Drew Wilson
Dean Mead lobbyist Cari Roth is heading to Lykes Bros. Inc., the company owned by one of the “Big Five” families of Florida agriculture.
Roth, who has 35 years of legal and legislative experience, will serve as the company’s new Vice President of Governmental and Regulatory Affairs. She starts on January 2, 2020. Until then, Roth will be transitioning clients to the other members of Dean Mead and Dunbar Government Relations team. Kristen Chittenden will remain as general counsel at Lykes.
“Cari brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise to our leadership team. It is clear that she has built a wealth of respect and relationships in the halls of government over the years,” Lykes Bros. CEO Johnnie James Jr. said.
“She has been engaged by the company for the last 16 years and helped us navigate several opportunities and concerns over the years. We couldn’t be more pleased to have her join us full time and lend her insight, energy and perspective to our efforts to position Lykes’ assets for the long-term future.”
Roth added, “It’s been such an honor to represent Lykes Bros. these many years. Their long history of business success in Florida and commitment to the stewardship of their lands is a proud tradition. I am very excited to join the great leadership team at Lykes and look forward to my role with the company as they look to the future.”
The new gig is a natural fit for Roth. Her specialties include land use, water and environmental law, growth management and infrastructure issues, and intergovernmental relations. A good match for a company with 610,000 acres of land in its portfolio, including 337,000 contiguous acres in Florida.
Though Dean Mead is losing some top-tier talent, the move is an amicable one.
“Cari has been instrumental in growing our firm’s footprint as one of the largest groups of legislative and executive branch lobbyists in Florida,” said Pete Dunbar, managing parter of Dean Mead’s Tallahassee operation.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Cari in her new role at Lykes Bros. and wish her well with her future endeavors.”
