Top U.S. lobbying firm adds Tampa office, growing its national footprint

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, one of the nation’s top lobbying firms, is expanding its national footprint with the opening of a new office in Tampa.

The new office will strengthen the firm’s existing strategic alliance with Rubin, Turnbull & Associates, a leading Florida-based lobbying firm headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, with offices in Miami and Tallahassee. The Tampa location is Brownstein’s 13th office across the U.S.

“As the country’s top lobbying firm, it makes absolute sense to expand our physical presence in Florida given the state’s importance on the national political scene,” Brownstein Managing Partner Rich Benenson said. “We have had strong collaboration with Bill and Heather’s team at Rubin Turnbull since 2021 and look forward to this next stage of growth. This investment in Florida highlights the intersection where Brownstein thrives: business, law and politics.”

Firm shareholder Melissa Kuipers Blake, a veteran of the firm’s Government Relations practice, will serve as managing partner for the Tampa office. Kuipers Blake, a graduate of Florida State University with a law degree from the University of Miami, has returned to the Sunshine State to head the operation. She will develop business in the state that leverages the firm’s federal lobbying team in Washington, D.C., as well as a strategic alliance with Rubin Turnbull.

“As a Floridian, I’m thrilled to lead this new office and focus on growth in the state where I started my career with Bill Rubin more than two decades ago,” Kuipers Blake said. “This homecoming and increased collaboration with Bill and Heather (Turnbull) is special for me. Florida is such a significant player on the national level and in Washington, D.C., and an important state for many of our clients.”

Kuipers Blake previously served with Brownstein in Denver, where she was named by the Denver Business Journal as one of its Outstanding Women in Business honorees in 2022, when she was co-chairing the firm’s cannabis and industrial hemp industry group.

Benenson praised her selection, saying “there’s no one better” to run the new Tampa office.

“She knows the politics of the state, the players and the issues,” Benenson said. “During her time in Denver, Melissa has been an important player in our state and federal lobbying practice offering our clients solutions through our state and federal lobbying teams. I know she will continue this first-class approach in Florida.”

Rubin, who is the founder and Chair for Rubin Turnbull, also praised Kuipers Blake.

“We have enjoyed working with Brownstein since the start of our strategic alliance,” Rubin said. “Our goal is to continue creating great synergy with Brownstein’s national platform and our existing market position in a key state like Florida.”

Brownstein is one of the nation’s leading lobbying firms, offering its clients a bipartisan team with full-service lobbying, public policy and legal representation that helps companies, associations, nonprofits and other organizations interpret federal government actions, solve challenges and seize opportunities.

The firm’s work includes legislative consulting, advocacy, policy development, public relations, political messaging and representation in front of Congress, federal agencies and regulatory bodies. Brownstein’s team offers comprehensive services at the federal, state and local levels across the U.S.

The firm is being embraced in Florida, too.

“I am thrilled to welcome Brownstein to Florida,” U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee said. “I hold the teams at Brownstein and Rubin Turnbull in the highest regard.”