INFLUENCE Magazine — Spring 2018

Hu Bob rri A ca sz ne ta W los: ar rio r

A FloridaPolitics.com Publication

SPRING 2018

TheKristinDemocrats Are Coming!

Jacobs, Carlos Smith & Co. Are Ready For A Fight

2018 Legislative Session Winners & Losers Session Rookie of the Year: Lauren Book

Lizbeth Benacquisto: What I’ve Learned

The Second Act of Ballard Partners’ Chris Dorworth

The Latest on Enwright Rimes, The Legis Group, Richard Reeves, Sean Pittman

Critical decisions are made in the Capitol at all hours that impact your business.

Make sure you have a team that works day and night for you.

Gerald Wester

Nick Iarossi

Ron LaFace, Jr.

Chris Schoonover

Ken Granger

Named

“LOBBYING FIRM OF THE YEAR”

by INFLUENCE Magazine Spring 2016.

Ashley Kalifeh

Scott Ross

Andrew Ketchel

Dean Izzo

CapCityConsult.com | 101 E. College Ave., Suite 502, Tallahassee, FL 32301 | 850.222.9075

Jim Boxold

CREATE A SAFER FLORIDA WITH THE COMBINED POWER OF P25 RADIO AND PUBLIC SAFETY LTE PUBLIC SAFETY BECOMES MORE OF A CHALLENGE ON A DAILY BASIS. Outside threats continue to evolve at an accelerated pace. Florida’s First Responders need new capabilities that will empower them to work cohesively, while giving them the ability to access and share information instantaneously.

70%

AGENCIES SAY DATA IS AT LEAST AS CRITICAL AS VOICE3

67%

OFFICERS WANT ACCESS TO HIGH-SPEED DATA IN THE FIELD3

78%

RESPONDERS USE SMARTPHONES ON THE JOB3

80%

OF CITIZENS BELIEVE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES POLICING1

10X

INCREASE IN MOBILE DATA TRAFFIC FROM 2014 TO 20192

72%

GLOBAL MOBILE TRAFFIC THAT WILL BE VIDEO BY 20192

Source: 1. Accenture Citizen Pulse Survey on Policing 2014 2. http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/white_paper_c11-520862.html 3. 2014 Public Safety Industry Survey, Motorola Solutions

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS INNOVATION ENABLES FLORIDA FIRST RESPONDERS TO RISE TO THE CHALLENGE.

Just as the Project 25 (P25) Digital Radio is the indispensable voice and data network for mission critical communications, Public Safety LTE will be for broadband data and auxiliary voice. Both are critical components of next-generation policing technologies being developed in Plantation, Florida, and are powerful in their own right.

But their true potential will be realized, when they converge.

DIGITAL LMR & LTE: BOTH SERVE A PURPOSE PUBLIC SAFETY LTE

P25 DIGITAL LMR

=

+ MISSION CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS

LMR/LTE CONVERGENCE

BROADBAND COMMUNICATIONS

COLLABORATIVE COMMUNICATIONS

ULTIMATE RESULT: IMPROVED EFFICIENCY AND SAFETY

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONVERGENCE Public safety agencies must continue to seek funding for Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems, equipment, and enhancements in order to sustain and improve mission-critical voice communications among public safety responders. Without continued investment in LMR systems to sustain mission-critical voice communications, capabilities could be compromised during response operations.

Source: Department of Homeland Security - LMR for Decision Makers

PLANTATION, FL INNOVATION CENTER: WHERE MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS DEVELOPS NEXT-GEN TECHNOLOGY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY

MOTOROLA’S MISSION CRITICAL VOICE COMMUNICATIONS THE POWERFUL PLATFORM THAT WILL FUEL AND SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY LTE. For more information about Motorola’s Convergence Suite, visit us at: motorolasolutions.com/convergencesuite MOTOROLA, MOTO, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2016 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.

COMING SPRING 2018

www.Florida2030.org

STATEWIDE BUSINESS LEADER SUMMITS LESS POVERTY, MORE PROSPERITY May 2-3, 2018 • Orlando

LEARNERS TO EARNERS June 12-13, 2018 • Tampa

ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING SUMMER SCHOOL July 17-20, 2018 • Marco Island

FUTURE OF FLORIDA FORUM September 26-28, 2018 • Orlando

www.FloridaChamber.com/Events 850-521-1237

PUBLISHER’S | NOTE

@PeterSchorschFL

What a time to be in politics

W

e’re not sure when it happened. Perhaps it was some time after Hurricane Irma struck the state, or around when another hurricane of sexual harassment scandals hit the Florida Legislature.

But whenever it was, the last six months of Florida politics have been surreal.

And that was before a disturbed young man killed 17 innocent souls at a high school on Valentine’s Day. I have to be honest with you: It’s all really impacted me. Not in a physical way, but the barrage of bad, breaking news made a deep impression on me. And, believe it or not, it also made an impression on the focus and schedule of this magazine.

This should be the edition in which we roll out the second INFLUENCE 100 listing the most influential people in Florida politics.

But right now isn’t the time for that.

As our reporters and our photographers reached out to those on the list, there was resistance by some to being interviewed, to being photographed. And I admit it was awkward asking lawmakers to celebrate the influence of lobbyists and fundraisers at the same time they were putting together the most important piece of legislation passed in the last seven years.

So the INFLUENCE 100 is on hold for a few months. It will debut in June.

Meantime, so much is going on in the influence world (or, as the AP’s Gary Fineout likes to call it, the influence media), that we needed to get an issue out that captured what

8 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

happened during the 2018 Legislative Session, as well as to many of the players who are part of The Process.

If one thing is clear post-Parkland, it’s that Florida Democrats — three decades removed from power — are gearing up for a monumental political and policy fight.

The outcome of this fight will shape the influence industry for years to come. Several Democrats are on our list of Winners and Losers emerging from the Session, including our “Rookie of the Year” Lauren Book, a first-term state senator featured inside.

If Book is the newcomer to watch, Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto is the veteran lawmaker to listen to. If you read one thing in this magazine, make sure it’s her first-person thoughts on the state of The Process.

The rest of the magazine is filled with a barrage of news and notes about dozens of other players, including Sen. Rob Bradley, Rep. Kristin Jacobs, former Rep. Chris Dorworth, Randy Enwright, Jim Rimes, and many others.

Some of those may well be in the INFLUENCE 100. Until then, ponder the contours of the new political landscape, coming to places — and pages — near you.

Peter Schorsch Publisher

Peter@FloridaPolitics.com

INFLUENCE MAGAZINE A FloridaPolitics.com Publication

PUBLISHER

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Peter Schorsch Phil Ammann

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS Ana Ceballos Josh Cooper Rochelle Koff Dan McAuliffe

ART Sarah Bray Colin Hackey Kristin Piccolo

Phil Sears Benjamin Todd Mark Wallheiser

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Mary Beth Tyson

DIGITAL SERVICES MANAGER

Rosanne Dunkelberger Christy Jennings Jim Rosica

Michael Moline Mitch Perry Jim Rosica

Daniel Dean

SUBSCRIPTIONS One year (4 issues) is $25.

Subscribe at InfluenceMagazineFlorida.com

INFLUENCE Magazine is published quarterly by Florida Politics, LLC, a subsidiary of Extensive Enterprises Media, LLC. 204 37th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33704. INFLUENCE Magazine and Extensive Enterprises Media are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged, but will not be returned.

INFLUENCE Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor. Copyright April 2018, Extensive Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 9

SPRING 2018

INFLUENCE MAGAZINE

PHOTO: Mary Beth Tyson

features

78 DEMOCRATS GOT THEIR MOJO WORKING Despite a considerable disadvantage numbers-wise in the House and Senate, Democrats scored some impressive wins for their progressive agenda in Session 2018, and look forward to moving the needle leftward in the future.

88 Lauren Book’s Wonderful, Successful, Very Good Session INFLUENCE’s Freshman Lawmaker of the Year was at the forefront of some of the Session’s most high-profile issues — workplace sexual harassment and gun control in the aftermath of the Parkland shootings — while holding leadership positions and bringing home the bacon for her district.

94 Champs and Chumps

In the zero-sum game that is the Legislative Session, after Sine Die, you go home a winner or a loser. INFLUENCE creates its comprehensive listing of those who get a big thumbs up (as well as a not-so-big-one) or thumbs down in 2018.

10 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

A Brief Introduction to …

66 Political consultant partners Randy Enwright and Jim Rimes expand their offerings with Supernova Digital.

69 The Legis Group’s Doug Holder and Rob Schenck tell of lessons learned in the evolution from legislator to lobbyist.

72 Jeff Jackson, PGT Innovations’ new CEO and president, seeks to be on the cutting edge of protecting Floridians from powerful storms.

74 His military missions over, Bob Asztalos serves the state’s most frail and elderly residents as chief lobbyist for the Florida Health Care Association.

112 The Reinvention of Chris Dorworth After a stunning defeat in 2012, the former House leader has found prominence — and peace — on the team of lobbying powerhouse Ballard Partners.

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 11

INFLUENCE MAGAZINE

departments

22 124

16 46 34

50

PHOTOS: provided by merchant, Joan Marcus, Colin Hackley, Mary Beth Tyson, Bill Day

30 In the Kitchen with Political consultant and Chef JOSH COOPER prepares apps for a rosette-worthy tailgate at the Red Hills Horse Trials.

Insider’s Advice

34 Foods en Vogue

RYAN COHN once again shares his top picks for the most social-media savvy firms and folks.

Just a fad or a new restaurant classic?

ROCHELLE KOFF explores the food trends of 2017 and predicts what will be popular this year.

61 Florida’s Most Social

On the Move

62 Troll Report BLAKE DOWLING breaks down how the Russian Internet Research Agency does its dirty work on the Internet.

54 Rob Bradley’s Universe

Political Aficionado’s Guide

15

Who’s in the orbit of this Republican senator with a star-bright future.

Social Scene

56

Briefings from the Rotunda

41

122 What I’ve Learned

65 Predicting the Midterms

Fourth Floor Files

50

LIZBETH BENACQUISTO reflects on a career of fighting for the underdog.

The Big Question

124

STEVE VANCORE warns Florida Democrats not to get too excited about the expected Blue Wave in 2018.

12 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

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STUFF

|

GOOD

READS

Grill Like a Boss

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T H E AT R E

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TELEVISION

BY ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER

In Florida, pretty much every season is grilling season. And when you fire up the charcoal, it’s time to put on a show for friends and family. Here’s a selection of products that’ll help you create an impressive feast while making cooking and cleanup a breeze.

THE COWBOY CAULDRON is a show-stopper

with an old-school look constructed of solid-plate steel that’s meant to last for generations. Not only is it an awesome grill, you can also use it as a fire pit or an extra-large boiling pot. In three sizes ranging from 32 to 42 inches around, it’s easy to clean, easy to use, and ultra-durable. $1,695-$2,995 plus shipping, orvis.com/p/cowboy-cauldron/2hbl

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 15

A 42-OUNCE LONG BONE TOMAHAWK STEAK is sure to be a mouth-dropping (and watering) showstopper. It’s a Cowboy Steak with about a foot-long bone “handle” that’s been cleaned for an impressive presentation that easily serves two. The USDA Prime steak has been dry aged to create a deep, rich flavor. The Steak Source is a third-generation meat purveyor offering a variety of Prime cut-to-order beef as well as domestic lamb and pork chops, shipped coldpacked and never frozen. $85.50 plus shipping, thesteaksource.com

Using an innovative Dutch design, it works like tongs and turners and includes a fork for spearing sausages and hot dogs. There’s even a bottle opener in the handle! Available online at Amazon, Walmart and The Grommet. $25, tnkbrand.com/?p=254&lang=en

To properly cook a grill full of burgers, it’s important for the patties to be the same size. This 4 ½-inch diameter HAMBURGER PRESS can create patties quickly and consistently. The aluminum tool features an adjustable knob that allows home cooks to pick the thickness of their burger patty.

Toss that wire-bristle brush for grill cleaning, because the wires can break, stick to the grate and end up in your food. THE GRILLSTONE CLEANING BLOCK, which can be used on hot or cold grates, is abrasive, but safe for porcelain enamel, cast iron, stainless steel, and steel grates. Even better, the blocks are non-toxic and eco-friendly, made almost completely of “foamed” recycled glass. The cleaning kit comes with two GrillStone blocks and an easy-grip handle. $11.99, earthstoneinternational.com/cleaning/grill-stone 16 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

Photos provided by merchants.

If you can grill it, the STINGRAY BBQ MULTI-TOOL can handle it.

A chef is only as good as his or her knives and knives are only as good as good as their sharpness. Get the edge with this professional grade KNIFE SHARPENER FROM BROD AND TAYLOR. It features precision-ground ultra-hard tungsten carbide sharpening surfaces on patented spring-action bars and performs three different sharpening techniques — coarse sharpening for very dull or nicked knives, honing and polishing. And it works on serrated knives too. $119, brodandtaylor.com/product/professional-knife-sharpener/

There are thermometers, and then there’s the THERMICATOR II, the ultimate tool for any perfectionist grill-master. This ultra-accurate digital food thermometer measures meat temperatures with ease and provides a large LED readout. $329, orvis. com/p/thermicator-ii/2e1n

Say goodbye to smelly lighter fluid and get your charcoal started with the electric LOOFTLIGHTER BBQ STARTER. It looks like a giant curling iron but works like a blow dryer on steroids. Touch the heating element onto the charcoal and a powerful burst of heated air gets the flames going in just a minute or two. And it works on fireplaces and fire pits, too. $82.50, garrettwade.com/looftlighter-bbq-starter.html

No need to grab an expensive spice mix off the grocery store shelf with fillers and ingredients you don’t want (MSG, we’re looking at you) for the next barbecue. Just grab the book “SPICE MIXES:

HOMEMADE SPICE BLENDS AND SEASONING RECIPES” instead. Chef Jamil Bathali offers up an international variety of DIY combinations to spice up your food using the freshest, most aromatic ingredients. $8.95, amazon.com or free with Kindle unlimited.

