Staff Reports
The Southern Group again topped Florida Politics’ lobby firm rankings for the second quarter, posting more than $11.29 million in earnings between April 1 and June 30.
The firm, founded by Paul Bradshaw, reported $6.87 million in legislative pay and $4.43 million in executive branch earnings, based on median estimates. At the high end, the firm could have earned as much as $15.19 million.
TSG represented 423 legislative and 438 executive clients for a combined 438 unique principals. On the legislative side, top-paying clients included Vestcor Companies at $68,000, GuideWell Group at $62,000 and Phillips and Jordan at $59,000.
Executive filings were topped by Baldwin Risk Partners at $76,000, Phillips and Jordan at $59,000 and Bluenest Development at $45,000.
The Southern Group sports Florida’s most extensive list of lobbying clients, representing some marquee names such as Apple, CVS, FedEx, TECO, U.S. Sugar and NASCAR alongside numerous municipalities, universities and professional associations.
The firm reported 43 registered lobbyists last quarter, including many former elected officials and top state staffers such as former Rep. Seth McKeel, former Sen. Oscar Braynon II, former Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier, Rick Scott Deputy Chief of Staff Rachel Cone, former DMS Secretary Erin Rock, and Nelson Diaz, the former chief legislative aide to now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A rundown of the full 43-member Florida roster and the firm’s growing federal practice is available here.
TSG’s median estimates for the second quarter place it in the highest bracket for both reports — reporting ranges top out at $1 million-plus. At the top end, The Southern Group reported as much as $8.77 million in the Legislature and $6.42 million in the executive branch, for a potential overall haul of nearly $15.2 million — a figure that underscores its dominance in Florida’s lobbying industry.
Florida lobbyists and lobbying firms faced an Aug. 14 deadline to file Q2 reports. Compensation reports for the third quarter are due Nov. 14.
