Drew Wilson
Ballard Partners’ state-level lobbying operation collected over $9 million last quarter, securing the No. 2 spot on Florida Politics’ lobby firm rankings.
The firm, founded by Brian Ballard, collected $5.48 million in legislative lobbying pay and reeled in $3.76 million lobbying the executive branch, for an overall total of $9.24 million.
Florida Politics estimates lobbying pay based on the middle number of the per-client ranges firms listed on their compensation reports. Contracts are reported in $10,000 increments up to $50,000.
Firms must also disclose overall earnings ranges; however, the highest tier is $1 million or more. Like all other firms in the Top 5, Ballard Partners cleared the threshold on both of its first-quarter compensation reports.
With more than 300 contracts, Ballard Partners has one of the largest client sheets in Florida — and a lobbyist roster to match. In addition to Ballard and Tallahassee Managing Partner Abby Vail, the firm’s Florida team includes more than two dozen advocates, many of whom held elected office or were high-level staffers before joining the firm.
The list: Michael Abrams, Jeff Atwater, Brady Benford, Carol Bracy, Christina Daly Brodeur, Bradley Burleson, Robert Burleson, Jennifer Busby, Courtney Coppola, Ana Cruz, Lenny Curry, Jose Diaz, Dane Eagle, Jordan Elsbury, Mathew Forrest, Jan Johnson Gorrie, Christopher Hansen, John Johnston, Todd Josko, Adrian Lukis, Nikolas Pascual, Carlos Ramos, Monica Rodriguez, Katherine San Pedro, Justin Sayfie, Wansley Walters, Courtney Whitney and Amy Young.
They collectively represented 312 clients in the Legislature, seven of whom paid more than $50,000 in Q1. The BioCare Donor Tissue Network was the top client at $125,000, followed by Advanced Rx Pharmacy at $60,000, Safe Port Terminals at $55,000, HNTB Corporation at $54,000, U.S. Sugar at $54,000, and Walden Lake at $54,000.
Rounding out the set at $51,000 was the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, a group comprised of nonprofit and teaching hospitals across the state. SNHAF recently released a report showing member hospitals’ Match Rates are outpacing the state and national averages. SNHAF credited the positive figures in part to legislative policy that it and its lobbyists, including the Ballard squad, advocated for.
BioCare Donor Tissue Network was also Ballard Partners’ top executive client, chipping in another $125,000 for a combined $250,000 in Q1 payments. Advanced Rx Pharmacy provides dispensing and mail-order pharmacy services to doctors and physicians, and was the only other $50,000-plus client in the executive. It paid $60,000.
Ballard Partners’ $9.24 million median estimate represents a $400,000 increase quarter-over-quarter and a $250,000 improvement over the firm’s report for Q1 2024. It’s notable, however, that Q1 2024 included all of the last Session, a stretch where most firms see a spike in clients and revenues. In odd years, the Session stretches into Q2.
Florida lobbyists and lobbying firms faced a mid-May deadline to file compensation reports covering Jan. 1 through March 31. Compensation reports for the second quarter are due Aug. 14.