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 17

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the Political

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GOOD READS

Changing Florida’s ‘Literacy Culture’

BY DAN MCAULIFFE

PHOTO: Mary Beth Tyson

A

t the Florida Capitol in the midst of this year’s Legislative Session, a promise was made to double the state’s reading proficiency rate among schoolchildren – ­ but it wasn’t announced by a lawmaker or a state official. Instead, the verbal commitment came from one of the country’s best-selling authors, James Patterson.

The prolific novelist announced during a luncheon on the 22nd floor of the Capitol that he would contribute $3 million to help kick off the James Patterson Literacy Challenge, which will be implemented through the College of Education at the University of Florida.

For Patterson, the initiative comes at a time when concerns about the political process are prevalent and there are widespread doubts about whether impactful change is possible.

“We’ve run into a period when a lot of people want to change stuff, they want stuff to happen here in Tallahassee and change things,” Patterson told the small crowd, which included Florida Department of Education Commissioner Pam Stewart, in

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 19

PHOTO: CD Davidson-Hiers/Democrat

Sally Bradshaw’s Midtown Reader bookstore in Tallahassee sold out a reading featuring James Patterson earlier this spring with full house of about 300 people attending the event, held in the offices of the Tallahassee Democrat. late February. “But they’re getting skeptical and cynical about whether those things can change.”

With respect to the literacy rate, however, he offered a beacon of hope: “We can change this. We can’t change everything, but we can change this.”

A full-time resident of Palm Beach, Patterson holds an interest in Florida’s general welfare. And as a world-renowned author, it’s no surprise his philanthropic efforts overlap with reading and writing. He’s contributed $432,000 to fund UF scholarships for teachers who plan to specialize in reading instruction and has similar scholarship programs set up at roughly 28 other universities.

During an interview for INFLUENCE Magazine, the author pointed to the sheer fundamentality of literacy as the catalyst for his charities.

“For most people, if they’re not at least competent readers, it certainly cuts down their choices,” Patterson said.

20 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

He said reading statistics jump around, but that proficiency rates clearly are a problem in the Sunshine State. One accepted figure: Forty-percent of Florida’s third graders have been performing below the passing score for reading on the Florida Standards Assessment.

According to Dr. Holly Lane, an associate professor of special education and director of the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies at UF who will head the Patterson-backed challenge, the school’s partnership with Patterson came after the author saw potential in the literacy efforts already underway at the university.

Those efforts included web-based, professional development pilot modules designed to teach educators how to build a student’s reading skills. Lane said the pilot programs received positive feedback, and piqued Patterson’s interest.

“We approached him initially to see if

he’d be interested in supporting some of the literacy work that we’re doing,” Lane said during a phone interview. “[Patterson] liked what we were doing, but wanted us to do it on a larger scale. We’ve been doing professional development for teachers for a long time and have seen a lot of success on a very small scale, so he wants us to take this across the state.”

Patterson said that he found the literacy programs at UF to be “impressive” and “proactive.” “I like when you get something and it’s a real need, the plan is good and the partner is good,” he explained, citing UF’s previous success as his reason for wanting to expand the initiative — via a multi-million dollar donation.

The university will use Patterson’s $3 million contribution to further build out its online professional development course and work within two school districts for up to three years to change the status quo of low-performing institutions.

“Our goal is to turn around the literacy culture of those schools,” Lane said. “A lot of them have kind of been performing at the bottom of the state schools for a number of years, and in that kind of situation, failure has just become part of the school culture.

“We really want to turn around that culture so that they no longer consider failure an option.”

The Literacy Challenge is unique in that it focuses on intensive professional development, meaning Lane and her colleagues are working to better prepare teachers to help students struggling with reading.

The online program, expected to include 40 modules and an option to receive feedback on instruction, will be made available to all teachers across the state. UF intends to support Alachua County schools and another unnamed district for the manned aspect of the Literacy Challenge, which will include summer professional development programs for teachers.

Patterson, who’s inked his way through a meritorious writing career, said ultimately he believes increasing the literacy rate will change — even save — lives because of its positive exponential effect.

He recalled a time when he visited a prison to interview someone for a documentary he was working on as an example of the compounding power literacy can have on an individual’s life.

“There were a lot of young guys there, and I’m sure that probably most of them or all of them didn’t graduate from high school and probably weren’t good readers,” Patterson said. “Now, most of them are good readers because they have nothing to do but read.”

“If we could just get these kids reading, it’s going to give them more choices.”

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 21

the Political

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T H E AT R E

Don’t Miss Your Shot

BY ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER

HAMILTON Chicago Company-(c) Joan Marcus 2016

L

ater this year and in early 2019, Florida “Hamfans” will rejoice as the touring company of their favorite Broadway musical stops for three extended engagements in theaters in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa.

“Hamilton” was groundbreaking when it premiered in 2015, telling the story of one of the United States’ founding fathers with a multicultural cast and using song styles that include hip-hop, pop, R&B, soul, and traditional show tunes. It won 11 Tony Awards, a Grammy and the Pulitzer Prize and continues to be one of the toughest tickets to snag on Broadway.

The play’s action — highlighting the outsized personalities involved in the sometimes-messy process of creating a nation — has a particular resonance for members of Florida’s political class and its fans there are legion.

Lobbyist Richard Reeves has seen the production four times, three times in New York City and once in Chicago, something he’s never been inspired to do with any other play.

22 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

“It’s a passion of mine,” he said. “My plan is to see it at every (Florida) stop.”

Reeves inherited a love of history from his father and read Ron Chernow’s eponymous 2005 book about Alexander Hamilton — the play is based on it — well before the show was written.

So what’s the attraction?

“I think the uniqueness, when it came out, of seeing our founding fathers portrayed in a different manner than folks are used to,” Reeves said. “It’s multicultural, but with respect and gravitas, (showing) the difficult decisions they were making and struggling with.

They were shown as people with families and challenges and petty rivalries. All those things are playing out in a setting that most everyone believes they know very well but it was being presented from a different perspective.”

Although he’s only seen the play once, lobbyist Alan Suskey said he’s listened to the soundtrack “countless times” and plans to see “Hamilton” several times when it comes to Florida.

“I love the way they tell the amazing story of a man who came from nothing, literally, and rose to become one of the Founding Fathers of our nation in a way that is both relatable and extremely entertaining,” he said.

Reeves also is a fan of the music, saying he often uses songs from the soundtrack for cardio exercise. “There’s ‘My Shot.’

That’s five minutes of movement right there,” he said.

Perhaps the most well-known song from the play, the fast-paced rap features the lyric “I’m not throwing away my shot.” In context, it’s about a hot-blooded young Hamilton and his compatriots seizing the moment for the colony to embrace a revolution. But it also foreshadows a time, decades later, when Hamilton is said to have deloped — thrown away his shot — in the duel with then-Vice President Aaron Burr that killed him in 1804.

While the setting is nearly 250 years in the past, Suskey sees plenty of parallels with today’s personalized and polarized politics.

“The comradery, rivalries, egos, and scandals of the 18th century are not much different than today. We just have different mediums to hear the stories,” he explained. “The ‘fake news’ of pamphlets being distributed then isn’t much different than what some consider ‘fake news’ in the media today.”

Reeves concurs. “There were newspapers that took opposite sides and argued them vociferously and sometimes very meanly,” he said. “I guess you could draw a parallel to how our discussions are going on today.”

HAMILTON- Chris De’Sean Lee and Chicago Company -(c) Joan Marcus 2016

‘HAMILTON’ IN FLORIDA While the three Florida venues are expecting “Hamilton” to be a tough ticket to snag during its run here, information about prices and for-sale dates have not been settled. In all cases, current season ticketholders will get the first shot at purchasing tickets and the choicest seats for the 2018-19 seasons, which will include “Hamilton.”

Sales to the general public and individual ticket prices are to be announced.

Fort Lauderdale The Broward Center for the Performing Arts Au-Rene Theater Dec. 18, 2018 – Jan. 20, 2019 browardcenter.org/events/detail/Hamilton Tampa The Straz Center for the Performing Arts Feb. 12 – March 10, 2019 strazcenter.org/HAMFAQs Orlando Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Walt Disney Theater Dates TBA drphillipscenter.org

ALL ABOUT THE HAMILTONS

HAMILTON - Solea Pfeiffer, Emmy Raver-Lampman and Amber Iman National Tour - (c) Joan Marcus

A close aide George Washington, Alexander Hamilton was appointed the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and was the main creator of the National Bank, saving the new republic and setting it on a path to greatness.

Because of his contributions, Hamilton’s image has been constantly affixed to several denominations of U.S. currency since it began being printed in 1861, including $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $1,000 bills. He also has appeared on American postage and the $500 EE series savings bond.

Since 1928, Hamilton’s face has appeared on the front of the $10 bill. But in 2015, then-Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced a plan to bump him from that position so that a woman could appear on U.S. currency. But that idea was scrapped after a wave of public opposition, due in part to the resurgence of interest in the founding father created

by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s play.

Now, it’s Andrew Jackson — president, slaveholder, Indian fighter and Florida’s reluctant first governor — who’s set to get booted from the $20 bill, in favor of former slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

The $10 and $5 notes are set to be redesigned to include portraits of women and civil rights leaders on the reverse side.

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 23

FLORIDA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

The Voice of Medicine For more than 140 years, the Florida Medical Association has been the most influential voice for medicine in the Sunshine State. No other organization can match our track record of successful advocacy for physicians in the legislative, legal and regulatory arenas. By serving the medical profession, the FMA makes it easier for doctors to deliver high-quality care that keeps Floridians healthy. No matter how complex Florida’s health care environment becomes, our mission — Helping Physicians Practice Medicine — will never change.

Learn more about the FMA at www.FLmedical.org or by calling (850) 224-6496.

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TELEVISION

Local Cable to I Play Starring Role in 2018 Campaign Advertising

BY PETER SCHORSCH

f you’re worried Florida voters will fast-forward through your candidate’s campaign commercials this cycle, think again.

Thanks to targeting innovations and spot advertising, campaigns and political parties are increasingly turning to cable advertisers to reach their targeted audiences.

While broadcast networks remain king, local cable’s share of ad buys overall is steadily increasing, and 2018 will be no exception.

From the 2010 to 2016 election cycles, cable’s share of total advertising dollars spent in Florida’s billion-dollar market grew from 12 percent to more than 18 percent, amounting to $340 million on cable ads alone.

Early projections expect cable’s share to jump a whopping seven percentage points to account for more than one quarter of all television advertising in Florida, and 30 percent of advertising nationally for 2018.

This trend reflects a shift in voters’ viewing habits to the lifestyle and entertainment networks offered by cable, said Tim Kay, vice president of political strategy for NCC Media, a New York-based advertising sales and technology SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 27

company, which specializes in harnessing cable advertising technology for its clients.

“Campaigns know they can reach targeted demographics more efficiently if they advertise on cable channels like HGTV or TLC instead of national broadcast networks, like ABC or CBS,” said Kay. As DVR technology enabled voters in past elections to fast-forward through commercials aired during popular TV shows, voters seemed to be gaining a legup on advertisers.

Now, as voters spend more than 60 percent of their viewing time streaming on-demand video, the fast-forward button is becoming less of an option.

“Viewers will have to watch those ads before they can move on to the next episode,” Kay said.

And those ads will be catered to voters like them, said Brad Swanson, president and CEO of Florida Internet & Television, whose members include dominant cable advertisers Comcast, Charter and Cox. “The latest cable voter-targeting capabilities allow campaigns to advertise to the precise demographics they seek,” said Swanson. “Whether it’s moms of schoolaged children, small business owners, or minority communities, our advertising technology can reach those voters precisely on the channels they are watching and when.”

Former Republican Party of Florida executive director Jim Rimes, co-founder of Enwright Rimes Consulting and top Florida campaign strategist for Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, Sen. Jeff Brandes and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, said cable advertising has changed the voter targeting game for the better.

“It allows us to get our message directly to the voters we want to talk to with as little waste as possible,” said Rimes, who added that broadcast advertising is often cost-prohibitive for local and legislative races.

“In broadcast, you have to buy the whole market, and it’s very expensive. That’s where cable becomes very attractive.

“Now, TV advertising is an option for more down-ballot races,” he said.

On the national level, cable expects to rake in more than $800 million in advertising dollars out of a $4 billion total market in the 2018 cycle.

That means, in addition to Florida taking a lion’s share of cable advertising, one-quarter of all television ad buys nationally will be spent right here at home.

Binge watchers, it’s time to buckle up.

Those pesky campaign commercials aren’t going anywhere.

28 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

With new branding, Florida Internet & Television renews vision of innovation

Brad Swanson, FIT’s president & CEO, explaining the organization’s new branding.

Photo courtesy of FIT.

T

he history of technology is replete with name changes.

