Lobbying firms focused on Tampa Bay report substantial Q2 earnings

A focus on Tampa Bay continues to be profitable for several boutique lobbying firms.

Several firms with Tampa Bay interests posted healthy earnings during the second quarter of 2016. Firms are required to file compensation reports each quarter, and the most recent reports were due by Aug. 14. The reports typically include compensation ranges.

Records show RSA Consulting Group stayed busy during the second quarter of 2016.

The Brandon-based firm reported earning between $100,000 and $249,999 during the three-month reporting period. Led by Ron Pierce, the lobbying team includes Edward Briggs and Natalie King.

Top clients during the second quarter included the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center; David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa; the Pittsburgh Pirates, which holds spring training in Bradenton; the Tampa Bay Lightning; and the Tampa Sports Authority.

Other clients included Uber and the Tampa Port Authority. Records show those organizations paid between $1 and $9,999 for legislative services.

Mark Anderson also saw healthy earnings during the three-month reporting period.

Records show Anderson reported earning between $50,000 and $99,999 between April 1 and June 30.

The strong quarter was buoyed by several Tampa Bay area clients, including Chief Executive Officers of Management Companies. Records show the St. Petersburg-based organization paid between $10,000 and $19,999 for legislative services during the second quarter of 2016.

Other clients included the Art Institute of Tampa, the Florida Holocaust Museum, Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, and LM Funding. Records show those companies paid between $1 and $9,999 for legislative services during the second quarter.

Anderson reported lower earnings in the second quarter than during the first three months of the year. Reports filed with the state show Anderson reported earning between $50,000 and $99,999 in the first quarter of 2016.

Three firms — Moore Relations, Suskey Consulting, and The Mallard Group — reported earning less than $50,000 for legislative services between April 1 and June 30.

Alan Suskey, the owner of Tallahassee-based Suskey Consulting, also reported earning between $1 and $49,999 in the second quarter.

Suskey’s top clients during the second quarter included Dermazone Solutions, Great Explorations Children’s Museum, Gulf Power Company, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and the St. Petersburg Warehouse Arts District. Records show those firms paid between $1 and $9,999 for legislative services.

Much like Anderson, Suskey reported lower earnings in the second quarter than during the first three months of the year. Reports show Suskey reported earning between $50,000 and $99,999 between Jan. 1 and March 30.

In both cases, the dip in earnings could be due to the timing of the 2016 legislative session. The Legislature was in session from January to March, not its normal spring session. That means the reports cover the months after the legislative session.

Travis Moore, the owner of St. Petersburg-based Moore Relations, also reported earning between $1 and $49,999 in the second quarter.

Moore’s client list included the Community Associations Institute, Defenders of Wildlife, First Service Residential Florida, and the Corn Refiners Association. Records show those firms paid between $1 and $9,999 for legislative services in the second quarter.

The Mallard Group, the Clearwater company owned by John Herbert, also reported earning between $1 and $49,999 between April 1 and June 30.

Herbert reported having two clients — Florida Chiropractic Association, which paid between $10,000 and $19,999 for legislative services, and Fourth District-American Advertising Federation, which reported paying between $1 and $9,999 for legislative services — in the second quarter.

Records show both Moore and Herbert reported similar earnings during the first quarter of the year.

Other firms with Tampa interests, like Louis Betz & Associates and Sunrise Consulting, reported strong earnings during the second quarter.

Louis Betz & Associates reported earning between $50,000 and $99,999 in the three-month period, and boasted a portfolio that included the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the Tampa Hillsborough County Expressway Authority. Sunrise Consulting also reported earning between $50,000 and $99,999 during the second quarter, and its client roster included the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners and the Pasco Hernando State College Foundation.