Drew Wilson- 2018 Q1 Lobbying Compensation Reports
- Airbnb
- Beth Keating
- Cameron Yarbrough
- Coalition of Affordable Housing Providers
- Derek Bruce
- Gregory Black
- Gregory Munson
- Gunster Yoakley & Stewart
- Joanna Bonfanti
- Kenneth Bell
- Larry Williams
- Lila Jaber
- lobbying compensation reports
- Mears Transportation Group
- Motorola
- Q Link Wireless
- RAI Services Company
- Ronald Brise
- SeaWorld
- Simone Marstiller
- Treadwell Nursery
- U.S. Sugar
Gunster Yoakley & Stewart brought in up to $750,000 in lobbying fees during the first quarter of 2018 according to recently filed compensation reports.
Lobby firms report their compensation in covering $10,000 increments up to $50,000. Using the median numbers for each client on the roster would place Gunster Yoakley & Stewart’s Q1 haul at around $530,000 — $395,000 for its work before the Legislature and $135,000 for its work before the Governor and Cabinet.
The top-end estimate shows the firm with $500,000 in legislative earnings and $250,000 in executive branch earnings.
The firm had 11 lobbyists on its roster last quarter: Gregory Black, Joanna Bonfanti, Ronald Brise, Derek Bruce, Lila Jaber, Beth Keating, Gregory Munson, Larry Williams and Cameron Yarbrough were tasked with legislative and executive lobbying, while Kenneth Bell only worked on the legislative side and Simone Marstiller focused on the executive.
The top-paying client on the legislative report was Q-Link Wireless, which paid between $30,000 and $40,000 for the quarter. Following Q-Link on the legislative side were the Coalition of Affordable Housing Providers, RAI Services Company, the Town of Oakland and Eustis-based Treadwell Nursery, each was listed in the $20,000 to $30,000 range.
Another 13 clients paid at least $10,000 for legislative lobbying, followed by another baker’s dozen in the up-to-$10,000 range.
Topping the executive report were Frontier Communications Corporation and Southern Company Gas, which both paid between $10,000 and $20,000. The other 21 paid contracts on the report netted Gunster between $1 and $10,000 for the quarter.
Other notable principals include vacation rental platform Airbnb, U.S. Sugar, taxi company Mears Transportation Group, Motorola and SeaWorld.
Gunster’s median earnings estimate for Q1 2018 is $180,000 higher than the same quarter in 2017, though last year only about half of the Legislative Session fell between Jan. 1 and March 31. The new reports also outpace Gunster’s Q2 2017 earnings. That quarter included the second half of the Legislative Session and a brief special session.
