I want to end this," Schreiber said.

Schreiber has been under fire since it was reported last Tuesday that he had sent an e-mail to the 167 lawyers and support staff asking for the money. The donations would allow his daughter's boyfriend to play in the National Golf Association Hooters Pro Golf Tour.

The e-mail asked for a $100 minimum contribution to a Feb. 24 fund-raiser at Schreiber's Plantation house for would-be golf pro Craig Pawling. The golfer has been featured on the Golf Channel and is dating Jennifer Schreiber, the public defender's daughter. As the controversy about the e-mail erupted, the public defender insisted he had not been trying to coerce anyone in his office into giving money.

But lawyers complained about being solicited and Schreiber's ethics were questioned. Nova Southeastern law professor Robert Jarvis called for a Florida Bar investigation of the public defender. Schreiber turned to attorney David Bogenschutz to figure a way out of the jam.

He began to backpedal. He first said the fund-raiser would be open to anybody in the office, regardless of whether they had donated money.

"I will have plenty of food and booze and it will be a good time for all," Schreiber wrote in another e-mail to his staff on Wednesday.

On Friday, Schreiber retreated further, saying he would no longer accept money from his employees. On Saturday, he said he would give back the $2,000 he already collected.

"I'm returning all the checks. I'm not accepting any more checks from employees," Schreiber said. "Anyone can come to the party at my house."

Schreiber originally was seeking to raise $50,000 for Pawling, 29, who started dating Jennifer Schreiber last year after they met on the Internet. In addition to trying to raise money for Pawling, the public defender gave him a part-time job serving subpoenas.

All these attempts to help Pawling had "created too much trouble," Schreiber conceded Saturday.