Staff Reports
The numbers are out.
Registered legislative lobbying firms reported median earnings of more than $35.7 million in the first quarter of 2017. The Top 5 earners during the three-month period were Ballard Partners, Southern Strategy Group, Ronald L. Book PA, Capital City Consulting, and Greenberg Traurig.
If those rankings look familiar, there’s a reason for that. The five firms were ranked among the Top 5 firms each quarter in 2016. And according to LobbyTools Legislative IQ, it appears the pentad of firms started 2017 in the same spot on the earners’ list as the first quarter of 2016.
Ballard Partners and Southern Strategy Group led the pack in the first quarter, reporting median earnings of more than $2.4 million and $2.3 million respectively. Book’s firm reported median earnings of more than $2 million in the first three months of 2017.
Capital City Consulting reported median earnings of more than $1.6 million; while Greenberg Traurig reported media earnings of more than $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2017.
GrayRobinson, which reported more than $1.1 million; The Rubin Group, which reported $936,000; Floridian Partners, which reported $935,000; Johnson & Blanton, which reported $910,000; and Metz Husband & Daughton, which reported $882,000 rounded out the Top 10 earners during the first quarter of 2017.
Registered principals reported paying legislative lobbyists more than $38.4 million during the first quarter, according to LobbyTools Legislative IQ.
FCCI Insurance Group paid a median of $383,000 to legislative lobbyists during the first quarter, while AT&T paid a median of $275,00 during the three-month period.
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company paid a median of $255,000, followed by Associated Industries of Florida at $250,000. U.S. Sugar rounded out the Top 5, paying an estimated $243,000 to legislative lobbyists during the period.