What began as “BackRub” (true story) is now better known as Google. You won’t remember it as “Confinity,” but you’ll recognize PayPal. The Florida Cable Telecommunications Association (FCTA) has taken a chapter out of that book, now calling itself Florida Internet & Television (FIT).

Brad Swanson, the group’s president and CEO, unveiled the new brand last October.

“We would like our friends in the legislative and government sectors to know how our member companies are leading the evolution of how people connect to the world around them,” Swanson said in a statement, “from content streaming and virtual reality innovations, to telehealth and home automation.”

The change came just over a year after Swanson joined the organization to help it advocate more effectively in Florida’s legislative, regulatory and political arenas.

“Our previous name and brand needed an update to reflect the high-speed, online, cutting-edge technology our members provide to millions of Florida residents, businesses and visitors,” he said.

“We look forward to using our new brand to communicate our industry’s unrivaled economic, charitable and technological value we create in every corner of this state.”

So what’s next?

The association’s new look and feel will be accompanied by a “broader communications strategy” to align with those of its members, all high-tech companies that have grown beyond solely providing traditional cable services.

Of note: The association’s public affairs television show, Capital Dateline, also got a makeover, now called FITv. It will remain “a one-of-a-kind program reaching Florida’s top influencers,” Swanson said.

FIT’s new website is internetandtvfl.com and Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts all have been changed to @FLInternetTV.

Josh Cooper

In the Kitchen with ...

HORSES, PROSECCO AND ‘ELEVATED’ APPETIZERS AL FRESCO AT THE RED HILLS HORSE TRIALS

BY ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER PHOTOS BY COLIN HACKLEY There are tailgates galore in Tallahassee, but there’s only one “Tail-Gait” and that happens at the annual Red Hills Horse Trials, an eventing competition that draws riders worldwide, including Olympic hopefuls, as well as thousands of spectators to the beautiful Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park.

The Tail-Gait is an upscale soiree, and picnickers are entertained with an excellent view of the water jump, one the most exciting obstacles that are part of the cross country competition, held this year on Saturday, March 10.

When friends Will and Abby Pichard asked Josh Cooper and his partner Gannon Hunt to cohost a tailgate, he knew barbecue and fried chicken wouldn’t cut it. So he devised hors d’oeuvres that would take typical tailgate appetizers and “elevate” them into gourmet treats – giving them what he likes to call “pow pow.”

In a nod to the white-tablecloth event, Cooper traded in his chef’s coat for pink linen suit to dish out his creations, that included pulled pork and pimento cheese sliders, Thai Sweet chili chicken wings, and a mushroom and truffle mac and cheese.

Rather than just cutting up a watermelon, he served a watermelon salad, featuring feta cheese,

red onion and mint dressed with balsamic vinegar.

But one of Cooper’s favorites – “it’s going to be one of my new specialties” – is a fingerling potato skin topped with crème fraiche, caviar and some snipped chive. “It’s really, really delicious and the caviar gives just a hint of fishiness to it,” he said. “I did it at a party for the Maclay Gala and people went nuts over it.”

Under the tent were linen tablecloths and chafing dishes as well as libations featuring SYLTBAR Prosecco — delicious and only 49 calories a glass. Hunt transported her outdoor furniture to the venue allowing about 40 guests to enjoy their comestibles in comfort while watching the competitors on a picture-perfect spring day.

Because Session was extended this year, Saturday was a day off for influencers during the budget’s cooling-off period. An on-the-floor invite from Tallahassee’s Rep. Loranne Ausley may have contributed to the large contingent of Legislators and lobbyists who stopped by the Pichard/Cooper/Hunt tent during the afternoon.

And the horses and riders weren’t the only day’s winners. Cooper and his co-hosts won a second-place red ribbon rosette for their hospitality in the tailgate competition.

(Left to right) Will and Abby Pichard join Gannon Hunt and Chef Josh Cooper, during The Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee.

30 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

Chef Josh Cooper holds a plate of elevated appetizers he prepared to enjoy during The Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee. On the plate: (clockwise from front left) Brisket and pimento cheese sliders, truffle and mushroom mac and cheese, potato skins with creme fraichĂŠ, caviar and chives, and watermelon salad .

SPRING FALL 2017 2018 INFLUENCE INFLUENCE | 31

IN THE KITCHEN WITH JOSH COOPER

Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad INGREDIENTS 12 cups cubed seedless watermelon 1/2 red onion, diced 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese 1 cup fresh mint, Chiffonade (roll a handful

Fingerling Potato Skins with Crème Fraiche and Caviar INGREDIENTS 1 bag of fingerling potatoes (20-25 potatoes) 1 8-ounce container of Crème Fraiche 1 jar of black caviar 1 package of fresh chives, snipped 1-inch long salt and pepper vegetable oil for frying

Top Photo: Madelyn Floyd and her horse Clementine clear a jump near the Tail-Gait tent of Abby and Will Pichard. Above: Watermelon salad and caviar-topped potato skins. Right: Time to eat! Abby Pichard prepares a plate from the offerings made by Chef Josh Cooper.

32 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

of leaves and thinly slice to make ribbons) 1/2 cup aged balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste (salt brings out the sweetness of the watermelon) DIRECTIONS Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and lightly toss to mix.

DIRECTIONS 1. Bake potatoes on baking sheet for 1 hour at 400 degrees. Remove and set aside to cool.

2. Cut potatoes in half and scoop out potatoes with a watermelon ball scoop (or spoon).

3. Deep fry the skins at 400 degrees in a fryer or on the stove in a pot. Remove and season with salt and pepper. Once cooled, spoon a dollop of créme fraiche into the skin and top with caviar and chive. Serve immediately.

T.J. MORTON

JOHN M. LOCKWOOD

DEVON NUNNELEY

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW | GOVERNMENT POLICY | REGULATED INDUSTRIES 106 E. College Ave., Suite 810, Tallahassee, FL 32301 LockwoodLawFirm.com | 850.727.5009 The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualiďŹ cations and experience.

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 33

TRENDS

34 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

‘Fashionable’ Food A look at what food fads are being served up now and culinary trends we can expect to see throughout the year.

BY ROCHELLE KOFF

D

ining trends have brought us fondue, wraps, tiramisu and portobello stacks. We’ve tried Cronuts and chia seeds, devoured tons of cupcakes and doused our french fries with truffle oil.

Food fads come and go and many come back again.

“Culinary fads are like fashion,” said Ferrell Alvarez, James Beard nominee and chef/ owner of Rooster & The Till in Tampa.

We may not embrace every craze, but we sure want to keep up.

In 2017, we spent nearly as much time snapping pictures of our meals as we did consuming them. We doubted farm-totable claims but still inquired about the source of our food. And we embraced (briefly) colorful Unicorn food.

Here’s a sample of gastronomic trends that captured our attention in 2017 and what we might expect in 2018.

Bowled over: Diners have been ditching their plates in favor of bowls. Often called Buddha bowls or power bowls, they’re filled with protein, vegetables, greens and whole grains for an easy-to-eat nutritional powerhouse. Bowls of Hawaii’s famed raw fish dish, poke (pronounced poh-key), have become a huge hit — even on a steakhouse menu. Poke bowls with tuna or salmon “are very popular,” said Ian Lynch, executive chef of Cowford Chophouse in Jacksonville. Restaurants are mainstreaming

ethnic bowls, like Korea’s bibimbap and Vietnam’s pho. And on the sweet side, we haven’t forgotten açaí bowls brimming with healthful berries.

Classics redux: “What’s old has become new again,” said Alvarez. “We’re re-inventing classics.” Chefs may take a wedge salad and “elevate it with cool, funky ingredients,” he said. A blue plate special served during Cowford’s lunch hour, for instance, features dishes like chicken fried steak, but “it’s a nice cut of beef with wild mushroom gravy,” said Lynch.

Hyper local: “The trend toward micro regional continues,” said James Beard-nominated chef Kris Wessel, set to open a barbecue restaurant in Miami’s Little Haiti. He will showcase the wood-cooking traditions of the Taíno and Timucua Indians of Florida and the Caribbean at Wessel’s Tropical BarBQ. “Chefs are reflecting the area of the country they’re cooking in,” said Wessel, focusing more on the culture and history of the region.

Ice Cream Rollups: Based on ice cream treats from Thailand, ice cream rollups became a hit in New York’s Chinatown and they’re now popping up across the country. In Florida, the chain Mr. Cool, has branches in Orlando, Tallahassee and Gainesville. The treat features little rolls of ice cream, about the size of a roll of quarters. Servers mash mix-ins and a liquid ice cream base on a chilled pan. The mixture is then scraped into rolls. Toppings include crumbled cookies, candy, fruit and sauces.

Watching the process is part of the fun.

Insta-food: The 2016 BBC Good Food Nation Survey found that 40 percent of millennials have posted photos of their food on social media. But we’ve seen all generations snapping pictures of their dishes.

Restaurateurs talk about the “Instagram effect.” “There’s more pressure than ever on chefs because of social media,” said Lynch. Sometimes diners take so much time taking pictures that their food gets cold. The trend has led to better presentation in some cases, but also some pretty wacky fare. “Unicorn food” is one example, creating fare like multicolored bagels, doughnuts and pancakes. Starbucks’ whimsical Unicorn Frappuccino quickly became an Instagram star.

Maple mania: Pumpkin is still the taste of autumn, but maple is quickly becoming another seasonal favorite, sweetening items like doughnuts, yogurt and spreads.

Starbucks introduced a maple pecan latte and Dunkin’ Donuts’ serves maple pecan hot and cold brews, maple-frosted donuts and a maple sugar smoked bacon sandwich.

Mindful eating: “There’s maybe a higher level of consciousness about what food people are putting in their bodies,” said chef Lauren Macellaro, co-owner of the Reading Room in St. Petersburg. “Vegan is huge now. Everyone seems to have a diet — anti-inflammatory, gluten-free, Paleo (based on prehistoric human diets).” The chef can tell customers “exactly what’s in their food.” Wessel noted that the food-as-medicine trend is becoming more popular. Diners are exploring foods

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 35

TRENDS

While exotic spices were the in thing for 2017, Chef Ian Lynch (left) sees a trend ahead for simplifying dishes while focusing on execution and technique. Maple-flavored coffee (right). like moringa root, miracle fruit and soursop touted for disease-fighting properties.

All sorts of extras, like turmeric and bee pollen, showed up in smoothies and juices.

Pickles and pickling: In the National Restaurant Association’s 2017 What’s Hot culinary forecast, a survey of nearly 1,300 professional chefs found ‘gut health’ would increasingly become a buzzword, leading to the popularity of pickling and fermenting. Kimchi, kombucha and Yucatan pickles are becoming “foods du jour.”

PROJECTIONS FOR 2018 Chefs and food forecasters have consulted their crystal ball for upcoming trends (and wishful thinking).

Casual dining: The trend away from fine dining restaurants to more “rustic” and relaxed dining is expected to grow stronger, said Rooster & The Till’s Alvarez. “People want value and quality but they don’t have to go to a fancy white-tablecloth establishment to get it anymore,” he said.

Spices: “We’re seeing more bold use of spices across the board,” said Wessel.

That applies to fast casual spots as well as fine dining restaurants. The trend toward Moroccan, Middle Eastern and African spices has continued playing more of a role in home and restaurant meals the past year. What’s hot: harissa, curry, peri peri, fennel, shichimi.

Vegetables rule: Vegetables are finally gaining respect in more mainstream restaurants, whether as an entree or side dish. “Chefs are being more creative with vegetable options,” said Lynch, who has prepared sides like curried cauliflower and a kale-spinach mix with fresh herbs and garlic. There are more venues “making a nice step toward their local agricultural community,” said Macellaro. Expect vegetables to further crowd out protein on the dinner plate.

36 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

Flower power: On its recently released forecast of food trends for 2018 Whole Foods put floral flavors at the top of the list. The grocery store chain predicted lavender, elderflower, and hibiscus all will be appearing in coffee, cocktails and tea.

“Bright pink hibiscus teas are a hot (and iced) part of the trend,” reported Whole Foods, “while elderflower is the new MVP (most valuable petal) of cocktails and bubbly drinks.”

Mushrooms: More varieties of fungi are surfacing as a big trend in 2018, according to the Whole Foods list. Expect to see varieties like reishi, chaga and cordyceps. Lion’s mane mushrooms, with their earthy, meaty taste, are already appearing in creative main dishes and pasta. Look for mushroom products in bottled drinks, coffees, smoothies, teas, broths and sauces.

Simplify, simplify: Cowford Chophouse’s Lynch said he’d like to see a trend that focuses more on execution and technique instead of using a ton of ingredients. “Less is more,” said Lynch.

Takeout tribulations: Figuring out better ways to package takeout should be a trend in the coming years, said The Reading Room’s Macellaro. “There’s so much Styrofoam and plastic silverware and that’s not necessary. We need to evolve when it comes to the whole ecosystem of the restaurant.”

Experience the Tradition 1601 Golf Terrace Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32301 850.222.0419 | capitalcitycc.com

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 37

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PROUD FLORIDA BUSINESS FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS! WE MAKE IT HERE Many of our beers are truly “made in Florida” —brewed in Jacksonville since 1969.

DRIVING THE ECONOMY & LEADING INNOVATION We are creating 75 new jobs and investing $185 million in a new aluminum bottle line at our Jacksonville Can Plant.

It will be the second in the country to make the sleek, twist-off aluminum bottle.

COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENT We maintain a 99% recycling rate at all of our Florida facilities.

Donated more than 600,000 cans of drinking water to the Southeast to help communities impacted by Hurricane Matthew.

40 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

RFB

PHOTO: Mark Wallheiser

Briefings from the Rotunda

State’s S largest lobbying firm looks at 20

outhern Strategy Group (SSG) was founded by Paul Bradshaw almost 20 years ago, shortly after Gov. Jeb Bush was elected in November 1998. (Yes, it’s been that long.)

Since that time it’s grown from a one-person shop to having a five-office network in Florida with more than two dozen lobbyists and more than 250 clients, including Disney, Apple, Florida Blue, TECO, and International Speedway Corporation.

And SSG has made a decisive tilt toward the great companies of the coming decades that are banking on hugely disruptive business models, businesses like Airbnb, Waymo, and Tesla.

It has also grown well beyond the state’s boundaries with affiliated offices in the Southeast and as far north as Michigan. The core of the business model has always been to hire the best and brightest from government and the world of political campaigns, and around this core SSG continually innovates within the lobbying sphere.

SSG was the first lobbying firm to build a credible statewide network of offices in Florida, the first to embrace social media and infographics as a delivery system for its message, and the first to fully exploit the power of a large lobbying team composed of A-listers from the Capitol.

Its lobbyist ranks have included a former attorney general and secretary of state; several former legislators; five chiefs and deputy chiefs of staff to the governor; former agency heads in the fields of law enforcement, healthcare, finance, and transportation … and the list goes on.

This fall, the firm celebrates its 20th anniversary by holding a “mini-Davos” political forum in Orlando, and political luminaries like Sean Spicer, Paul Begala, and John Avlon of The Daily Beast are slated to attend.

SSG will continue to honor its culture of innovation by pushing deeper into the world of politics, data analytics, and targeted messaging – a response to, and an active participant in, the New World Order of blogs and social media-driven news. Here’s to another 20 years.

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BFR

Briefings from the Rotunda

City of Miami cracks down on lobbyist registrations

C

M

Y

I

n Florida, efforts to slow down the revolving door — the pattern of people going from industry to agency, and back to industry is a battle many have fought, but few have won.

But in the city of Miami, where dark money, mega developments and professional influencers abound, legislation that aims to shed light on who is playing the game of political arm twisting was unanimously approved toward the end of the year.

Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell, a congressional hopeful, was the messenger for the cause. He called it a need for more transparency in the wake of what he said were some apparent backroom deals between an unregistered lobbyist and city officials, which led to fines being imposed.

The case Russell says inspired him to spearhead the lobbying reform legislation stemmed from a zoning issue. At first glance, it was not controversial, he said: Resizing a lot for redevelopment.

But then the unregistered lobbyist, who Russell did not name, approached city officials in an attempt to change a decision that had already been made. “The problem wasn’t that they approached the administration, but that there was no transparency,” Russell said. “On the heels of that, I wanted to strive for a more open process and give the public more trust on the issue.”

42 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

With the passage of Russell’s ordinance, any person who wants to lobby a city official must register and complete an ethics course upon doing so. They also are mandated to state under oath the existence of any “direct or indirect business association, partnership or financial relationship” with city officials, in addition to their annual expenditure reports. Those who fail to submit expense reports will face a $50 fine per day until they comply.

The city ordinance also requires the city to develop a real-time searchable lobbyist database, which will log the information of hundreds of lobbyists in the city — as of November there are more than 300 registered — and the issues they advocate for. Under a reform mantle.

Russell — a contender in the crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen — also has been a big proponent of creating more transparency in the city and county campaign finance system. Last year, Russell backed a push to strengthen enforcement of existing campaign finance laws, institute a lobbyist gift ban and limit contribution to mayoral and county commission candidates to $500 per election cycle. The effort, spearheaded

by An Accountable Miami-Dade, a coalition of Miami-Dade politicians that included Russell, failed.

But had it passed, some listed donors

in Russell’s congressional campaign may not have been allowed to give to county candidates, federal records show. One of those donors includes lobbyist Eric Zichella, who contributed $1,000 to the Ken Russell for Congress Exploratory Committee. Russell said Zichella consulted him in the lobbying reform legislation this year.

Zichella is not prohibited from giving money to Russell, at the city, county or federal level, but Russell taking money from a lobbyist at the federal level is a concrete example of how complicated and political tricky campaign finance reform can be. Ambitious politicians in need of raising large sums of political cash are the same ones who must pass reforms aimed at decreasing the flow of that money. Referring to the case that led to his lobbying reform proposal, Russell said a searchable database to find the unregistered lobbyist would have saved city officials time and resources.

Now that the legislation has passed, the city’s requirements for lobbyists are more aligned to those in the county, at least when it comes to registration and reporting mandates.

“It is much more uniform now and allows the lobbying industry to not have to deal with multiple requirements,” Russell said. But ultimately, the effort is meant to hold the industry to a “higher standard,” he added.

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CMY

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Uber Supports More Than 18,000 jobs for Floridian Entrepreneurs Uber is projected to generate Florida by the end of 2020

130,000 job opportunities in

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WHAT IS UBER? Uber is a mobile application that connects riders to drivers at the touch of a button. By connecting users with safe, reliable and affordable rides, and with unprecedented accountability and transparency, Uber has transformed the way cities move.

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 43

BFR

Briefings from the Rotunda

Dan Newman

D

an Newman, the Florida Democratic Party’s former House Victory Director, joined Capital City Consulting this November.

Since then, he’s represented a smorgasbord of concerns: American Traffic Solutions, Delta Air Lines, the Florida Association of Health Plans, medical marijuana provider Trulieve, and Jacksonville Greyhound Racing, to name a few.

He’s got cred throughout the spectrum: Newman served as Caucus Director for House Democratic Campaigns from the end of 2013 through June 2017 under Democratic Leaders Perry Thurston, Mark Pafford and Janet Cruz.

Before that, he helped run the successful judicial retention campaigns of Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy A. Quince on the Florida Supreme Court.

In 2010, Newman served as statewide political director for the unsuccessful Alex Sink for Governor campaign, coordinating her outreach to elected officials, 67 county parties, labor unions, trade associations and key constituencies.

From 2003-07, Newman worked in the political department of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, alongside the legendary Marian Johnson. There, he helped coordinate a $6 million program culminating in the successful passage of 2006’s Amendment 3, which increased the number of votes needed to approve a proposed constitutional amendment from 50-percent-plus-one majority to a 60 percent supermajority.

And Newman started in The Process as an intern at the Fowler White firm for lobbyists Mac Stipanovich and Kim McGlynn.

The Richmond, Virginia native is a 1999 graduate of Princeton University and lives in Tallahassee with his family.

44 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

PHOTO: MaryBeth Tyson

PHOTO: MaryBeth Tyson

shines at CCC

Chris Spencer off

to ‘tremendous start’

C

hris Spencer has taken his passion working as an aide to Sen. Jeff Brandes and put it to work for clients at GrayRobinson.

He left his longtime job with Brandes for the GrayRobinson lobby team in September of last year. Since then, he’s been busy covering a wide range of issues.

Leveraging his experience inside the budget process, he says he has been working multiple appropriation requests for several of the firm’s local government and private sector clients.

Spencer has also been active in the alcohol regulation arena, advocating for the “Merlot-to-Go” bill, which would more easily allow restaurant patrons to take home opened bottles of wine, and a repeal of the limitations on wine container sizes.

Spencer joined the team advocating for the voice of Florida’s building and construction industry, the Associated Builders and Contractors.

Tuning into the disruptive innovation agenda of his former boss, Spencer has also tackled issues in the tech and information technology space.

GrayRobinson’s Dean Cannon says Spencer has brought a particular focus to autonomous vehicles, with appropriation projects for automated technology infrastructure.

“Chris has gotten off to a tremendous start,” said Cannon, the firm’s executive vice president and statewide chair of Government Affairs. “His knowledge of the budget and policy process and his extensive relationships in the Tampa Bay Area have been a great addition to our statewide team.”

RFB Richard Reeves

stretches solo wings

S PHOTO: MaryBeth Tyson

ix months after branching out on his own, veteran lobbyist Richard Reeves is continuing his focus on advocacy as a solo practitioner just as he was when he was part of powerhouse lobbying firms.

Last August, Reeves announced he was leaving GrayRobinson to set up his own shop, RLR Consulting. He had come to GrayRobinson when it acquired Dean Cannon’s firm, Capitol Insight.

Since that friendly split, Reeves has worked on behalf of more than a half-dozen clients, including Gulf Power, the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, and the Florida Virtual School.

Moreover, Reeves’ special affection for education-related issues is reflected in his work for education consulting firms Worldwide Interactive Network and Kuder.

“It’s been great getting back into session and working on the issues that have been part of my legacy client work – education, workforce, insurance, and utilities,” Reeves said.

“Moving forward, I’m excited about new clients coming onboard with issues related to the environment and wastewater and property rights.”

Throughout his career, Reeves has managed to navigate the partisan gulf in the Capitol. He worked for Florida’s U.S. Senators – one a Democrat, the other a Republican – while each served in state government in Tallahassee.

TOP 10 BE ST KE P T SE CR E T S OF A VAL U E D L OB B Y IN G PAR T N E R

FEARLESS FORTITUDE An instinctive and innate desire to achieve victory that escalates intensely when confronted with seemingly insurmountable odds.

“

Vaulting from #25 to #10” in a single quarter – FloridaPolitics.com

And there’s no end in sight. Our Tallahassee office doubled in size this year creating a venerable Who’s Who List of former state administrative department heads, governors’ chiefs of staff, agency heads and even presidential advisors. We counsel and lobby for clients in every major Florida city as well as nationally.

bipc.com/Government-Relations F O RT L A U D E R D A L E | F O RT M Y E R S | J A C K S O N V I L L E | M I A M I | TA L L A H A S S E E | TA M PA Califor nia | Colorado | Delaware | Florida | New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Pennsylvania | Virginia | Washingto n, D C

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Briefings from the Rotunda

PHOTO: Colin Hackley

BFR

Six-year D lobbying ban on lawmakers dies in CRC

on’t be surprised that a proposed state constitutional amendment for a six-year lobbying ban on legislators and statewide elected officers caused a few fireworks and hard feelings — before it was killed, of course.

At a February meeting, proposal sponsor Darryl Rouson said fellow Constitution Revision Commission member Don Gaetz had “insulted” him by trying to amend a measure of his onto Rouson’s, saying his had more ethics reforms.

Rouson said Gaetz’s measure went too far, and Gaetz backed down on his amendment. No matter: Gaetz won the day as Rouson’s six-year ban was voted down by the Commission’s Ethics and Elections Committee.

Rouson, by the way, is a Democratic state senator from St. Petersburg and appointee of House Speaker Richard Corcoran. Gaetz, a former Senate President, is a Niceville Republican and appointee of Senate President Joe Negron.

Extending the lobbying ban past the current two years has long been a priority of Corcoran’s, who rewrote the House Rules to include a six-year lobbying ban on former House members.

Last year, the House passed a lobbying-ban extension, but the measure died in the Senate. A similar effort died this past Session.

A six-year lobbying ban would be the longest in the nation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But the idea previously has raised constitutional concerns over free speech and restraint of trade.

46 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

RFB Break Through to Blue Sky MEET FLORIDA’S BREAKTHROUGH

850.222.1996 Tallahassee

Orlando

AGENCY

sachsmedia.com Boca Raton

Washington, D.C.

Public Relations

Public Affairs

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Research

Crisis SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 47

BFR

Briefings from the Rotunda

Sean Pittman

now in charge of Orange Bowl

H

PHOTO: MaryBeth Tyson

e’s kind of a big deal: The Florida attorney and lobbyist is now president and chair of the Orange Bowl Committee for the 20182019 season.

That makes Sean Pittman the first person living outside of Miami to be elected president.

Pittman, a double graduate of Florida State University, is senior partner of Pittman Law Group in Tallahassee, Miami, and Palm Beach. INFLUENCE readers will remember him as one of our “Top 100 Most Influential People in Florida Politics.”

“After admiring the work of the Orange Bowl Committee since 1993, it’s humbling and surreal to know that I have now been entrusted to lead this prestigious organization,” Pittman said.

During his presidency, he will oversee the Orange Bowl Committee as it hosts the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl for the second time.

“In this 85th year of the Committee, we will execute a Playoff Semifinal to be remembered for years to come, while elevating the member experience for all of those who volunteer their time and energy to the work of the Committee,” he said.

“We will also continue to support the South Florida community, as they have supported us for so long. I’m honored to know that my colleagues have elected me to serve as their president, and in return it is my mission to make them proud.”

Pittman, a member of the Orange Bowl Committee since 2005, succeeded now-Immediate Past President and Chair Don Slesnick.

Pittman also co-hosts the TV talk show “The Usual Suspects” that deals with state and national politics. He and his wife, Dr. Audra Pittman, have three daughters, Paloma, Pilar and Phoebe.

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SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 49

Empowering communities What helps make a strong community? Educational and professional opportunities, help for those in need, and the responsible use of technology.

Š 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.

FOURTH FLOOR>FILES

THOUGHTFUL, CONSISTENT AND A LOVER OF BUFFETS Significant other? Children? Grand kids?

My husband Tim and I have been married for just over two years. No children yet, but we’re a proud aunt and uncle to four: Tatum, Teagan, Will, and Hannah.

