Lobbying compensation: Rubin Turnbull, Ron Book, GrayRobinson crack $3M in Q1

Florida Politics’ countdown of the Top 25 lobbying firms is nearing its end.

With the No. 25 to No. 16, No. 15 to No. 11 and the No. 10 through No. 7 firms already accounted for, it’s only the biggest of the big firms from here on out. Based on Florida Politics’ estimates, each of the below firms approached — or surpassed — $3 million in pay in the opening quarter of the year.

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. 6: Rubin, Turnbull & Associates

The team at Rubin, Turnbull & Associates once again showed solid quarter-over-quarter growth, reporting nearly $3 million in total pay.

The firm led by Bill Rubin and Heather Turnbull filed reports showing it earned at least $1 million lobbying the Legislature and another $1 million lobbying the executive branch. That is the top bracket for firm-level ranges, meaning Rubin Turnbull & Associates could have earned more.

In addition to the named partners, the firm’s third-quarter team included Melissa Akeson, Jacqueline Carmona, Erica Chanti, Kevin Comerer, Jodi Bock Davidson, Christopher Finkbeiner, Zachary Hubbard, Matthew Sacco and Sharonda Wright-Placide. They represented 105 legislative clients and 100 executive branch clients during the three months ending March 31.

HCA Healthcare was the most lucrative contract, paying $142,000 overall — $71,000 for legislative lobbying and the same amount for executive lobbying. Still, HCA ceded the top spot on the executive branch report to Binance.US, a major cryptocurrency trading platform that paid $90,000 for executive branch lobbying work.

Other major clients in the Legislature included BusPatrol at $45,000 followed by a half-dozen contracts worth an estimated $35,000 apiece. That set included Charter Communications, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, Nomi Health, Orchid Cove Health Group, Penske Truck Leasing and The Richman Group of Florida.

Based on per-client ranges, Rubin Turnbull & Associates could have earned as much as $3.85 million in Q1. Rubin Turnbull’s median earnings estimate of $2.95 million keeps pace with 2023, when the firm posted reports at or near the $3 million mark throughout the year.

No. 5: Ronald L. Book PA

The lobbying firm led by Ron Book continued to put up powerhouse numbers in the first quarter, new compensation reports show.

He and lobbying partners Rana Brown, Kelly Mallette and Gabriela Navarro represented 100-plus clients during the reporting period, amassing more than $2.5 million in legislative lobbying revenues and tacking on an additional $500,000 lobbying the executive branch for a grand total of $3.51 million in Q1.

Three contracts on the firm’s legislative compensation report measured in at $100,000 or more. Title Clerk Consulting Company provided the biggest payday at $214,000 for the quarter, followed by Performance Title Services at $118,000 and Ashbritt at $100,000.

A handful of other clients beat the $50,000 cap on range reporting, including Gift of Life Adoptions, the Florida High School Athletic Association, the Miami Project/Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, Miami-Dade County and FBE Limited.

Ashbritt was at the top of the executive branch report with another $100,000 payment. Bright Health Group was a distant No. 2 at $35,000 followed by AutoNation and Reveam in the $25,000 bracket.

Overall, Book’s team reported earning no less than $1 million in legislative lobbying pay and between $250,000 and $500,000 in executive branch pay. At the top end, the firm may have earned as much as $3.46 million.

No. 4: GrayRobinson

GrayRobinson’s lobbying operation reported earning more than $12 million last year. That was a record for the firm, but based on Q1 reports it will be a short-lived one.

Lobbying compensation reports for the first quarter show the state’s largest lobbying-legal firm topped $3.51 million in revenues. Their Q1 haul included an estimated $1.85 million in legislative lobbying income and $1.66 million in executive compensation.

The latest total represents a sizable bump from GrayRobinson’s average of approximately $3.1 million per quarter last year.

Led by Dean Cannon, a former House Speaker, the GrayRobinson team includes more than two dozen advocates.

The list: Jeff Aaron, David Allen, Christopher Berg, Christopher Carmody, Carlecia Collins, Larry Cretul, Christopher Dawson, Angela Drzewiecki, Rheb Harbison, John Harris, Leeann Krieg, George Levesque, Jessica Love, Blake Mathesie, Ryan Matthews, Kim McDougal, Kirk Pepper, Thomas Philpot, Richard Plotkin, Joseph Salzverg, Robert Stuart, John Truitt and Jason Unger.

Katie Flury was also on the Q1 roster, though it was recently announced that she will be leaving the firm on good terms to also lobbied for the firm last quarter to lead external affairs at Nemours Children’s Health.

GrayRobinson’s top legislative clients last quarter included the Florida Municipal Electric Association in the $45,000 range, followed by City of Tampa at $35,000 and a host of clients in the $25,000 bracket.

On the executive side, the lead contract was with the Florida Healthy Alternatives Association, which exceeded the range reporting cap with $50,000 in payments last quarter. Coreview was No. 2 at $35,000.

GrayRobinson reported earning no less than $1 million on each of its reports, meaning the firm earned a minimum of $2 million for the opening quarter of 2024. At the high end, the firm could have earned as much as $5.56 million — $2.88 million in the Legislature and $2.68 million in the executive branch.