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© St. Petersburg Times, published February 17, 2003
Kris Delano is back at Bankers Insurance -- sort of.
Delano, the former general counsel at Bankers, was forced to sever ties with the insurance company a year ago as part of a settlement with state regulators over a troublesome episode involving spying on a public official.
In his new job, as partner in a law firm, his office is on the 13th floor of Bankers' headquarters tower in downtown St. Petersburg, just four floors down from his old office.
Delano said he considers himself the "southern outpost" of the Michigan firm Stone Biber O'Toole & Delano.
He got to know the firm and its principals in his waning months at Bankers when he negotiated the sale of Bankers' downtown building, now called First Central Tower, to Osprey Management. Osprey is run by Mike Biber, who doubles as a principal with the Stone Biber firm.
Delano played a central role in hiring a private investigator to spy on insurance regulator Kevin McCarty in an apparent attempt to find information that might be used to fire him. Delano was banned from holding any position with Bankers or its affiliates and was prohibited from receiving severance pay or any compensation for his removal.
Last week, Delano acknowledged a certain irony in his new locale. But it was a nonissue to his former employers, who could jeopardize their state license if they work with Delano or otherwise violate the settlement.
"His presence in the building has nothing to do with us," Bankers Insurance spokeswoman Barbara Peate said.