In 25 words or less, explain what you do.

I provide public, private, and nonprofit entities expert advice and counsel on the intricacies of government, so that they can focus on their business or services.

Without using the words Democrat, Independent or Republican, conservative or liberal, describe your political persuasion.

Thoughtful and consistent.

If you have one, what is your motto?

Be good, or at least be good at it.

During your career, have you had a favorite pro bono client?

I had the honor of working with the wonderful folks at the Institute for Justice on reforming our state’s civil forfeiture laws.

Three favorite charities.

Whole Child Leon, The Project on Accountable Justice at Florida State, and Human Rights Watch.

Any last-day-of-Session traditions?

Dinner with good friends.

PHOTO: Mary Beth Tyson

Natalie Kato

What are you most looking forward to during the Legislative Session?

The same thing I look forward to during every Legislative Session — Sine Die. If you could have another lobbyist’s client list, it would be …

I shall not covet my colleague’s client list.

Professional accomplishment of which you are most proud?

I’m particularly proud of the work my firm has done on behalf of the vacation rental industry. We are on the forefront of what I believe is a major issue for private property rights and it is exciting to work within the coalition we’ve built on this issue.

Lobbyists are often accused of wearing Gucci loafers; do you own a pair of Gucci loafers? If not, why not?

I’m more of a Prada girl.

Who is your favorite Florida Capitol Press Corps reporter and why?

Tia Mitchell and Michael Auslen, who have both, sadly, left us for greener pastures.

Other than FloridaPolitics.com, your reading list includes…

Slate, Politico, The Washington Post, The Hill, and about 18 different food blogs.

What swear word do you use most often?

I’m an equal-opportunity user of all fourletter words.

What is your most treasured possession?

The election night photograph of campaign staff from the first race I ever worked on. It reminds me of where I’ve been, and where I’m going.

The best hotel in Florida is …

The Breakers, because I am a huge fan of buffets and their brunch spread is unreal.

You’ve just learned that you will be hosting a morning talk show about Florida politics. Who are the first four guests you’d invite to appear?

I’d invite people who I consider to be great public servants: my old boss, former Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich; Former Jacksonville Chief of Staff Chris Hand, whom I consider both a friend and mentor; and Sen. Jeff Brandes.

Favorite movie.

Idiocracy.

When you pig out, what do you eat?

The Cream-Cheese Wontons from Tan’s Asian Café.

If you could have dinner with a historical figure no longer living, who would it be?

Huey Long, The Depression-era governor of Louisiana who would have challenged FDR for the presidency but for his assassination … and Sen. Greg Evers, so I could say goodbye.

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 51

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FOURTH FLOOR>FILES TECH INNOVATOR AND HIS FAMILY’S PERSONAL GEEK SQUAD Significant other? Children? Grand kids?

Carrie – my wife of 10 years and our son Gavin (7).

In 25 words or less, explain what you do.

Advocacy, relationship building and communication of my client’s goals and views across all levels of government.

Without using the words Democrat, Independent or Republican, conservative or liberal, describe your political persuasion.

I take a pragmatic approach to government and politics that has guided me throughout my career.

If you have one, what is your motto?

Honesty and Integrity is the foundation of success.

Lobbyists are often accused of wearing Gucci loafers; do you own a pair of Gucci loafers? If not, why not?

What are Gucci loafers?

Who is your favorite Florida Capitol Press Corps reporter and why?

Gary Fineout and his tireless effort to report the news.

Other than FloridaPolitics.com, your reading list includes…

Sunburn, WSJ, Bloomberg, TechCrunch and a custom RSS feed of Florida news.

What swear word do you use most often?

With a 7-year-old at home my swearing vocabulary has become G-rated.

What is your most treasured possession?

Family, friends, and last but not least, my black labrador retreiver, Hans.

During your career, have you had a favorite pro bono client?

My family and their never-ending need for tech support.

Three favorite charities.

Ronald McDonald House, Big Bend Hospice, Lee’s Place.

Any last-day-of-Session traditions?

Hoping sine die happens early enough to be home for dinner with my wife and son.

What are you most looking forward to during the Legislative Session?

The accomplishment of goals for my clients and the continued good legislative policy for Florida.

PHOTO: Mary Beth Tyson

If you could have another lobbyist’s client list, it would be …

I feel fortunate to have the great clients and relationships I have now.

Professional accomplishment of which you are most proud?

I was the Chief Information Officer of two State of Florida agencies. While in those positions, I reshaped and modernized them in the fast-paced world of technology. This enabled them to operate more efficiently and better serve the citizens of Florida. I now bring this experience and knowledge into the private sector to achieve success for my clients.

The best hotel in Florida is …

Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island You’ve just learned that you will be hosting a morning talk show about Florida politics.

Who are the first four guests you’d invite to appear?

To get a historic perspective of Florida politics I would bring in previous leaders: Gov. Bob Martinez, Gov. Bob Graham, Gov. Jeb Bush, and FSU President John Thrasher.

Favorite movie.

Star Wars When you pig out, what do you eat?

I don’t usually pig out, but when there is good barbecue around sometimes I can’t help myself.

If you could have dinner with a historical figure no longer living, who would it be?

Steve Jobs

Rob Fields SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 53

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SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 55

toasting florida politics

SOCIAL s cene

Florida Chamber ‘summits’ on insurance PHOTOS BY JESSICA FRIEND

The Florida Chamber’s annual Insurance Summit is one of the oldest and largest insurance conferences in the state of Florida. Held at the JW Marriott Miami, it connected the business community, insurance executives, elected officials and political insiders with discussions on issues facing insurers, business leaders and consumers.

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toasting florida politics

SOCIAL scene

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toasting florida politics

SOCIAL s cene

State’s influencers meet in Orlando PHOTOS BY SARAH BRAY PHOTOGRAPHY

The Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists held their yearly get-together at the Wyndham Grand Resort at Bonnet Creek. Events included a legislative rules refresher, silent auction, networking breakfast, and a keynote address from former Senate President-turned-lobbyist Mike Haridopolos.





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toasting florida politics

 SOCIAL scene



 

1. Sen. Perry Thurston, Rivers Buford, Bruce Kershner 2. Suzanne Goss, Brad Swanson 3. Jenna Paladino, Doug Holder, Sen. Dennis Baxley 4. Casey Reed, Amanda Bowen 5. Jeff Kottkamp, Shawn Harrison 6. Jennifer Green, Tim Parson 7. Christina Johnson, Troy McNichol, Larry Williams

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Choose your next move carefully.

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“From the Capitol to the Courthouse”™

{ insiders’ ADVICE

Florida’s ‘Most Social’ ryan cohn shares Sachs Media Group’s research on social mediasavvy lobbyists and lobbying firms

W

hile many lobbyists are known for their charm and verbal prowess, a select few have successfully translated their gift of gab into the world of social media.

Those “social lobbyists” amplify their already-strong offline relationships through active social media presences, forming new connections, sharing insider viewpoints, and highlighting their clients’ positions on the future of Florida.

So who shines above the rest? Who is Florida’s “most social” lobbyist?

To answer those questions, our team at Sachs Media Group conducted a quantitative analysis of Florida’s lobbyists’ and lobbying firms’ social media activity.

We reviewed 11,504 pieces of content from 56 individual lobbyists’ Twitter accounts and 31 lobbying firms’ Facebook and Twitter accounts. In total, their social media content generated a staggering 54,012 social interactions (Shares, Comments and Likes).

Here are the ones to follow:

Top Government Affairs Law Firm: Gunster With nearly 5,000 social interactions on Facebook alone, Gunster takes the top spot among Florida’s government affairs law firms – barely edging out GrayRobinson. Gunster highlights its attorneys and lobbyists as they are quoted by local and statewide media outlets, and when they receive prominent awards and honors, including gubernatorial appointments. Gunster focuses more on Facebook than Twitter, but is fairly strong on both channels.

Top Lobbying-Only Firm: Southern Strategy Group Southern Strategy Group’s Florida division has curated a strong, consistent Twitter presence ranking as our “No. 1 Most Social.” With consistent updates on their clients’ success and happenings at the Capitol, SSG has earned the most Twitter interactions among all Florida-centric firms. They are also in the lead by almost double with the most tweets. SSG’s Twitter is a great mix of lobbyist milestones and timely updates regarding Florida’s local governments.

Top Boutique Lobbying Firm: RSA Consulting Group

RSA Consulting, led by veteran Ron Pierce, crafts authentic Facebook content with respect to many Florida senators and representatives. By always making sure to tag the personal pages of senators and reps, RSA garnered over 1,100 interactions

last year. The firm consistently creates enthusiastic posts by frequently using appropriate emojis and hashtags.

Top Contract Lobbyist: Sean Pittman With almost 3,000 total interactions last year, you can call Pittman a Twitter guru. As chief of the Orange Bowl Committee and an FSU grad, Sean shares many posts regarding football in the state of Florida. He also uses his feed to frequently shine light on philanthropic efforts in the Tallahassee community and congratulate local leaders on their successes.

Top In-House Lobbyist: Kathy Mears With a healthy heaping of GIFs and quick-witted replies, the whip-smart Mears’ Twitter feed has earned her a spot on our Most Social list. Her comic tweets complement the commotion of Legislative Session with a lighthearted tone. Mears knows her stuff: She’s a former chief of staff to two House Speakers and now lobbies for Florida State, reporting to President John Thrasher, a past House Speaker and Senate Rules chair. Mears’ ruthless honesty makes for highly relatable content, sure to make you chuckle. By and large, she’s a pro at navigating the Twitter-sphere.

Most Tweets: Justin Sayfie With thousands of tweets under his belt, Sayfie – founder and publisher of online political news aggregator The Sayfie Review – is no stranger to the world of Twitter. When posting content, consistency is key. Sayfie, now a D.C.-based lobbyist for Ballard Partners, has mastered that social media strategy by tweeting almost every day. With tweets about international news, politics, and current culture, Safie has curated a very comprehensive, intelligent feed.

Rising Star: Jon Johnson Fire pits, family, and funny memes … Johnson’s Twitter feed showcases one of the men behind a strong lobbying firm (Johnson & Blanton). Followers respond well to his conversational, relaxed tweeting style. While he only averages a tweet per week, each tweet generates more interactions than almost any other contract lobbyist.

Ryan Cohn is partner and executive vice president at Sachs Media Group.

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{ insiders’ ADVICE

‘Ware the Russian Trolls

I

n 2014 the Internet Research Agency was getting down to business.

They had 80 employees churning out memes, YouTube videos, Twitter and Facebook accounts, and many other business activities associated with a tech company. However, their business model was very different from what the bland name would suggest. The business of the IRA was to bring chaos to our great nation during the upcoming elections. This year’s federal indictments of 13 Russians could be the end of their reign, but considering what they were able to pull off, look for more of this type of activity in 2018 and beyond. If you have only glanced at the headlines over the past year, there is a lot more to the story than Russians buying Facebook ads.

In 2016 a West Palm Beach Trump supporter named Harry Miller was hired to build a prop for an upcoming rally. The prop consisted of a person dressed like Hillary Clinton in a prison cell. When the FBI knocked at his door a few months later, he had no idea he was involved with the Russians. It started with the Facebook page called “Being Patriotic.” The people behind the page asked Miller to build the prop and bring it to the event, which was put together by the group. They also generated flash mobs in Broward County that

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blake dowling warns that the Internet Research Agency’s dirty work came from the right and the left

other Trump supporters jumped on board with, like Team Trump Broward County.

So, in addition to creating Facebook ads, the Internet Research Agency was organizing rallies, protests and flash mobs.

Around the same time, Micah White from the Occupy movement gave a fiery interview to the website called “Black Lives Matter US” which really was owned

by IRA. People on every side of the political spectrum were duped. The IRA didn’t stop on Election Day, either. The day after the election another alleged Russian page, “Black Matters”, began promoting an event called “Trump is NOT my president” in New York City.

Facebook at this point has not been accused of anything, but the mention of their name in the legal paperwork is rampant. They have, of course, taken action. I went hunting for the Being Patriotic page to see it for myself and it has been deleted.

New rules are being put into place to publicize who has paid for an online ad, much like a billboard on I-75 would have to. An estimated 126 million Americans saw content created by the IRA on Facebook. The exposure and influence would appear to be on a grand scale.

The federal paperwork also references Twitter a few times. It is said there were almost 4,000 fake accounts retweeting

and tweeting anything they thought would further their cause.

According to CNBC, one former staffer of the IRA, Alan Baskaev, told the independent Russian television channel Rain last year the agency made a video that looked like a U.S. soldier shooting a Quran and had even hired two actors in an abortive bid to fake a sex tape of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

“No one would buy it, clearly,” Baskaev told the broadcaster, laughing.

The IRA campaign was unlike anything the world has seen and created a frenzy of social discord tapping into radical groups on all sides. The investigation will take time and more layers of the onion will be peeled back. When television ruled our lives telling us the news, it was very direct from a small group to the masses.

Now, everyone can report their own news via a two-billion-member platform called Facebook — and it can get real noisy, real fast. Facebook and law enforcement are on the case but the only thing we can count on for certain, especially here in Florida, is more of this in the future.

Blake Dowling is CEO of Aegis Business Technologies and can be reached at Dowlingb@aegisbiztech.com

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BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS ACHIEVING RESULTS RSA is a full service consulting firm with expertise in areas of government & community affairs, strategic planning, fundraising & event planning, as well as media & public relations.

