Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschNovember 23, 2016

It’s time to talk turkey. And stuffing, pie and football. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the winter holiday season; the first stop in a month of non-stop holiday parties and celebrations. It’s also a day for Americans to reflect on what they’re grateful for, something that is especially important in these tense times. But it’s […]

Peter SchorschNovember 22, 2016

Second in a series. Most people are familiar with this joke about lawyers. Q: What do you call 2,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A: A good start. Well, to newly installed House Speaker Richard Corcoran, if you substitute “lobbyists” for “lawyers” in that joke, it’d be twice as funny. Despite his brother being a lobbyist, Corcoran does […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 15, 2016

The inaugural committee for Donald Trump has a Florida feel, with the president-elect tapping two prominent Floridians to serve as its finance vice chairs. Trump tapped former Ambassador Mel Sembler and Brian Ballard to serve as vice chairs of his inaugural committee. The two men join more than a dozen other high profile Trump supporters […]

Peter SchorschNovember 10, 2016

Tuesday’s slate of general elections in Florida certainly provided a list of winners and losers, and I’m not just talking about the candidates. Here is my list of the real winners and losers coming out of Election Day. Winners Rick Scott — The Naples Republican was an early backer of the president-elect, comparing Trump’s rise to his own 2010 gubernatorial […]

Phil AmmannOctober 30, 2016

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Donald Trump may have said he was scaling back on high-dollar fundraising — ending with a Las Vegas luncheon held last week — but it didn’t mean he wasn’t quite done raising money. The Republican nominee, joined by Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus and former ambassador Mel Sembler, among others, returns to Florida for a breakfast […]

Associated PressSeptember 14, 2016

For Donald Trump, the fight for Florida begins and ends with mass appeal: signature rallies and direct social media contact with voters who believe he can “make America great again.” Add some 30 Florida Trump employees to about 80 Republican Party field workers deployed around the state, and that pretty much covers the GOP nominee’s […]

Peter SchorschAugust 26, 2016

It’s been several years since the war ended. Many of the veterans who fought the battles of this war are no longer with us. All that’s left are the headlines declaring the end of hostilities. I am referring, of course, to the “Eyeball Wars” that raged through the last decade and the beginning of this […]

Peter SchorschAugust 19, 2016

Congressional candidates Al Lawson and Annette Taddeo out-raised and outspent their Democratic Primary opponents over the last two months, according to newly filed campaign finance reports. Lawson is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Corrine Brown in Florida’s 5th Congressional District, which was redrawn to run from Gadsden County in the west to Jacksonville in the […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 18, 2016

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A congressional candidate’s “pre-primary filing” is a good indication of how he or she will close, and compared to incumbent Rep. Corrine Brown (who has an anemic $25,000) as of Aug. 10, challenger Al Lawson reports $120,000 cash-on-hand ahead of the Aug. 30 primary. From July 1 to Aug. 10, Lawson raised $49,888, with $1,000 from Brian Ballard standing […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 16, 2016

Ballard Partners finished the second quarter as the top earning governmental affairs firm in Florida. The Tallahassee-based firm reported second quarter median compensation of about $2.2 million. The earnings mean the firm will once again be among the state’s Top 3 earners. Firms must file compensation reports each quarter, and the reports covering the second quarter […]

Tag: Brian Ballard
Debate party at Sports Grill Kendall. Image via AP.

Thanksgiving 2016, as brought to you by these Florida lobbyists and political organizations

How to get around Richard Corcoran’s new rules — Volume 2

Donald Trump presidential inaugural committee has a Florida feel

A rundown of the real winners and losers from Florida’s general election

Despite end of formal fundraising, Donald Trump to hold breakfast event at Doral Wednesday

In Florida, Donald Trump faces a Hillary Clinton campaign behemoth

Will Florida’s ‘eyeball wars’ flare up again doing the 2017 Legislative Session?

Al Lawson, Annette Taddeo outraise and outspend opponents ahead of Dem primaries

Al Lawson reports $120K COH in pre-primary filing, GOP money in play

Compensation reports show Ballard Partners had another stellar quarter