Drew Wilson
The three lobbyists at Larry J. Overton & Associates earned $400,000-plus representing a slew of health care clients in the legislative and executive branches last quarter.
Larry Overton, Joel Overton and James Card handled nearly 40 clients overall, including some of the biggest names in the health care industry. Their efforts in the Legislature netted an estimated $355,000 while executive lobbying produced another $50,000 in earnings.
Compensation reports list per-client pay in $10,000 ranges. Florida Politics uses the middle number of those ranges to estimate quarterly compensation.
Anthem — part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association — was their most lucrative contract overall. The company paid $35,000 for legislative lobbying help and showed up with another $5,000 in the executive.
Following Anthem on the legislative compensation report were a quartet of principals that paid $25,000 apiece: Hope Hospice and Community Services, MEDNAX Services, MorseLife and the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Another 11 clients paid $15,000 during the reporting period, which included the second half of the 2019 Legislative Session, while the same number fell in the $5,000 pay range.
Other familiar names on the client roster were Shands Teaching Hospital, the Florida Association of Health Plans, Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, and the University of Miami, the home of the Sunshine State’s oldest medical school.
The executive branch report listed off the same clients, though all Overton’s paid clients fell within the $1 to $10,000 range.
Larry J. Overton & Associates’ overall income for legislative lobbying fell between $250,000 and $500,000. The firm’s executive compensation maxed out at $50,000.
If the firm collected top dollar from each client, it could have raked in as much as $540,000 for the April through June reporting period.
Florida lobbyists and lobbying firms must name their clients when they sign lobbying agreements and must report their earnings from each client on a quarterly basis. Reports for the second quarter were due Aug. 14.
