Phil Ammann
Smith Bryan & Myers earned an estimated $5.75 million in 2022, putting it solidly in Florida’s Top 25 lobbying firms at No. 12.
Led by Matt Bryan and Jeff Hartley, the firm’s roster includes Teye Carmichael, David Daniel, Thomas Griffin, Lisa Hurley, Jim Naff and Jonathan Rees — representing 91 clients during the last year.
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.
The top of SBM’s legislative compensation report is the Palm Beach County Tax Collector, with an average of $131,000. That’s followed by JM Family Enterprises at an average of $110,000.
At the $100,000 level was the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association and GLP FLA.
Another 27 legislative contracts tallied in at $60,000 apiece. Several companies came from the health care industry, including the Florida Health Care Association, the Florida Hospital Association and Johnson & Johnson.
Other notable clients on the list are the National Football League, Publix and the University of Florida Foundation. In addition to UF, the firm represents many educational interests such as the Pensacola-based Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (FIMHC).
As part of the state university system, FIHMC explores artificial intelligence, augmentics, human-centered computing, robotics and more.
On the executive side of the ledger are many of the same clients — at a somewhat lower level. Among those topping that list are DJI Technology ($100,000) and GLP FLA ($84,000).
SBM’s reports were also stocked with well-known tech companies such as Microsoft, which is either the No. 1 or No. 2 largest tech company in the world, depending on who you ask. As of 2019 it’s the largest software manufacturer on the planet.
Based on median estimates, SBM earned $760,000 lobbying the Legislature and $580,000 lobbying the Governor, Cabinet and state agencies. SBM reported average earnings of nearly $3.3 million for legislative lobbying and $2.5 million for the executive branch.
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.