Visit www.rsaconsultingllc.com.

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{ insiders’ ADVICE

Predicting the 2018 Elections

steve vancore says Democrats should fare well in Florida’s 2018 races, but not that well

A

sage Yogi once offered, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”

Unfortunately, pollsters are too often asked to do just that. With limited data and a volatile electorate, it’s a nearly impossible and totally thankless task. But, we are not without contemporary markers as well as data from prior elections, both of which give us clues about what we might expect.

Let’s begin by suggesting the obvious observation that Democrats are likely to have a good year. But for anyone who knows Florida, let’s also recognize there are reasons serious gains will be moderated by factors unique to the Sunshine State.

Why Democrats will do well For the past 22 of 24 off-year Presidential elections, the party not sitting in the Oval Office made significant gains.

Couple that with the following factors: • Trump’s ratings. President Donald Trump’s performance and approval ratings are very low. If that remains, it will have an impact on turnout and how swing voters vote.

• The enthusiasm gap. Currently, enthusiasm among self-described “liberals” and “moderates” is much higher than that of Republicans and, if that remains, it will skew turnout to favor Democratic candidates.

• Electoral Performance. For the past year, Democrats across the country — and here in Florida — have

scored double-digit performance leads in both Congressional and State Legislative races. While much of that could change, it is important to recognize the Democrats have flipped 35 seats while the Republicans have flipped none. Here in Florida, Democrats won back a Senate seat (I get it.

It was one they should have won in the first place, but that’s never a guarantee.) while also winning a House race (HD 72) in a seat that should have stayed in GOP hands. And they won it quite handily.

Why Democrat gains could be muted While it is hard to fathom a scenario where the Democrats don’t make some gains, this is, after all, Florida and there are some clear signs Republicans won’t be swept to the sidelines.

• Voter registration trends. Since Trump’s election, and despite declarations about angry voters and an influx of (Democrat-leaning) Puerto Ricans flocking to the state, Democrats have not made any actual gains over Republicans in voter registration during 2017. In fact, Republicans actually grew slightly faster when compared to their partisan counterparts.

• Money. The GOP will continue to seriously outraise Democrats up and down the ticket, and when it comes to identifying and turning out their voters, money still matters.

• Team Scott. Rick Scott (who is high-

ly likely to be on the General Election ballot) and his team know how to identify and turn out recalcitrant voters. They are very good at tipping the turnout scales and our state has never seen anyone do it better.

• Off-year turnout. Recent history in Florida reveals an off-year tendency of so-called “surge” Democrats to stay home — this has given Republican candidates a statistical advantage in each of the past five consecutive off-year elections.

• A lack of swing seats. Unless there is a tsunami larger than 2010 (a oncein-a-century election), Democrats could do everything right and still only pick up a half-dozen seats in the state House and maybe half that in the Senate, because most races will be functionally over in the primaries.

For these reasons, predicting the future is a perilous task but that won’t stop everyone in the system from doing it.

About that Yogi

I met Yogi Berra during the summer of ’69 while he was an assistant coach for the New York Mets. He didn’t offer me any of his famous quips (I was, after all, only 8) but he did offer to sign my glove. Nice guy. Amazing athlete and I had no idea I was in the presence of greatness. How fun is it that I can open a column with a quote from a true American hero whom I had the honor of meeting when I was a kid?

Too bad I didn’t ask him for a crystal ball.

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F E AT U R E

“

Our motto,

‘Let’s help your campaign go Supernova,’ reflects our commitment towards helping campaigns reach their full potential and making a lasting impact on the voters that matter.”

A

fter nearly 20 years in business together, Randy Enwright and Jim Rimes decided it was time to hypercharge politics.

The two consultants, both former executive directors of the state’s Republican Party, created a new company called Supernova Digital. The new concern does social media strategy, email marketing, online fundraising, and web design.

“We chose ‘Supernova’ because it represents something explosive and new,” Rimes says.

“Our motto, ‘Let’s help your campaign go Supernova,’ reflects our commitment towards helping campaigns reach their full potential and making a lasting impact on the voters that matter.”

As digital and social media became more prevalent in political campaigns during the past decade, he and Enwright became frustrated with the services from other digital vendors and sought to make their own impact on the digital landscape in politics.

“Many companies we worked with offered no measurable return on investment and didn’t integrate with our strategy politically,” Rimes says. “That’s when we decided we could combine our experience managing political campaigns with the latest digital tools to develop our own ‘digital shop’ for candidates seeking an edge in their election.”

A key component of that new strategy is Digital Director Zach Monahan, who started in politics on the content side. He was a press assistant at the Republican Party of Florida in 2015, where he helped write opinion pieces featured in publications like IJ Review, the Miami Herald, and the Palm Beach Post. But he also worked closely with the digital staff to craft Facebook and Twitter content for the state party’s nearly 200,000 followers.

“As a full-service digital firm, everything we do is directed towards obtaining meaningful data and targeting the voters that will make a difference in the election,” Monahan says.

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F E AT U R E

‘EXPLOSIVE AND NEW’:

How Enwright Rimes went digital

Supernova Digital Communications, (left to right) Zach Monahan, Jim Rimes, Randy Enwright, and Clay Barker, helps candidates target messages to potential voters using digital media.

“All of our strategy begins with the voter file — who’s voting in this election, and how can we connect our candidate’s message with them on a deeper level than the competition.”

During the 2016 election cycle, Monahan wrote copy for targeted mail programs in competitive races around the state. He analyzed each district to identify issues that resonated with key voters, aiding in the victories of Sen. Dana Young, a Tampa Republican; Sen. Keith Perry, a Gainesville Republican; and Sen. Anitere Flores, a Miami-Dade Republican.

Now as digital director of Supernova, Monahan emphasizes that targeting the right audience is just as important as sending the right message. “In social media, email marketing, online fundraising, and web design, we’ve developed processes to make an immediate impact on the digital audiences that are crucial for a campaign to get their message in front of. Every good campaign has a story to tell, and we make sure that story doesn’t fall on deaf ears.”

“I’ve been running campaigns for over 30 years and these new digital tools offer some of the best return on investment that I’ve seen, if it’s done correctly,” Enwright adds. “By now most campaigns are going to know how to simply post on Facebook or send a tweet. The trick is in integrating the digital operations with the rest of the campaign and getting the message to the right targets.

That’s where our team can help.”

This past year, they continued working to deliver the “unique brands and messages” of their clients to the voters in their districts.

“Just a few of our recent successes include nearly tripling the Facebook audiences of Reps. Jason Brodeur and Dane Eagle in 2017, as well as driving up digital engagement for Sen. Young through Facebook Live, video content, custom graphics, and targeted email campaigns,” Monahan says.

Rimes adds: “In the 2016 elections we found success on a number of fronts. During Matt Gaetz’s campaign for U.S. Congress, we targeted likely voters in the district to grow his campaign’s Facebook following to nearly 50,000 by Election Day. “And recognizing the importance of video content in today’s ever-evolving social media landscape, we partnered with Erin Gaetz’s video production company Southpaw to launch captivating content that has since garnered over 600,000 video views across multiple posts.”

So what’s next?

“In 2018, we’re excited to remain on the forefront of digital strategy in politics and continue delivering for our clients,” Rimes says. “We’re expanding our team and investing in new tools to help us reach more voters.

This election cycle, digital strategy will make the biggest difference yet in who wins — and who loses.”

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PHOTO: Bryan and Kelly @ Black and Hue Photography

BY PETER SCHORSCH

insight_ad_SLUG.indd 1

12/8/17 2:30 PM

JOHNSON

BLANTON

RELATIONSHIP IS EVERYTHING

We don`t have clients we have partners

TEAMJB.COM 68 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

F E AT U R E

Lobbying with Impact The Rubin Group is one of Florida’s premier lobbying firms. We have earned a reputation for achieving successful outcomes for our clients through our development of winning strategies and network of strong relationships throughout Florida’s Executive Branch and Legislature.

Our professional team understands the important role we play in serving as a liaison between those we represent and the highly regulated world of government. We provide our clients with hands-on assistance with legislative and regulatory matters through constant communication with the state’s key decision makers. In addition, the Rubin Group has a long history of helping our clients market their products and services, offering advice on all aspects of their presentation to help grow their businesses.

Where Government meets Business. www.rubingroup.com

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PHOTO: MaryBeth Tyson

F E AT U R E

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Rob Schenck & Doug Holder on

lessons learned Doug Holder, a Venice Republican, is a former state representative who served in the House 2006-14. Rob Schenck, a Spring Hill Republican, was in the House during that same time. Together, they are now The Legis Group, a lobbying concern based in Tallahassee. We asked them to share “lessons learned” from these lawmakers turned lobbyists. Here they are, in no particular order:

The importance of relationships:

Working with members, staff and the lobbying corps is much more productive with 10 years of established relationships.

Knowing subject matter

to a level of being able to speak to experts about issues that are very complex.

No bill/issue is alive or dead until the hanky drops!

You are always on call,

and must be prepared to meet with any member within minutes.

Party politics are not as much of an influence as they were from the inside. Our constituents are our clients.

It’s their needs that we represent.

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F E AT U R E

For These Masters of Impact, Protecting People is a Way of Life BY: PETER SCHORSCH PHOTO: SPECIAL TO INFLUENCE MAGAZINE

‘One of our top priorities is community.’

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F E AT U R E

A

s bad as Hurricane Irma was for Florida last year, Jeff Jackson knows just how much worse it could have been. If not for ideas advanced by the Sarasota-based company he now runs, Irma and dozens of other major storms over the years could have inflicted far more damage across the Sunshine State.

When Florida’s building codes were strengthened after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew a quarter-century ago, PGT Innovations collaborated with Florida building officials to develop stricter construction standards. The result was the most stringent building code in the country.

Now the company – the nation’s leading manufacturer and supplier of high-quality impact-resistant windows and doors – named Jackson CEO and president. After 12 years at the firm, he is committed to making sure the half-billion-dollar company continues to help people protect their lives and their property. “Everybody brings their own unique experience to the company,” Jackson says. “As we add folks to that family, we want to maintain that sense of belonging – that sense of connection and community within the company.”

Jackson knows a thing or two about unique experiences. His elevation at PGT early this year culminated a career that began as a street cop. Encouraged by his new wife to find a less-dangerous occupation, he turned to accounting work, which eventually led to top executive positions with The Hershey Company, Schwan’s Bakery, Flowers Foods, Coca-Cola, and KPMG. He joined PGT Innovations in 2005 as vice president and CFO, and became president and COO in 2014.

The 52-year-old Jackson, a family man with a wife and three daughters, personally gives back to the community by serving on the boards of Children First and the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County.

As he and his senior executive team chart the future of the company, Sarasota County’s largest private employer with more than 2,800 workers, Jackson sees the path forward by looking to the past – to the kind of innovation that helped forge Florida’s building codes and his own industry.

“There is going to be a continued push on the technology side of this business. We’re not just a window and door company, we’re a technology company that innovates constantly. We were the first to market with a residential impact-resistant window and door when the codes changed in Florida in 1994, and we’ll be the first to market with the next innovative product that’s coming,” he says.

Jackson praises the visionary wisdom of Florida leaders who pushed through those tough building codes, which he considers true lifesavers.

“Florida’s codes were put to the test in the first massive storm to hit our state in many years. Homes built to code passed the test,” he says.

He advocates for state policies encouraging home hardening to further protect Floridians from the impact of powerful storms. Jackson recently called for the Legislature to include home-hardening materials in any disaster preparedness sales tax holiday to inspire more Floridians to make investments to benefit them and the state in the long run.

Meanwhile, Jackson and PGT Innovations will continue doing their part to help the state prepare for and recover from whatever nature throws Florida’s way. After Hurricane Irma caused so much destruction on Florida’s west coast, the company dispatched experts to assess building damage.

“One of our top priorities is community,” Jackson says. “When Hurricane Irma devastated our state, we were immediately out on the road with our trucks to supply water, generators, gas – anything the impacted citizens needed.”

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Photo by Courtney Asztalos

F E AT U R E

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From Tallahassee to Fallujah to New Orleans,

BOB ASZTALOS

is Ready to Serve

BY PETER SCHORSCH

“I want to show that there’s another side to lobbyists – that we’re people, and it’s not all riding in private jets and eating steaks. Some lobbyists don’t wear Gucci shoes, we wear combat boots.”

B

ob Asztalos has had his fill of the stereotype, the one that portrays lobbyists as big-money mouthpieces willing to say anything to make a buck.

After having gone to war – literally, not just the Tallahassee version of it – he has a different perspective than the stereotypical lobbyist.

“I want to show that there’s another side to lobbyists – that we’re people, and it’s not all riding in private jets and eating steaks. Some lobbyists don’t wear Gucci shoes, we wear combat boots,” says Asztalos, the chief lobbyist for the Florida Health Care Association (FHCA).

The reference to combat boots isn’t just a metaphor. Little over a decade ago, Asztalos was a Navy corpsman deployed with combat Marines in some of the worst hellholes of the Iraq war. While places like Ramadi and Fallujah were just names on TV to most Americans, they were a temporary home for Asztalos and the men and women he cared for.

“Lobbying is a high-stress, extremely intense profession,” he says, reflecting high regard for his chosen profession. “But having gone to war and made decisions that were life and death for the people I was with really puts lobbying in perspective.

It puts a lot of things in perspective. There are higher challenges in the world than getting your bill passed.”

