Here is the 2022 edition of The INFLUENCE 150: The most influential people in Florida politics

It seems as if a week doesn’t pass without some new media outlet or website springing up to cover Florida politics.

I remember when I was the new guy in town and the traditional media did not exactly roll out the welcome mat.

Nowadays, and inexplicably, I am the traditional media, or as my friend Gary Fineout describes, one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance.

I genuinely don’t mind when there is a new player in the game. That’s because I remember what a friend of mine who owned a restaurant explained to me.

He owned a successful Italian restaurant located in some prime real estate with not a lot of competition around him. But then a brasserie was slated to open across the street, so I asked if he was worried.

“Not at all,” he said. With a second restaurant on the block, he explained, he was now part of a restaurant district. Customers would get a drink at his place, then dine at the French spot and vice versa. Other bars and restaurants would spring up.

He was right, and that’s why I like to see new media outposts in Florida, whether from a conservative perspective or from the left.

Of course, there is a difference between welcoming the competition and losing to it. And I refuse to lose to any of Florida Politics’ competitors.

So, yeah, there are a lot of new sites and there are a lot of new lists.

But there is only one site that covers all of Florida politics. And there’s only one definitive list of the most influential people in Florida politics.

The INFLUENCE 150 doesn’t waste your time acknowledging that Gov. Ron DeSantis is the most powerful individual in the state. Nor do we operate in a world where the Attorney General is less powerful than the Secretary of the Department of Economic Opportunity or where an incoming House Democratic leader has more juice than Wilton Simpson.

To me, the INFLUENCE 150 is sacrosanct. I spend months going over the list, discussing it with some of the most important and serious operators in Florida politics. You can’t buy your way on. And you’re only as good as your last campaign cycle or Legislative Session.

There are no legacies on this list.

As for this specific edition of INFLUENCE, it is our boldest design yet. That’s saying something, considering we took the runner-up spot for the best-designed magazine in the state.

The edition is imbued throughout in Yves Klein blue as an homage to the landmark Michael Mann film, “Heat.” I busted the budget to deploy photographers throughout the state to capture original shots of those featured.

Simply put, I believe this is the best edition of INFLUENCE Magazine we’ve published in our six years of existence.

Because that’s how you answer the competition.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO INFLUENCE MAGAZINE. (Only those with subscriptions from this year will receive a printed copy.)

To read INFLUENCE, click on the image below:

The INFLUENCE 150:

Jon Adrabi

Rick Asnani

Mat Bahl

Pat Bainter

Amy Baker

Tim Baker

Brian Ballard

Katie Ballard

Heather Barker

Brice and Houston Barnes

Rodney Barreto

Sarah Bascom

Katie Betta

Amanda Bevis

Brewster Bevis

James Blair

Ron Book

Paul Bradshaw

Oscar Braynon

Audrey Brown

Maya Brown

Monesia Brown

David Browning

Matt Bryan

Dean Cannon

Craig Carbone

Alex Heckler

Ben Gibson

Richard Corcoran

Michael Corcoran

Steve Casey

Michelle Dennard

Mallory Dimmitt

Carol Dover

Gary Fineout

Mike Griffin

Ana Cruz

John Couris

Brett Doster

Kelly Cohen

Ron Cristaldi

Rachel Cone

Ben Crump

Matt Dixon

Jeff Hartley

Robert Coker

Jim DeFede

Tim Cerio

Marty Fiorentino

Casey DeSantis

Taryn Fenske

Erika Donalds

Husein Cumber

Mori Hosseni

Ryan Houck

Nick Iarossi

Erin Isaac

Christina Johnson

David Johnson

Eric Johnson

Marva Johnson

Fred Karlinsky

Alex Kelly

John Kirtley

Stephanie Kopelousos

Ron LaFace

Brian Lamb

Andrew MacIntosh

Brian May

Tracy and Frank Mayernick

Mary Mayhew

Bob McClure

Kathy Mears

Marc Reichelderfer

Ryan Tyson

Eric Silagy

Karen Moore

Anthony Pedicini

Nancy Watkins

Will Weatherford

Steve Vancore and Drew Jones

Drew Piers and Herbie Thiele

Kim Rivers

Tom Piccolo

Nadine Smith

Nate Monroe

Sean Pittman

Bill Rubin and Heather Turnbull

Ashley Walker

Jason Unger

Tina Vidal-Duart

Kris Money & Trey McCarley

Christina Pushaw

Eric Pridgeon

Ron Whitaker

James Uthmeier

Emmett Reed

Chris Spencer

Jasmen Rogers

Lindsey Pollard

Melissa Seixas

Jeff Porter

Christian Ulvert

Susie Wiles

Mark Wilson

Rick Wilson and Ryan Wiggins

Katie Yeutter

Joe York

Skylar Zander

Jackie Schutz Zeckman

INFLUENCE 150 — Honorable Mention:

Max Alvarez

Adam Babington

Slater Bayliss

Lewis Bear

Norman Braman

Nancy Brinker

Dominic Calabro

Marc Caputo

Reggie Cardozo

Kevin Cate

Richard Coates

Tre Evers

Vince Evans

Alia Faraj Johnson

Julio Fuentes

Nicole Gomez

Max Goodman

Ryan Gorman

Rich Heffley

John Holley

Yolanda Cash Jackson

Brian Jogerst

Jon Johnson

Dara Kam

Mark Kaplan

John Kennedy

Shad Khan

Chris Korge

Adrian Lukis

Steve Marin

Andy Marlette

Scott Maxwell

Darrick McGhee

Desmond Meade

Carlos Migoya

Carol Marbin Miller

Terry Miller

John Morgan

Ana Navarro

Meredith O’Rourke

Peter Penrod

Evelyn Pérez-Verdía

Joy Reid

Jim Rimes

Jim Rosica

Chris Ruddy

Justin Sayfie

Steve Schale

Christine Sexton

Stephanie Smith

Kent Stermon

Melissa Stone

Shane Strum

Abby Vail

Jeff Vinik

Andrew Weinstein