Drew Wilson
New compensation reports show The Legis Group earned an estimated $1.2 million in lobbying pay last year.
Fourth-quarter reports from the firm show the team of Doug Holder, Rob Schenck, Patrick Bell, Mike Fischer, Susan Goldstein, and Dennis Green reeled in $345,000 to close out the year.
The firm received most of that money lobbying the Legislature, with just $25,000 coming in for their efforts lobbying the Governor and Cabinet.
Florida lobbyists report their pay in ranges covering $10,000 increments. Florida Politics uses the middle number of each range to estimate overall pay.
Firms also list a range for their overall pay. The Legis Group’s executive branch reports fell in the bottom range throughout 2019. Of their legislative lobbying reports, three were in the $250,000 to $500,000 range while the fourth was in the $100,000 to $250,000 range.
The ranges show The Legis Group earned at least $850,000 last year. Overall earnings could have been as high as $1.9 million, however, if each client maxed out their contract.
There’s a three-way tie for the top-paying client of the year, with SunBulb Company, Eastern Shipbuilding Group and CHSPSC each sending $100,000 in payments.
Coming in behind them with $70,000 in fees was Inmar, a company that develops data analytics software. Third place was split between Florida Public Defender Association and Allegiant Air.
Several well-known principals are further down the list, including the Baltimore Orioles, the Dan Marino Foundation, Duke Energy and Dori Saves Lives, an anti-distracted driving group founded by former Rep. Irv Slosberg and current Rep. Emily Slosberg.
Also on the list were a handful of local government entities, including the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the Seminole County Tax Collector and the Town of Jay.
The Legis Group’s $345,000 in fourth-quarter earnings indicate a strong finish to the year — in the first quarter the firm reported $290,000, followed by $280,000 in the second and third quarters.
Florida lobbyists and lobbying firms faced a Feb. 14 deadline to file compensation reports for the period covering Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. Compensation reports for the first quarter of 2020 are due to the state in mid-April.
