Ryan Ray
With just two lobbyists in the Cocoa, Fla.-based shop, Spearman Management brought in an estimated $630,000 in governmental consulting fees between April 1 and June 30, according to recently submitted compensation reports.
Lobbyist Erin Hellkemp joined firm owner Guy Spearman, III to earn about $370,000 in legislative lobbying fees and $260,000 in executive branch lobbying fees.
Altria Client Services and Anheuser-Busch stood alone at the top of the firm’s balance sheets for Q2: The companies spent between $60,000 and $78,998 each for representation in both aspects of government in the Florida Capitol, for a total of about $140,000.
Spearman’s portfolio suggested a diverse practice last quarter, drawing substantial consulting fees from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg and Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne — the private colleges accounted for about $100,000 toward the firm’s bottom line — as well as Gannett Sun Coast Newspaper Group and AT&T, which paid $50,000 and $30,000 respectively.
Other notable Spearman clients included SeaWorld, Florida Sheriffs Association and Capital Health Plan.
State law requires lobbying firms to submit compensation reports quarterly. They are permitted in most cases to simply report an approximate range of client compensation — e.g. $1 – $9,999 – in lieu of the specific dollar amount.
