Drew Wilson
Michael Corcoran and the team at Corcoran Partners netted an estimated $5.9 million last year, according to new lobbying compensation reports.
Corcoran and lobbyists Jacqueline Corcoran, Matt Blair, Will Rodriguez, and Andrea Tovar represented nearly 100 clients for all or part of last year, collecting $3.9 million in legislative lobbying fees and $2 million in executive branch lobbying fees.
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.
Firms are also required to list broad ranges for their overall income each quarter. Corcoran Partners reported earning between $500,000 and $1 million for legislative lobbying in all four of its 2021 reports. On the executive side, the firm reported earnings between $250,000 and $500,000 each quarter.
Based on those ranges, Corcoran Partners earned at least $3 million last year and may have earned as much as $6 million.
The firm’s top client for the year was Fontainebleau Development. The South Florida-based luxury development company is behind the eponymous Fontainebleau Miami Beach and several other well-known hotels and resorts. On its own, the company accounted for $544,000 of the firm’s earnings last year.
The Florida Optometric Association followed with $300,000 in payments, split evenly between the firm’s legislative and executive branch reports.
The Florida Optometric Association is one of the major players in the so-called “Eyeball Wars” — the scope of practice battle between optometrists and ophthalmologists. The group has for years advocated for legislation that would allow optometrists to perform certain procedures and prescribe an expanded suite of medications.
The Big Easy Casino took the No. 3 spot on Corcoran Partners’ reports. The former greyhound track is based in South Florida and offers slots and a suite of parimutuel games. In what was a massive year for gaming lobbyists, it shipped the team at Corcoran Partners $200,000 in payments.
Other major clients included health care company Anthem ($180,000), wireless juggernaut Verizon ($180,000), the University of South Florida ($160,000), the Florida Association of Health Plans ($150,000) and Wal Mart ($120,000).
Other well-known clients in the firm’s portfolio included Coca-Cola ($80,000), Florida Crystals ($100,000) and Live Nation Entertainment ($40,000). Corcoran Partners also represented Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which is currently the fourth largest school district in the U.S. It paid the firm $40,000 over the course of 2021.
For those in the loop on the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System, the company selected for the massive rebuild of that system counts on the team at Corcoran Partners. L3Harris paid the firm $80,000 overall — $60,000 for legislative lobbying and $20,000 for executive branch lobbying.
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 are due to the state on May 15.
