Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Phil AmmannJune 7, 2018

With rebranding and a host of upgrades, Tampa’s former Lowry Park Zoo is now adding a power player as its voice in Tallahassee. The newly christened ZooTampa at Lowry Park announced it is bringing on governmental relations firm Southern Strategy Group as a strategic partner. As one of the state’s most influential lobbying shops with locations across […]

Drew WilsonJune 7, 2018

The Pinellas County Commission put out the call that it was looking to ink a new lobbying contract a couple months ago, and three teams have made the short list according to documents received as part of a public records request. Those top-tier proposals came from some familiar firms, with Dean Mead taking the top […]

Drew WilsonMay 28, 2018

Summertime is here — well, almost. While Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the country’s armed forces, the holiday also marks the unofficial start to summer. And for many people, that means it’s time to start thinking about summer vacation. Nearly 42 million Americans are hitting the road for the long weekend […]

Drew WilsonMay 17, 2018

First quarter reports are in for Florida’s lobby firms, and Ballard Partners again topped the list with an estimated $2.5 million in compensation for legislative lobbying during the first three months of the year. Ballard, which topped all firms in 2017 compensation, was one of six outfits reporting at least $1 million in legislative lobbying […]

Drew WilsonMay 8, 2018

Tampa Republican Rep. Shawn Harrison, who is once again facing a formidable challenger in House District 63, added $7,850 to his campaign account and $44,500 to his political committee last month. The April report shows 10 contributions, including seven checks for $1,000, the maximum allowable contribution for state legislative races. The new report brings his […]

Danny McAuliffeFebruary 22, 2018

The Joint Legislative Auditing Conference released on Thursday a list of 26 lobbying firms that were randomly selected for audits of their compensation reports. The firms selected for legislative lobbying audits are: — The Mayernick Group LLC — Gentry & Associates LLC — Pathfinder Communications LLC — Doster and Associates Inc. — Damon Smith Consulting […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 16, 2018

Ballard Partners was the top-earning lobbying firm in the fourth quarter of 2017 and the past year overall according to an analysis of newly filed compensation reports. Southern Strategy Group and Ron Book, P.A., finished second and third, respectively. Joining those three firms in the $1 million-per-quarter club are Capital City Consulting, Greenberg Traurig and […]

Peter SchorschDecember 29, 2017

‘Tis the season, and the Legislature’s dubious Christmas present this year was moving up the 2018 Legislative Session two months from its usual March start date. We will no doubt have many gifts in store, besides the inevitable policy food fights, such as perhaps seeing some lawmakers in their ugly holiday sweaters (the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts “sunny, turning warm” for […]

Peter SchorschNovember 16, 2017

Rachel Cone, a veteran of state and local governments and early hire of Gov. Rick Scott‘s administration, is joining top Tallahassee lobbying firm Southern Strategy Group. In the run-up to Scott’s 2014 re-election campaign, she was one of the go-to senior staffers who was known for doing her homework, being a straight shooter and maintaining […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 13, 2017

Florida State College Jacksonville made an ambitious ask to the Duval County Legislative Delegation: $12 million PECO money for a downtown STEM building. Jacksonville Republican State Rep. Clay Yarborough will carry that one to Tallahassee, via a bill filed Monday. Per the appropriations request, the project will “accommodate the space and growth needs for the College’s […]

Tag: Southern Strategy Group

ZooTampa continues makeover, tapping Southern Strategy Group for lobbying assist

Dean Mead tops Pinellas County’s lobbying shortlist

Memorial Day Weekend brought to you by these lobbyists and political associations

Six firms earn more than $1 million for legislative session lobbying

Shawn Harrison hits $215K on hand with April fundraising reports

State to require audits for 26 lobbying firms

Ballard Partners tops in lobbying compensation for 2017; SSG, Ron Book round-out Top 3

The 12 Days of Christmas, as brought to you by these Florida lobbyists and politicos

Personnel note: Southern Strategy Group gets its steel magnolia

Clay Yarborough wants $12M for FSCJ STEM building