Peter Schorsch
The Auditor General’s Office and staff from the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee selected Thursday 26 lobbying firms for the first-ever audits of lobbyists’ compensation forms.
Fourteen firms that seek to influence the Legislature in the making of policy and 12 firms focused on the executive branch are the first group subjected to audits mandated by a measure signed into law in 2005.
It is estimated more than $200 million is spent annually in an attempt to influence the making of state policy. However, state law requires only that firms report compensation in $10,000 ranges so it’s impossible to get an exact total of the money involved in lobbying lawmakers.
The firms selected which lobby the legislative branch are: Cullen Legislative Group; David K. Sigerson Jr.; Caserta Government Relations; Karen K. MacFarland; Lettelleir Consulting Group; Louis C. Rotundo; Magnolia Strategies; McDaniel Consulting; Nicholas Millar; Paladino Public Affairs; Prieguez Solutions; Reynolds & Associates; Rutledge Ecenia and the Sayfie Law Firm.
The firms selected which lobby the executive branch are: Alcalde & Fay; Buigas and Associates; DDarling Consulting; Dean Mead; Landmarc Strategies; Masterson Law Group; Mitchell J. Rubin; National Strategies; Professional Consultants; Rathbun & Associates; Richwood Governmental Consultants and Wexford Strategies.
Here are a few quick thoughts about today’s selection process.
1. Who the hell are the lobbying firms? Yeah, I recognize some: Alcalde & Fay, Dean Mead, Rutledge Ecenia. But none of these firms rank in the Top 10 of the state’s highest grossing governmental affairs shops. Heck, none of them rank in the Top 25. At #30, Rutledge Ecenia is the highest grossing firm in therms of 2014-Q4 legislative lobbying fee earnings.
2. To double down on that point, let me point out Lettelleir Consulting Group. I know the “principal” of this “firm.” It’s my friend Matt Lettelleir, currently employed in sales at a craft brewery. Lettelleir is somewhat involved in politics as a GOP activist, but he’s anything but a lobbyist. He had one “client” last year who cut him a single $5,000 check. Auditing Lettelleir is like DBPR treating my neighbor’s kid’s lemonade stand like its a bar.
3. This selection process clearly favors the largest firms ,with their army of partners and associates, which have just as much chance of being selected for a rectum exam, err, audit as a sole practitioner. In other words, there is just as much likelihood that Ballard Partners and Southern Strategy Group will be selected for an audit as, say, Matt Lettelleir.
4. You’ll forgive my hathos at seeing Justin Sayfie of The Sayfie Review audited.
5. Somewhere in North Florida, Frank Tsamatoules — whose firm suffered a big hit in revenue during the first quarter of 2014, the first reporting period subject to random audits of compensation reports — is sacrificing a goat to the gods of chance.