For Asztalos, the best mission for a lobbyist is to support people and a cause you believe in. That’s what drives his efforts on behalf of the residents of more than 550 nursing homes that are members of FHCA. And it’s what took him to the U.S. Coast Guard’s incident command center as it oversaw rescue operations for victims devastated by the flooding of Hurricane Harvey last year.

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F E AT U R E

“This country gives us so much, and is so different from everywhere else in the world. It gives you a greater sense of appreciation for the life we have, when you see what it’s like in other countries.”

In this 2005 photo, Bob Asztalos, right, poses with his driver and “fire support” in Ramadi, Iraq.

Behind them are the Euphrates River and Saddam Hussein’s palace.

One look at the memorabilia in Asztalos’ office five blocks from the Capitol makes it clear his path to becoming one of Tallahassee’s most effective lobbyists was not conventional. The typical array of certificates and photos with state leaders is replaced by photos and models of aircraft carriers, and even a “parking sign” that reads: “Navy Parking Only – All Others Will Be Crushed.”

After finishing high school in the late 1970s, Asztalos knew he wouldn’t go to college right away and didn’t want to work in his native Garfield, New Jersey. So he joined the Navy, where he spent half his four-year stint onboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga as a corpsman, helping to provide medical care to a crew of 5,000.

After leaving active duty, Asztalos went into the Reserves and attended George Washington University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in legislative affairs. He found his non-military calling in 1993, when he began lobbying Congress on behalf of the American Health Care Association. To improve his family’s quality of life, he signed on with the association’s Tallahassee-based Florida affiliate in 1999.

His location may have changed, but Asztalos’ sense of duty did not.

By 2005, Asztalos had achieved the rank of Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman. He was approaching 28 years of combined active and Reserve duty, mandatory retirement for someone of his rank. But duty intervened, when a captain called and said she needed a Senior Chief for detainee operations in Iraq.

Asztalos, then age 46, replied the only way he knew how: “I’m getting ready to retire, 76 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

but if you need me, I’ll go.”

Soon after, Asztalos found himself in Iraq, attached to a Marine Corps provisional MP unit, where he supervised 20 enlisted corpsmen and other medical personnel. That first night, his company took mortar fire – and he saw casualties every day of his nine months “in country.”

“I think the hardest thing was that I was 46 at the time, and I was working on 18-, 19-year-old kids with no arms, no legs, their faces blown off,” Asztalos recalls. “I mean, I had 46 years of using my arms and legs, but these are 18- or 19-year-old kids who will spend the rest of their lives with no arms, no face. Yeah, it was hard.”

But not enough to dissuade him from continued service. After his tour in Iraq was over and his military retirement became official, Asztalos joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary unit in the Tallahassee area in 2007.

When Hurricane Harvey devastated the western Gulf area last summer, officers knew Asztalos had experience coordinating relief efforts in a command center – a role he plays for nursing homes whenever Florida’s Emergency Operations Center is activated.

He received a call at noon on Friday, Sept.

1 – and reported for duty, in uniform, at 7 a.m. the next morning at the Coast Guard Incident Command Center in New Orleans.

His role: resource allocations. “People would call up and they would need supplies or manpower, and my job was to find it and get it to them – similar to what I do in the Emergency Operations Center here.”

A week later, Hurricane Irma started to bear down on Florida, so everyone who had

come to New Orleans from the Sunshine State was sent back home to prepare. Asztalos drove home, arriving at noon – and at 7 p.m. he was right back at it in the state EOC. He spent more than a week embedded in the EOC, leading FHCA’s team as they helped facilitate safe evacuations, delivery of supplies, communications between nursing homes and state and local officials, and power restoration.

It’s clear Asztalos’ sense of duty runs through everything he does, and he repeatedly expresses his gratitude to FHCA Executive Director Emmett Reed for allowing him the flexibility to continue serving others, regardless of whether it benefits the association or its members. All of it, he believes, contributes to making him a better lobbyist.

“This country gives us so much, and is so different from everywhere else in the world.

It gives you a greater sense of appreciation for the life we have, when you see what it’s like in other countries,” Asztalos says. “This process, our system of government, is what makes us different from everywhere else in the world. Being part of this process makes me a better lobbyist because, despite its flaws, I appreciate it differently than someone who hasn’t seen government operate in other places.”

As the leading voice for nursing home residents, the Florida Health Care Association is always in the thick of legislative debate. That puts Asztalos right back on the front lines, fighting on behalf of others. This year, the urgency has been heightened by the tragic death of 12 residents at a South Florida nursing home during Hurricane Irma.

That facility was not an FHCA member, but Asztalos and FHCA are working closely with the governor and Legislature to establish workable rules to further protect residents of all nursing homes during natural disasters.

“I think an effective lobbyist has to believe in what they’re lobbying for. I believe in the work that our people do,” Asztalos says.

“They do such amazing work for seniors – and they need advocates, they need a voice. I am honored to be that voice, and that makes me a better lobbyist.”

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IN 2018 AND BEYOND

PHOTO: MaryBeth Tyson

Not content to play the loyal opposition or moderate their views, Democratic Senate and House members are leveraging their power for progressive change by scott powers SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 79

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At right, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat, hugs House Democratic Leader-designate Kionne McGhee of Miami after the House Appropriations Committee voted down his amendment to the school safety plan that would have banned assault weapons. Photo: Colin Hackley

I

t’s an image even a few Democrats might recall with some regret and remorse, but there it was. For better or worse, it will remain an enduring, iconic visual reminder of Florida’s 2018 Legislative Session: In the Feb. 20 photograph, Parkland students looked down from the balcony gallery as the Florida House of Representatives voted down a motion to open 80 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

House Bill 221 for floor discussion. Sixteen-year-old junior Sheryl Vanessa Acquaroli raised a hand to cover her face as tears began. Someone reached to try to comfort her with a touch, while other students in the image looked on in dismay, disbelief, and perhaps disgust.

Never mind that HB 221, Democratic state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith’s proposed assault weapons ban, had no

chance of passing then or ever – during the Session. Never mind the insistences of every Republican lawmaker who’ll ever be questioned on that vote that it was, in fact, all about a procedural endrun that even left a few Democrats aghast, and reflected no one’s true positions or thoughts on the horror of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre that happened Feb. 14.

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Rep. Kionne McGhee speaks during a news conference in Tallahassee. Photo: Colin Hackley Students. Tears. Dismay. Disbelief. Disgust. Less than a week after these same students survived the Parkland Massacre, the image burned into the consciousness and the conscience of America as Republicans voted against what the students and most Democrats appeared to want.

And yet some Democrats recall the maneuver and vote, and the picture that portrayed it, almost as a distraction from what may have been the caucus’s most successful Legislative Session in a generation. Without that little showdown Democratic lawmakers had plenty to tout, and they are.

“What you’ve seen this year are some big wins for Democrats in special elections, but it is coupled with big wins in the Legislative Session for the Democratic agenda,” insisted Florida Democratic Party Executive Director Juan Peñalosa.

“We are pushing four major buckets, and all of them had serious progress.”

Bucket one included increased fund-

ing for school safety, health care, mental health services, and land conservation and environmental protection initiatives.

Then there was coral reef protection.

Some small but long-sought justice reforms.

And workers compensation benefits for first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder.

And approval for a Florida slavery memorial, and the Mary McLeod Bethune statue Democrats had been seeking for two years.

And, of course, there was the matter of guns.

Even the party’s most moderate members wouldn’t suggest Democrats got what they wanted. What many wanted was what Smith had put into HB 221 — universal background checks, as well as bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

But as the message from those students in the gallery and the thousands

more on the Capitol steps, and the tens of thousands more walking out of schools throughout the state sank in, the Florida Legislature did what many considered unthinkable. Senate Bill 1726 was the first serious gun control legislation Florida had seen since the 1990s, expanding the background checks and three-day waiting periods to all guns, raising the minimum age to 21 for purchases, increasing the power of law enforcement to temporarily seize guns if mental health is an issue, and banning bump stocks.

Happy going-away present, House Minority Leader Janet Cruz, who conceded the measures weren’t nearly enough for many members of the Democratic caucus. But they were the most she — and anyone else there — had ever seen.

“I’m happy that we passed something, because in the nine years I’ve been there I’ve seen nothing, and an absolute, outright refusal every year for any kind of gun safety bill,” said the Tampa lawmaker SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 83

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Sen. Linda Stewart, left, and Sen. Lauren Book, listen to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd talk about the program his department has developed to train school district employees so they can carry concealed weapons while working at Polk County Schools. Photo: Colin Hackley

at the end of her term-limited career.

Then again, when a party’s been out of power for 20 years, sometimes it’s the little victories that set hearts a-tizzy. But, in the end, they’re still mostly little victories, nothing a party in power would put on its resume.

“It was an OK session,” said Sen. Perry Thurston, the former House Democratic leader. “We don’t set the agenda, so there are a lot of things that we don’t really control.“ Consequently, he and many other Democratic caucus members contend the gun reforms were minor. He also expressed defeat in the paltry increase in education funding, while some other little victories, such as advances in criminal justice reform, were things he and other Democrats have been pushing every year, that would have paid off eventually.

Still, he added, “It does seem like the Legislature is leaning towards doing what I would say is the right thing.”

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State Rep. Kristin Jacobs also spoke of having fought for years on issues. But this year, they moved, such as her effort to create a state protective designation for Florida’s coral reefs, or the increase in funding for the Florida Forever Fund, to $100 million. And for her, the difference was the willingness of Republicans to work with Democrats on issues she said shouldn’t be partisan, such as recognizing the economic benefits of healthy ecosystems.

That kind of cooperation really played out in SB 7026, creating the new gun sale regulations, she said. She had a hand in that. She needed to. Her district includes part of Parkland.

“Whether you’ve got 100 percent of the people in the room or not, this to me is a major step forward across the aisle,” Jacobs said.

State Sen. Linda Stewart said she saw the same kind of embrace, as she worked with Republicans such as Sen. Rob Bradley on environmental bills including getting

the Florida Forever money, or with others on early learning education accountability, or for a PTSD center at the University of Central Florida.

How did other Democrats do? She pondered the question, and replied, “In general it comes down to who you know and who you get along with. I think Lauren Book did fairly well, and I did fairly well, and Bill Montford did fairly well. And Randolph Bracy, and Kevin Rader, I think they came out pretty good. On the Senate side, I think we fared well, considering we still are in the minority.”

And then there was that Feb. 20 showdown on Smith’s HB 221. That represented something else entirely — not cooperation, but confrontation.

“I think that the day is different in Tallahassee,” Cruz said. “I think you’re beginning to see the beginning of an uprising here, of the Democrats. Many of the Democrats have felt insignificant. And I think this was a demand to be heard. It

certainly was an issue that was worthy.”

Neither Cruz nor Smith was actually party to getting that vote called, but Smith already was a part of the uprising, leading it and stoking it with a series of take-no-prisoners social media posts.

This, he said, is what Democrats got out of the 2018 session: they were emboldened, moving forward.

“For once we Democrats stuck to our values and leveraged the limited power that we have to hold Republicans accountable on key issues,” Smith said. “I think moving forward you’re going to see after the November elections a House and Senate Democratic caucus that is more bold, more unapologetic, and more willing to push a progressive agenda that benefits working Floridians.”

“I reject the old adage that Tallahassee Democrats can only do one of two things: we can either, one, get things done by placating the GOP and reinventing our party as a Republican party. Or two, be the voices of opposition to the majority party and get nothing done,” Smith added. “I think that’s a false choice.”

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KRISTIN JACOBS

ON WORKING IN THE PROCESS Q: What are your ‘lessons learned’ from the Parkland legislation?

Jacobs: Post-Parkland lawmaking represented the best and the worst of our process. Every single member was sincere and honest in their beliefs – that’s the best part.

On the other hand, high emotions lead to some heartfelt exchanges that had the potential to damage longstanding relationships. It was during those exchanges that the best interests of Florida were subrogated for emotions, and that just was not good.

Q: What are your thoughts about environmental funding for the upcoming budget year?

Jacobs: I am thrilled. We finally funded Florida Forever and put in resiliency funding in a number of project areas, including coastal resiliency projects.

Q: Will you pursue an anti-sexual harassment bill again next year?

Jacobs: Absolutely yes! I have already spoken with Sen. (Lauren) Book and Rep. (Jennifer) Sullivan and we are ready to take another swing at this vital legislation.

Q: What is your main frustration with the legislative process?

Jacobs: Democracies are supposed to be cumbersome and, to some degree, chaotic. Ours is no different. My only frustration is when top-down decisions override the will of the members who are, by-and-large, smart, earnest and caring. This is the unspoken concern among members from both parties and in both chambers.

Q: What are the differences between dealing with personalities at the local vs. state level?

Jacobs: The biggest difference is in the numbers. Dealing with six or seven versus 60 or 70 can certainly be overwhelming. The other huge difference is that in local government, we are answerable to a wider array of voters and, as a result, political party differences rarely dominate the conversation. In the Florida Legislature, most lawmakers only need respond to a select (and often highly partisan) group of voters and that undeniably impacts how they react to many pieces of legislation. It’s an unfortunate reality of where we are as a state and, frankly, as a nation.

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Lauren

. n e S F E AT U R E

Book

FLORIDA LEGISLATURE’S 2018 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

C

BY PETER SCHORSCH

hairing a coveted Senate appropriations subcommittee is a tall order for a seasoned member of the majority party. Firstterm Democrat Lauren Book is, of course, neither. In fact, nobody can seem to recall when a freshman was put in such a position.

