Peter Schorsch
Eric Johnson, president of the political consulting and government relations firm Johnson Strategies, is announcing the opening of an office on Florida’s West Coast.
The firm’s new office will be based in Clearwater. That location will allow it to serve not just Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, but also communities up and down the Gulf Coast as well as Central Florida.
The Clearwater office will be headed by Scott Kosanovich, formerly of House Victory, who joins Johnson’s team as a Senior Consultant. Kosanovich joins Johnson and Vice-President Brendan Olsen in managing a portfolio of both public and private-sector clients on political consulting, government relations, public affairs and crisis management.
“We are excited to have Scott join our team to bring his valued experience to all of our clients and also help us service this important market,” Johnson said.
“For close to a decade, Scott has been organizing and managing some of the largest and most successful grassroots campaigns in our state. He is going to be a true asset to our team.”
Kosanovich also released a statement upon accepting the new role.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to join Johnson Strategies and look forward to working alongside some of the best minds in Florida politics,” Kosanovich said.
“I have been fortunate to have had so many great experiences in my career so far and I look forward to continuing that work and guiding our clients to victory throughout Florida.”
Kosanovich has nearly a decade of campaign experience in Florida Politics, most recently leading House Victory, the campaign arm of the House Democratic Caucus, as Campaigns Director. During his time at House Victory, Democrats saw their largest gain in nearly 20 years as they flipped eight Republican-held seats.
Kosanovich has worked on numerous federal, state and local campaigns including the 2012 re-election of former President Barack Obama, Amanda Murphy’s upset state house special election victory in 2013, Charlie Crist’s run for governor in 2014, and Hillary Clinton’s presidential race in 2016. Kosanovich brings a wide range of campaign knowledge from building grassroots field programs to managing some of the most hotly contested races in the country.
Current Johnson Strategies political clients include Commissioner of Agriculture & Consumer Services Nikki Fried, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, state Sens. Lori Berman, Lauren Book and Kevin Rader as well as Senate Democratic Leader Designate Gary Farmer.
Johnson Strategies will be leading the team of State Rep. Javier Fernandez’s run for the Senate District 39 seat in 2020. The firm is a part of the team aiming to elect State Rep. Shevrin Jones to the Senate District 35 seat as well.
Other clients include Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis. In addition, they represent dozens of state Representatives, local elected officials and corporate clients. Last year the company managed Tampa Councilman Harry Cohen’s campaign for mayor of Tampa.
More information on Johnson Strategies may be found on the firm’s website.
