Lobbying compensation: Q2 brings $1.6M to Rubin Turnbull & Associates

Turnbull heather edit
The firm may have earned up to $2 million.

Rubin Turnbull & Associates pulled in more than $1.6 million in lobbying fees last quarter, according to newly filed compensation reports.

The filings show founder Bill Rubin, managing partner Heather Turnbull and the half-dozen lobbyists at the firm represented more than 80 clients during the reporting period, producing an estimated $866,000 in legislative branch earnings and another $776,000 in the executive.

The two reports add up to an estimated $1.64 million haul for Rubin Turnbull between April 1 and June 30.

Florida lobbyists and lobbying firms report their pay in ranges covering $10,000 increments. Florida Politics uses the middle number of each range to estimate quarterly pay.

Lobbying firms also disclose their overall pay in broad ranges. The bottom line of the firm’s reports show it earned at least $1 million last quarter with a top-end estimate of $2 million.

The second-quarter numbers are a slight downturn compared to the firm’s reports for the same quarter last year, when it earned no less than $2 million.

HCA Healthcare held the top spot on Rubin Turnbull’s legislative compensation report with a $56,000 payment — enough to break the cap on range reporting.

A quartet of principals followed at the $35,000 level. They included Charter Communications, Florida Crystals, Motorola Solutions and the Richman Group of Florida. Four more legislative lobbying clients showed up in the $25,000 bracket.

Rubin Turnbull & Associates’ executive compensation report is mostly the same as its legislative one, with 74 of 84 clients repeating doubling down with an equal payment for help lobbying the Governor and Cabinet.

HCA again topped the list with a $56,000 payment making it far and away the firm’s most lucrative contract in the second quarter.

Other notable clients featured in the reports include Aetna, Deloitte, Embraer Aircraft Holding, the University of Miami and Charter Schools USA.

When lobbyists and their firms sign lobbying agreements with each client, they are required to report all earnings with the state on a quarterly basis.

Firms faced an Aug. 14 deadline to file compensation reports for the period covering April 1 through June 31. Compensation reports for the third quarter of 2020 are due to the state on Nov. 14

Drew Wilson

Drew Wilson covers legislative campaigns and fundraising for Florida Politics. He is a former editor at The Independent Florida Alligator and business correspondent at The Hollywood Reporter. Wilson, a University of Florida alumnus, covered the state economy and Legislature for LobbyTools and The Florida Current prior to joining Florida Politics.



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