Lobbying firms are required to file quarterly reports that offer a picture of how much they get paid. The numbers aren’t exact because firms largely report their income in ranges, though specific information is available about payments of $50,000 or more.
Firms faced a deadline this month to file reports about their compensation from January through March, a period that included most of the first half of the annual legislative session. Here are the firms that pulled in the most money for legislative lobbying during the quarter and a list of large payments from clients:
FIRMS REPORTING COMPENSATION OF $1 MILLION OR MORE:
— Ballard Partners
— Capital City Consulting LLC
— GrayRobinson PA
— Greenberg Traurig PA
— Ronald L. Book PA
— Rubin, Turnbull & Associates
— Southern Strategy Group
FIRMS REPORTING COMPENSATION OF $500,000 TO $999,999:
— Becker & Poliakoff PA
— Corcoran & Johnston
— Floridian Partners LLC
— Johnson & Blanton
— Metz Husband & Daughton PA
— Smith Bryan & Myers Inc.
— The Advocacy Group at Cardenas Partners LLC
— The Mayernick Group LLC
FIRMS REPORTING COMPENSATION OF $250,000 TO $499,999:
— Anfield Consulting
— Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
— Colodny Fass
— Dean Mead
— Gunster Yoakley & Stewart PA
— Heffley & Associates
— Holland & Knight LLP
— Hopping Green & Sams PA
— Larry J. Overton & Associates Inc.
— McGuireWoods Consulting LLC
— Peebles, Smith & Matthews, Inc.
— Pittman Law Group PL
— PooleMcKinley
— Ramba Consulting Group LLC
— RutledgeEcenia PA
— The Fiorentino Group
— The Legis Group
PAYMENTS OF $50,000 OR MORE TO LOBBYING FIRMS:
— Amscot Financial, Inc.: $51,000 paid to Metz Husband & Daughton PA.
— AshBritt: $135,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.
— Auto Tag Management Group: $89,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.
— Automated Healthcare Solutions: $50,000 paid to Ballard Partners.
— Charter Schools USA: $65,000 paid to Tripp Scott PA.
— Citizens for Responsible Pet Ownership: $75,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.
— FCCI Insurance Group: $50,000 paid to Leath Consulting.
— Florida Municipal Broadband Alliance: $60,000 paid to Peebles, Smith & Matthews, Inc.
— Fontainebleau Florida Hotel, LLC: $63,000 paid to Corcoran & Johnston.
— HCA Healthcare: $56,000 paid to Rubin, Turnbull & Associates.
— K.A.S. & Associates, Inc.: $200,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.
— Miami Project/Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis: $55,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.
— MorseLife: $50,000 paid to Floridian Partners LLC.
— Performance Title Services: $130,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.
— Polaris: $60,000 paid to Southern Strategy Group.
— Seminole Tribe of Florida: $55,000 paid to Greenberg Traurig PA.
— Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, Inc.: $84,000 paid to Ballard Partners.
— Small County Coalition: $165,000 paid to Robert P. Jones & Associates.
— State Farm Florida Insurance Co: $50,000 paid to Tripp Scott PA.
— Sunfest Herbs LLC: $50,000 paid to Ballard Partners.
— The SEED Foundation, Inc.: $61,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.
— The Vestcor Companies, Inc.: $69,000 paid to Southern Strategy Group.
— Title Clerk Consulting Company, LLC: $160,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.
— U.S. Stem Cell, Inc.: $90,000 paid to Rubin, Turnbull & Associates.
SOURCE: Florida lobbyist registration and compensation website.
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This article appears in May 23-30, 2019.