters. From 1985 to 2009, Mr. Tharpe served as Chief Counsel to the Department's Division of Agents and Agency Services an... {READ FULL BIO}

Sandra Faglie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Florida State University in 1995 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida College of Law in 2001. Sandra is admitted to practice before all Florida courts. Prior to joining our firm, Mrs. Faglie worked as a legislative assistant for United States Congressman Cliff Stearns. Her primary areas of legislative experience included transportation, health and science, immigration, and natural resources. She also served as the Congressman’s north district aide, where s... {READ FULL BIO}