Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster- Amy Young
- Ana Cruz
- Automated Healthcare Solutions
- Ballard Partners
- Bradley Burleson
- Brady Benford
- Brian Ballard
- Carol Bracy
- Chris Dorworth
- Christopher Hansen
- Donald Payton
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- Jan Johnson Gorrie
- John Johnston
- Justin Sayfie
- Mathew Forrest
- Michael Abrams
- Monica Rodriguez
- Resorts World Miami
- Richard Anderson
- Shands Hospital
- Stephanie Grutman Zauder
- Susan Summerall Wiles
- Sylvester Lukis
- Todd Josko
- Wansley Walters
- William Gregory Turbeville
Ballard Partners finished the second quarter as the top earning governmental affairs firm in Florida.
The Tallahassee-based firm reported second quarter median compensation of about $2.2 million. The earnings mean the firm will once again be among the state’s Top 3 earners.
Firms must file compensation reports each quarter, and the reports covering the second quarter of 2016 are due Aug. 14. The reports typically included compensation ranges.
Along with Brian Ballard, the lobbying team at Ballard Partners is made up of Michael Abrams, Brady Benford, Carol Bracy, Bradley Burleson, Ana Cruz, Chris Dorworth, Mathew Forrest, Jan Johnson Gorrie, Christopher Hansen, John Johnston, Todd Josko, Sylvester Lukis, Donald Payton, Monica Rodriguez, Justin Sayfie, William Gregory Turbeville, Wansley Walters, Susan Summerall Wiles, Amy Young, and Stephanie Grutman Zauder.
Records show clients during the second quarter included Automated Healthcare Solutions, which paid $75,000 for legislative services; Resorts World Miami, LLC., which paid $53,000; and Shands Hospital, which paid $83,000 for legislative services.
Other clients during the three-month reporting period included DraftKings and FanDuel. Reports show both fantasy sports companies paid the firm between $20,000 and $29,999 for legislative services between April 1 and June 30.
Lawmakers this year attempted to legalize fantasy sports. Senate President Designate Joe Negron proposed a measure that declared fantasy sports play a game of skill, not gambling. Online gambling is currently illegal, and most fantasy play happens on websites like FanDuel and DraftKings.
Those efforts, as well as an effort by Rep. Matt Gaetz to regulate fantasy sports, didn’t progress during the 2016 legislative session.
The firm’s client roster also included Harris Corp., which records showed paid between $30,000 and $39,999 for legislative lobbying services. Earlier this year, state lawmakers agreed to spend $7 million to buy new police radios from Harris Corp., its current supplier.
Other clients included Amazon.com, which reportedly paid between $20,000 and $29,999 for legislative lobbying services; Google, which paid between $10,000 and $19,999 for second quarter legislative lobbying services; and the Florida Juvenile Justice Association, which records showed paid between $1 and $9,999 for legislative lobbying services between April 1 and June 30.
According to LobbyTools, Ballard Partners reported median earnings of $2.4 million in the first quarter of 2016.
