Tallahassee lawyer recognized with Bulldog of the Year award

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families is awarding Tallahassee legal services lawyer Anne Swerlick its Bulldog of the Year Award.

Georgetown CCF Executive Director Joan Alker announced the award at its annual conference Tuesday. The award recognizes someone who embodies the spirit of the university’s mascot, “Jack the Bulldog”

“You are the definition of a bulldog who has worked in very difficult circumstances for many, many years now trying to make the lives better for children and families and folks in Florida. We really treasure your work,” Alker said.

Swerlick, currently the senior policy director at Florida Policy Institute (FPI), is retiring after a nearly 40-year career dedicated to representing indigent clients on a broad range of poverty law issues. She is an expert in Florida Medicaid policy.

Swerlick retires on a high note, seeing HB 855 sail through the Legislature. Passed unanimously, the bill she helped craft requires managed care plans, beginning Jan. 1, 2026, to stratify all performance measure data by recipient age, race, ethnicity, primary language, sex and disability status. The bill also requires plans to collect and report the Adult Core Set behavioral health measures beginning Jan. 1, 2025.

The bill passed unanimously.

Prior to joining FPI, Swerlick was the policy director for Florida CHAIN, a statewide grassroots health advocacy organization promoting access to affordable and quality health care for all Floridians.

“I look at this time of so-called retirement as sort of a pause and a reset because it’s hard to completely pull away from this,” Swerlick said after being recognized with the award.