Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschDecember 15, 2016

Ballard Partners on Thursday announced a “strategic alliance” with the Chicago-based All-Circo political consulting firm. “It gives us a marketing opportunity in a very important part of the country,” firm president Brian Ballard said. “We try to find the ‘best of class’ wherever we go.” John J. Kelly Jr., All-Circo’s president and owner, has been […]

Staff ReportsDecember 8, 2016

Florida State University says it is beginning renovations on the downtown building that will be the new home of schools named after the late car dealer and philanthropist Jim Moran. The site, donated by lobbyist Brian Ballard and his wife Kathryn, will host the College of Business’s Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship and the university’s new interdisciplinary Jim […]

Gary FineoutNovember 28, 2016

He was opposed by the Republican establishment. During a contentious campaign, he spoke forcefully about the need to crack down on immigration. And he used millions of his own money to bolster his political career. President-elect Donald Trump? No, Rick Scott, the current governor of Florida. While they are oceans apart in temperament and public […]

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 […]

Tag: Brian Ballard

Ballard Partners teams up with leading Illinois influence shop

Jim Moran building renovations on track in Tallahassee

Rick Scott may serve as model, and warning, for Donald Trump

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?