Peter Schorsch
INFLUENCE Magazine is mostly about the governmental affairs professionals who shape The Process. But any story about The Process is incomplete without a recognition of the public affairs pros that are as integral as any lobbying shop.
This issue is dedicated to these “flaks,” as well as to the journalists with whom they interact — and occasionally spar.
Our twin cover stories are about two of the public affairs firms dominating legislative politics — Bascom Communications and Consulting and Hill+Knowlton Strategies.
CLICK HERE TO READ A “FIRST DRAFT” OF THE SPRING 2017 EDITION OF INFLUENCE MAGAZINE.
I met both Sarah Bascom and Alia Faraj-Johnson seven years ago. Since that time, I’ve joined the rest of Tallahassee in watching them build two of the most respected brands in Florida politics. In this issue, you’ll read how these two remarkable women and their colleagues accomplished what they have. They truly are ‘Great Communicators’
I also invited veteran reporter Audrey Post to revisit her seminal look the Florida Capitol Press Corps. Much has changed from when she last took stock in 2013. If any single reporter embodies these changes, it’s POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon, who works for an outlet that did not even exist in 2013, but today sets the pace for capital coverage. We also profile Tia Mitchell, the jack-of-all-trades reporter for the Florida Times-Union, who, when she’s not writing her must-read column or interviewing a political player on Facebook live, is breaking yet another story about the tenure of House Speaker Richard Corcoran.
If you are talking about the ‘great communicators’ in the legislative process, two other names come to my find, albeit it for very different reasons. One is Katie Betta, the soft-spoken voice of the Florida Senate, who is universally admired for her poise and effectiveness. The other is political consultant Brian Hughes, consigliere to legislative leaders and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, and a bare-knuckled practicioner of the dark arts of public relations. It’s never a good thing to end up on the opposite side of Brian.
The truth is there is so much great talent in the public affairs sector that we literally ran out of space attempting to catalog all of it. From veterans like spokesman Craig Waters and reporter Rick Flagg to the tech whizzes at Sachs Media Group and spox-turned-blogger Brian Burgess, there is an entire section of this edition profiling the greatest of the great communicators.
We hope you notice this is our biggest issue yet, with almost thirty more pages in it than the last edition. There are just so many interesting aspects to this edition, including a very frank discussion with the state’s most outspoken lawmaker, Republican Jack Latvala. But there’s also great food writing, great travel writing — even a story about the intersection of influence and sports (written by reporter/bicycling enthusiast Alan Snel right before he was involved in a hit-and-run accident)!
A reminder that our once-every-two years list of the most influential people in Florida politics — the INFLUENCE 100 — is being decided now and will be unveiled at the end of the year. We invite your nominations about who belongs on the list. Also, our choices for the “Golden Rotundas” — our annual awards for the governmental affairs industry — will be in the next edition.
Email your suggestions away!
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