Drew Wilson
The lobbyists of Smith Bryan & Myers pulled down an estimated $1.35 million in advocacy revenues during the third quarter, matching their Q2 haul.
Led by Matt Bryan, the firm’s roster includes David Daniel, Thomas Griffin, Jeff Hartley, Lisa Hurley, Jim Naff and Teye Reeves. They represented 88 clients in the Legislature, where they earned $795,000. Their 89 executive branch clients provided the remaining $560,000.
Florida Politics estimates lobbying pay based on the middle number of the per-client ranges firms list on their compensation reports. Contracts are reported in $10,000 increments up to $50,000.
SBM’s legislative compensation report was topped by HS1 Medical Management, which sent the firm $45,000 last quarter. The Family Law Section of the Florida Bar, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ & Owners’ Association and Intuition followed at the $25,000 level.
The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ & Owners’ Association was one of many vocal interests in the pari-mutuel decoupling debate during the Special Session to approve the state’s new Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
The legislative report also listed a whopping 32 clients in the $10,000 to $20,000 range. Notables include the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Hospital Association and Publix Super Markets.
Johnson & Johnson Services, the company behind the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, also showed up at the $15,000 level. J&J is one of the largest companies in the world, ranking No. 36 on the Fortune 500 with $83 billion in revenues and $170 billion in assets.
SBM’s client roster spanned several other industries. Among their education clients was the University of Florida which — before a recent spate of bad headlines — U.S. News & World Report ranked as a top-5 public university.
SBM also handled lobbying needs for a bundle of local governments, such as Alachua County, the county commissions in Collier, Columbia and Hillsborough, and the cities of Naples, Palatka and Pembroke Pines.
The firm’s executive branch lobbying report included a nearly identical list of clients and was also topped by HS1 Medical Management, which paid $25,000. With $70,000 paid overall, it was the firm’s top client in Q3. The rest of the firm’s executive clients mostly fell in the $15,000 range, including the National Football League.
The seven-figure Q3 haul comes after Hartley won INFLUENCE Magazine’s 2021 Golden Rotunda for Lobbying Play of the Year for his work on the cruise ship preemption fight last Session. Smith Bryan & Myers also earned a runner-up mention for Lobbying Firm of the Year and Matt Bryan was runner-up for Lobbyist of the Year.
Using median estimates, SBM’s second-quarter haul totals $1.35 million. However, the firm may have earned substantially more. Lobbying disclosure rules also require firms to disclose their overall earnings. Though the ranges are broad, they are an accurate measure of the earnings floor and ceiling.
Both of Smith Bryan & Myers’ reports fall within the $500,000 to $1 million overall range. The contracts listed on the legislative compensation report show earnings could have hit the max on that side, while executive earnings could have hit $940,000. If so, SBM would have earned $1.94 million last quarter.
The median estimate brings the firm past the $4 million mark this year, with one quarter still to go. If SBM keeps pace in the fourth quarter, it will easily beat its 2020 earnings total of $4.93 million.
Florida lobbyists and lobbying firms faced a Nov. 14 deadline to file compensation reports for the period covering July 1 through Sept. 30. Compensation reports for the fourth quarter are due to the state on Feb. 14.
One comment
Mike
November 26, 2021 at 4:12 pm
There should be no lobbying. It’s pathetic that people beg elected officials to waste tax dollars on their lackluster services.
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