Drew Wilson
Lobby firm Gomez Barker Associates received an estimated $190,000 in pay from its principals last quarter to finish out the year with $885,000 in total compensation.
The two-man shop, run by Fausto Gomez and Manny Reyes, had 30 clients for all or part of 2017, and its Q4 numbers show heavy support from South Florida municipalities.
Lobbyists are required to submit reports detailing their client roster and compensation each quarter, with separate reports for executive and legislative branch efforts, though Gomez Barker Associates only lobbies the Legislature.
Rather than exact figures, the reports are in ranges covering $10,000 increments. Florida Politics uses the middle number of each range to estimate total compensation.
Reports for the Q4 2017 were due to the state on Feb. 14.
Showing up in the $10,000 to $20,000 range a piece last quarter were the governments of Coral Gables, North Bay Village, South Miami, Cutler Bay, Surfside and Key Biscayne.
Also paying an estimated $15,000 were the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and OUR MicroLending.
The expressway authority was by far the top client for the year with an estimated $110,000 in payments, followed by the list of South Florida municipalities at a consistent $15,000 quarterly, or $60,000 for the year.
Others making the yearlong list were Univision Communications at $30,000, Florida Power & Light at $25,000 and another 13 principals paying an estimated $20,000 each.
Miami Dade Citizens for Property Rights and Miami-Dade County paid $15,000 over the course of the year, with South Florida Hospital and Healthcare rounding out the 2017 list with $10,000 spent.
