Peter Schorsch
Broward County may be changing its entire lineup of lobbyists.
As of Sept. 30, county contracts with five lobbyists will expire; including that of South Florida super-lobbyist Ron Book, who is from the Broward area.
The contacts were approved three years ago, and “no further renewal periods available,” according to a county memo, reports Brittany Wallman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
County commissioners will be meeting on Tuesday to decide what’s next.
The current contracts of Broward County lobbyists:
- Ericks Consultants Inc. for $53,000
- Ronald Book for $53,000
- William Peebles for $40,000, with $1,000 more for office space
- Tripp Scott for $40,000, plus $2,000 to be used for supplementary services (such as team meetings)
- Pittman Law Group for $35,000
There was no explanation given for why the County Commission waited until now to address the situration, which now excludes any possibility of competitive bidding.
One option would be to continue on a month-to-month agreement, leaving the decision for after the November election.
Commissioners could also continue the contracts on a monthly basis, giving time for a competitive process, or extend the contracts one year.
