Drew Wilson
The team at Metz Husband & Daughton started 2023 with more than $1.7 million in lobbying pay.
Named partners Warren Husband and James Daughton worked alongside lobbyists Doug Bell, Leslie Dughi, Allison Liby-Schoonover, Aimee Lyon, Andy Palmer and Karl Rasmussen in Q1 and represented more than 90 clients between their legislative and executive compensation reports.
Their efforts resulted in $1.23 million earned lobbying lawmakers and an additional $500,000 lobbying the Governor, Cabinet and state agencies.
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.
MHD’s legislative compensation reports show one client that exceeded the cap on range reporting: Amscot Financial. The Tampa-based company is one of the top providers of check cashing services, payday loans, money orders, wire transfers and notary services in Florida.
It paid MHD $51,000 last quarter for legislative lobbying work.
The No. 2 client on the report was Attorneys’ Title Fund Services at the $45,000 level, followed by American Express and the Florida Creditors Bar Association, both in the $35,000 bracket.
On the executive side, MHD’s top contract was with The Everglades Trust, which cut the firm a $25,000 check. The Trust is a political non-profit that advocates for preservation and restoration efforts in the Everglades and other coastal estuaries.
A half-dozen clients followed at the $15,000 level: Alteryx, Carr Riggs & Ingram, Curaleaf Florida, Ecolab, Ecosystem Investment Partners and Pear Therapeutics.
MHD collected more than $6 million last year, making it one of the top 10 most lucrative lobbying firms in the state. Through the first three months of 2023, MHD is on track to improve upon that total this year. The firm also posted a slight boost over Q1 2022, when it posted reports totaling $1.67 million.
In addition to per-client ranges, lobbying firms must disclose overall pay ranges on compensation reports. Those lines show MHD earned at least $1 million lobbying the Legislature and between $250,000 and $500,000 lobbying the executive branch.
MHD may have earned as much as $1.65 million in the Legislature, which would place overall Q1 earnings at $2.15 million.
Florida lobbyists and lobbying firms faced a May 15 deadline to file compensation reports for the period covering Jan. 1 through May. 31. Compensation reports for the second quarter are due to the state on Aug. 14.
