Tom Thanas joined the Dye Harrison firm in 2018. Since joining the firm, he has developed a well-rounded local government practice. Tom has represented several Florida municipalities on a variety of local government matters and has served as the city attorney of Dade City since 2019. Tom also serves as a special magistrate and hearing officer for Florida municipalities and other units of local government in the Tampa Bay area.
Tom has spent much of his career serving as a city attorney and a private practitioner representing municipalities primarily in the Chicago area. In 2008, Tom was appointed to serve as the city manager of Joliet, the third largest city in Illinois. Tom has also been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as a circuit judge in Will County where he presided over juvenile court and mortgage foreclosure court. In addition to his public sector experience, Tom served as regional counsel for Harrah’s Entertainment where he handled regulatory matters for the company’s Midwest casinos.
Tom has worked on big projects over his career. His experience includes work on a 4,000-acre intermodal global logistics project, a $50 million multimodal transportation center, a NASCAR track, two riverboat casinos, and the annexation and development of thousands of acres of commercial and residential property.
Tom’s experience includes handling litigation in federal and state courts, public procurement contracts, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, handling employment matters, dealing with open meetings act and freedom of information act matters, and handling bond issues, tax levies, and other public finance matters. As a local government lawyer, Tom has acquired a depth of knowledge in environmental, engineering, utilities, human resources, public finance, police, fire and paramedic service, and almost every aspect of the operation and management of local government.
