Smith Bryan & Myers collects nearly $1 million in Q2 lobbying fees

Florida Capitol - Backside

The up and coming firm of Smith Bryan & Myers had themselves a healthy second quarter this year, a legislative year so far defined by lawmakers – and lobbyists – spending a lot more time in Tallahassee than anyone thought was likely when 2015 began.

According to estimates based on recently submitted compensation reports, SBM took home around $970,000 during the last reporting period, which ran from April 1 to June 30, $490,000 of that from 50 executive branch contracts and $475,000 from 52 legislative lobbying clients.

The single largest invoice came from Osceola Legislative Effort, a consortium of four local governments within the central Florida county – OLE paid the firm between $20,000 – $29,999 for representation before state executive agencies, plus up to $9,999 for legislative work.

SBM had a plurality of clients who paid up between $20,000 – $49,998 for advocacy in both lobby-able aspects of state government. They included:

  • Delta Air Lines
  • Florida Chamber of Commerce Florida
  • Florida Hospital Association Florida
  • Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
  • Florida State Pilots Association
  • Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association
  • Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners
  • Johnson & Johnson Services
  • Shands Teaching Hospital & Clinics
  • United Airlines United Healthcare Services, and
  • University of Florida Foundation.

The firm also teamed up with Metz Husband & Daughton – whose Q2 figures we also analyzed – to manage a massive Collier Resources Company contract, as well as collaborating to represent North Florida Water Working Group.

Other major clients included U.S. Sugar, Duke Energy, Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota and telecoms giant AT&T.

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.

Ryan Ray

Ryan Ray covers politics and public policy in North Florida and across the state. He has also worked as a legislative researcher and political campaign staffer. He can be reached at [email protected].



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