Drew Wilson
Florida Politics’ rundown of the Top 25 lobbying firms in the first quarter has entered the final stretch.
After rundown of the No. 25 to No. 16 firms and the No. 15 to No. 11 outfits, only 10 remain. The firms in the back half of the Top 10 have shuffled a bit over the past few quarters, with multiple firms climbing up the rankings while raking in cash — each of the below firms topped $1.5 million in pay in the opening quarter of the year based on Florida Politics’ estimates.
Florida Politics ranks lobbying firm earnings based on the middle number of the per-client ranges listed on compensation reports. Contracts are reported in $10,000 increments. Compensation reports also include firm-level ranges, which can give outsiders a rough idea of a firm’s minimum and maximum earnings.
No. 10: The Advocacy Partners
The team at The Advocacy Partners collected an estimated $1.88 million in Q1.
Slater Bayliss, Christopher Chaney, Darya Massoudi, Alex Poitras, Steve Schale, Stephen Shiver, Sarah Suskey, and Jeff Woodburn represented 100 clients in the first quarter, reporting median earnings of $880,000 in the Legislature and $1 million in the executive branch.
The Advocacy Partners’ top legislative clients for the quarter were Palladium Investment Partners and Rising Phoenix Holding Company, the parent company of disaster management firms Tidal Basin and Tidal Basin Caribe. Each paid $35,000 for the quarter.
The firm’s $25,000-per-quarter clients included TECO Energy, Google’s autonomous vehicle spinoff Waymo and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, among others.
The Advocacy Partners’ executive branch report included $35,000 contracts with crisis response firm AFIMAC Global, Paylt, Palladium Investment Partners, Tidal Basin Group and Eightfold AI, a platform that uses artificial intelligence to match job candidates with open positions.
Overall, The Advocacy Partners reported earning between $500,000 and $1 million on each of its compensation reports, meaning it earned at least $1 million and may have earned as much as $2 million in the first quarter.
No. 9: Smith Bryan & Myers
The seven lobbyists at Smith Bryan & Myers earned an estimated $1.91 million in the opening quarter of 2024.
Led by Matt Bryan and Jeff Hartley, the firm’s roster includes Teye Carmichael, David Daniel, Lisa Hurley, Jim Naff and Jonathan Rees. They represented more than 100 clients in the first quarter.
The top of SBM’s legislative compensation report showed two clients that broke the cap in range reporting with $50,000 contracts: Association of ACN Doctors and Avance Investment Management. Osceola Legislative Effort followed in the $40,000-to-$50,000 pay range with Bentley Bay Condominium Association and Blue Stream Fiber listed as $35,000 contracts.
With the other 97 clients mixed in, the firm’s legislative earnings worked out to $1.13 million in Q1.
The firm’s executive branch tally was $780,000 in Q1. The report listed mostly the same clients as the legislative version though most paid slightly less for executive help. Bentley Bay Condominium Association and Blue Stream Fiber repeated at $35,000 however, alongside MLU Serivces.
SBM reported earning at least $1 million in the Legislature and between $500,000 and $1 million in the executive branch, meaning it earned at least $1.5 million last quarter. The firm’s top-end estimate for Q1 is $2.61 million.
No. 8: Greenberg Traurig
The team at national law firm Greenberg Traurig continued its streak as a Top 10 firm with Q1 compensation reports totaling $2.1 million.
The firm’s first-quarter team consisted of Roger Beaubien, Christian Brito, Gus Corbella, Hayden Dempsey, Fred Karlinsky and Timothy Stanfield. They handled the needs of 88 clients in the Legislature and more than 100 in the executive branch.
GT Law’s legislative compensation report was topped by five clients that paid $45,000 apiece: Baptist Health South Florida, Guy Carpenter & Company, Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Slide Insurance Holdings and Slide MGA. They were followed by Humana Medical Plan, MASA Global, the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Swire Properties US in the $35,000 bracket.
Heritage and both Slide subsidiaries tied for the No. 1 spot on the executive branch report as well, with each company chipping in another $45,000. McKinsey & Company and Swire Properties US were listed as $35,000 clients while Centauri Specialty Insurance, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Guy Carpenter & Company and Narragansett Bay Insurance Company each paid $25,000 in Q1.
Based on the overall ranges listed on the firm’s reports, Greenberg Traurig earned at least $1.5 million in lobbying fees last quarter. At the top end, the firm could have earned as much as $2.65 million.
No. 7: Corcoran Partners
Corcoran Partners earned more than $1.5 million in lobbying fees last quarter, new compensation reports show.
The firm led by Michael Corcoran represented more than 100 clients in Q1, collecting $1.71 million lobbying lawmakers and another $798,000 lobbying the Governor, Cabinet and state agencies.
In addition to Corcoran, the first-quarter team included Jacqueline Corcoran, Noah Corcoran, Matt Blair, Samantha Sexton Greer, Helen Levine, Bethany McAlister, Will Rodriguez and Andrea Tovar.
The team’s top contract overall was Julia Perez, a St. Johns County woman who was injured when her motorcycle was hit by a sheriff’s deputy. Due to laws that cap lawsuit payouts in cases where a government entity is the defendant, it took a claims bill — and Corcoran Partners’ help — to get the money she was awarded by a jury. The firm’s cut was $316,000, $221,000 of which was listed on the legislative report.
Corcoran Partners’ No. 2 client last quarter was Fontainebleau Development, a South Florida-based luxury real estate development company. It paid Corcoran Partners $136,000 in Q1 — $68,000 on each report. The Florida Optometric Association followed at $120,000, split evenly between Corcoran Partners’ legislative and executive branch reports.
In addition to the six-figure clients, the firm represents dozens of well-known companies and institutions such as the University of South Florida, Verizon, Walmart, Florida Crystals, Nova Southeastern University and the Philadelphia Phillies, one of many teams that hold spring training in the Sunshine State.
Overall, Corcoran Partners earned at least $1 million in legislative lobbying pay and between $500,000 and $1 million in executive branch lobbying pay, meaning it earned no less than $1.5 million in Q1. Based on per-client ranges, the firm could have earned as much as $3.2 million.