And when you consider that the last Democrat to hold that post was Ron Silver back in the early 1990s, it’s even more remarkable.

So, how did she do?

Book showed gumption and guile and clearly earned high marks from her colleagues not just on this key committee but through

88 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

her entire “book of business,” as some would say.

Throughout the 2018 session, Book found herself at the center of some of the most important issues of our day. From being a lead voice after Parkland, to securing funding for a wide variety of vital environmental projects and even amending the worker’s compensation statute to add job-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) benefits for first responders, few can doubt this “newcomer” left a mark on the process.

And to some extent, Sen. Book’s accomplishments also can

PHOTO: Colin Hackley

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Appropriations

All specific projects Book secured and that were in the final budget as of March 9, 2018: SOUTHWEST RANCHES

Southwest Ranches Green Meadow Drainage: $500,000 Total: $500,000

SUNRISE Sunrise Emergency Lift Station Power & Pumping: $500,000 PHOTO: Colin Hackley

Total: $500,000 COOPER CITY

Flamingo West Park: $800,000

Natalie’s Cove/Flamingo Gardens: $500,000 Total: $1.3 million be seen in headline-making bills that did NOT pass, such as measures against human trafficking and sexual harassment. The latter issue loomed large as Session began soon after Sen. Jack Latvala, a Clearwater Republican, resigned in the face of two damning investigations into his alleged serial sexual harassment, including promises to vote favorably on a lobbyist’s bill in return for sex. The case still is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. But the harassment issue was forced out of the Legislature’s focus by the Valentine’s Day Parkland school shooting that continues to receive national attention.

Book, of course, also is the full-time head of the nonprofit Lauren’s Kids, which advocates for sexual abuse victims and works toward prevention.

As to the sexual harassment legislation, she said she was “disappointed that we weren’t able to get that through, especially on the heels of literally being told that I don’t deserve to be there by my male colleague. That’s a larger smack in the face, but I’m not going to give in.

“I know that there are others who continue to encourage another look at it and another try. I’m going to … look at how we can address some of those things and make sure that the environment is one where people feel comfortable going to work … I also know that President-designate (Bill) Galvano has also committed to continue looking into the issue.”

The other bill on human trafficking, which would have created a new right for victims to sue hotels where trafficking took place, was likely killed

by Disney, sources have said. Neither the company nor Book would confirm that.

“There were a lot of folks working against that bill. I’ve come to learn in my very short time in Tallahassee that there are always invisible walls that you may not know why they’re there or who put them there,” Book said. “Certainly, there were a lot of entities that were not supportive of this legislation. And it’s unfortunate because it would have been the true teeth against these hotels that are harboring, or allowing this type of activity to go on. And this was a piece of legislation not aimed at the good actors, but to go after the bad. It’s unfortunate that there were some folks who didn’t see it for what it was, and were more concerned about the liability piece of it.”

As a legislative response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting that took center stage in the last weeks of Session, Book arranged for Parkland teens to come to Tallahassee, meet with legislators and speak their minds.

“When you’re in Tallahassee, you’re kind of in a bubble, and I think that it was very helpful,” Book said. “I think that when I first connected with Jaclyn Corin, the junior class president, she said that she needed to use her voice and her friends’ voices, to create change. That is the thing that I have always found as something that has been extremely healing for me. And so

MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE

Medication Assisted Treatment Program: $500,000 Regional All Hazards Response and Recovery System: $1 million Total: $1.5 million

MISCELLANEOUS NOVA Southeastern University — Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program: $500,000 Early Childhood Court Center at FSU: $386,120 Early Childhood Court Florida Institute for Child Welfare: $94,104 First South Florida Holocaust Museum Permanent Exhibition: $500,000 FAU Everglades Restoration and Community Resiliency Post-Irma: $250,000 The WOW Center: $350,000 David Posnack Jewish Community Center–Senior Kosher Meal Program: $149,537 K9’s for Warriors: $250,000 UM Stroke Registry: $500,000 Security Funding for Jewish Day Schools: $2 million JAFCO Children’s Ability Center: $500,000 Total: $5.65 million

BROWARD COUNTY

Nancy J. Cotterman–State Attorney Liaison: $250,000 Total: $250,000

TOTAL LOCAL PROJECTS FUNDED: $9.7 MILLION Source: Book’s Senate office

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“I ’m not going to give in”

I wanted to give them that opportunity. Right, wrong, or indifferent, whatever they had to say, we were going to facilitate that. We talked a lot about how you do that in a respectful manner. But I think that that was very, very helpful.”

The bill eventually passed by lawmakers and approved by Gov. Rick Scott requires all buyers of firearms to be at least 21 years old, and creates a three-day waiting period for all firearms sales, among many other provisions. It also creates an “Aaron Feis Guardian Program,” named after the high school coach killed while trying to protect students, that allows for some school staffers to train and carry a concealed weapon.

“I think (the legislation) was a good first step,” Book said. “It’s not a secret that I supported an assault weapon ban. I believe it’s something that we need to look at. You know, the Guardian Program is something that again, having been a classroom teacher, 92 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

concerns me. I don’t want any guns on school campuses. But I understand that … response time is such that it takes more than 10 minutes oftentimes for a robust law enforcement presence to come, and in those types of mass-casualty events, the first five minutes are when we’re most vulnerable.

“There’s a lot of other gun control issues I think we should all start looking at, but I’m very thankful that President (Joe) Negron appointed me to the (Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety) Commission, so that I can continue to look at the issue and bring forward legislative change in this area so that we can keep our students safe and our community safe.”

Not bad for a rookie. In fact, Book had the kind of success in her first term that many in either party would relish well into a productive and seasoned career. This is one Senator whose future is bright and we cannot wait to see what the future holds.

PHOTO: Colin Hackley

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Who came out on top and who got bulldozed in the 2018 Legislative Session

BY JIM ROSICA AND PETER SCHORSCH

N

obody expected a tragedy like Parkland to suck all the oxygen out of the Legislature’s 2018 Regular Session. Lobbyists were left scrambling to save their clients’ priorities as lawmakers hustled to rejigger the budget to accommodate hundreds of millions of dollars for school safety and mental health initiatives.

Some survived, many did not; although that’s no different from any other 60-day tumble in the Capitol.

So who enjoyed the thrill of victory in 2018? Who suffered the agony of defeat? And who got out by the skin of their teeth to try again next year?

Without further ado, here are this Session’s Winners and Losers, at least as of Sine Die.

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BIGGEST WINNER The kids from Douglas High — Much hay has been made over the teens, how they go to a school in a “white, affluent community,” and were able to get way more of a response than that to the Pulse shooting in Orlando. Did it make a difference that the MSD tragedy happened in the middle of a legislative session? Sure. But these teens and their parents forced real conversations and action when many would rather have run and hid.

Some 20 protestors stage a “die-in” as they protest the idea of arming school teachers as a way to keep students safe as the House of Representatives debated the school safety bill with that provision in it. Photo: Colin Hackley

CHAMPS Bill Galvano — Maybe you want to admit it. Maybe you don’t. But the Senate President-designate has displayed great poise and gravitas, i.e., leadership, while purposely not overshadowing President Joe Negron. He may not have gotten gambling legislation over the finish line before the gambling control amendment this November, but don’t be surprised if the Bradenton lawyer — president of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States — has a trick up his sleeve in 2019.

Wilton Simpson — Who’da thunk a quiet egg farmer from Trilby would rise to become Senate President-in-waiting. As Majority Leader, he’s never lost a floor vote Negron needed him to win. He stood by his chief aide, Rachel Perrin Rogers, as she weathered the Jack Latvala sexual harassment saga. And he’s a genuinely nice guy: He paid for the Parkland teens’ pizza and breakfast when they were in Tallahassee.

Aaron Bean — The Northeast Florida Republican had three bills sent to the Governor: the “Pro Bono Matters” Act, which pays pro bono attorneys to represent special needs children; a bill to continue the Guardian ad Litem Foundation; and a measure to help children of parents in prison.

Jeff Brandes — The senator from St. Petersburg continues the legacy of late Senate President Jim King by pushing through a fix to the Merlot-to-go law (aka “Take away Chardonnay” for you white wine drinkers). Before, you had to have ordered a whole meal; the 2018 change removes that requirement. King‘s 2005 measure first legalized carryout wine.

Lauren Book — She has displayed to everyone why Lauren’s Kids has been a success. The way she has been instrumental in organizing and advising the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School cannot and should not be ignored. Remember, she’s only a freshman. Imagine a world with “Book for Governor 2022” yard signs. It could happen.

Denise Grimsley — She concluded her legislative career with quiet and thoughtful effectiveness, passing an important Call Blocking Bill that will work to protect everyone in Florida with a phone from crooks, scammers and spammers. She’ll never admit it, but her behind-the-scenes efforts moved the agriculture disaster relief package, getting it out of the Senate ditch. And her speech on the floor during the SB 7026 debate was a thoughtful reminder that Florida has broken children being raised by broken people, and that is the root cause of societal breakdown. Well done, Nurse Grimsley.

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Rep. Randy Fine, left, talks with Rep. David Silvers, prior to a House Careers and Competition Subcommittee meeting in Tallahassee. Photo: Colin Hackley Debbie Mayfield — Along with Reps. Erin Grall and MaryLynn Magar, she stood up to political heavyweight All Aboard Florida and shined a light on the lack of high-speed rail safety measures in Florida. They took this on before and after Brightline-related deaths and injuries and grabbed major headlines.

Kathleen Passidomo — As a second-year Senator, she steered the largest portion of the budget (education), and, even before the tragic massacre in Parkland, had been championing for additional mental health dollars. She was tasked with maneuvering HB 7055 through the Senate. All of this, while handling her own appropriations requests and the 28 bills she filed this year. That’s a pretty impressive resume for a Senate President candidate.

Bobby Dubose — He can be seen walking the floor, helping members with their bills, serving as a de facto floor leader and chief negotiator for both the Black Caucus and, at times, the House Democrats.

You can see him moving from a private conversation with Speaker-designate Jose Oliva and over to a group of Democrats. Insiders credit Dubose with stand-your-ground language in the MSD school safety/gun bill. That alone is a BFD in our book.

Katie Edwards-Walpole — Leaving her seat early to focus on her new priorities of a new family, Edwards-Walpole leaves a smart legacy of bipartisan legislation and real accomplishment. She’s whipsmart, and more than one Republican consultant would tell you she would have been the Democrats’ most formidable nominee for Agriculture Commissioner. Let’s hope Katie stays engaged in a process that needs her intellect, passion and reason.

Randy Fine — His second session was a coming out for this freshman. He went six-for-six in bringing his bills to the House floor and six-for-six with his appropriations requests. Fine literally received a 96 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

terrorist threat while presenting his pro-Israel bill to committee, and successfully battled for both a tourist development tax transformation and utility accountability bill against more than 100 lobbyists.

And he rendered CNN’s Alisyn Camerota speechless in his first-ever live national interview. He’ll be a force of nature in the next Session.

Kristin Jacobs — She authored the sexual harassment bill that passed unanimously, got all her projects funded, was lead House sponsor on the coral reefs conservation area, took over the top CERP project and quietly got it passed (the C-51 bill), got DEP to include $3.6 million for her resilient coastline initiative and didn’t even have to fight it in the budget. Scott took that fight for her and, to boot, got another million to remove tires from the Broward coastline.

Scott Plakon — He may not feel like it, considering the daily fight watching wife, Susie, endure, but many are now reading, researching, listening, and desiring to help in the fight against Alzheimer’s.

His trademark dry sense of humor has not abated. And nice tattoo by the way.

Holly Raschein — She’s been serving her district for nearly 14 years, as an aide to Republican Ken Sorensen and Democrat Ron Saunders, and as the rep in 120 since 2012. There was no bigger challenge for Holly in all those years than the devastation Irma did to the Keys, and she’s fought long and hard first to recover, and this session for dollars. Probably when the final totals are up, no one will take more home than Holly did to help continue to recover and rebuild our Florida Keys.

Paul Renner — With a determined style of “3 yards and a cloud of dust,” Renner effectively managed the House tax packages and worked in support of D-1 Oliva and D-2 Sprowls. He managed to unify members in his class in his first Session since becoming

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Speaker-D3 after that bruising election just last summer. Renner is the fullback that gains the yards you need and makes vital first downs, and now he transitions to campaign for his teammates in the elections this fall.

Carlos G. Smith — The progressive Orlando Democrat did not accomplish much by way of legislation, but he is one of the fiercest advocates for gun control, among many other issues. He also wasn’t shy about asking why more wasn’t done after the shooting at the Pulse nightclub. He’s young, he’s media savvy, he’s got a heart three times the size of his body. All eyes on Rep. Smith going forward.

Chris Sprowls — He was Mister “Behind the Scenes” this Session. When many bills found success, his name was quietly mentioned as the reason. He’s a steadying force among many in his party. But with a divide growing between the controlling R’s and a more radicalized Democratic caucus, and with an ever-more conservative worldview among his fellow Republicans, his leadership will be tested in the next couple of years.

Jimmy Patronis — After the Equifax data breach, and other data breaches at major companies, the CFO found that in Florida, credit reporting agencies could charge a fee of up to $10 to freeze your credit, and those who were victims of a data breach were required to submit tons of paperwork just to get this fee waived. Considering that recent reports indicate Florida is the top state for consumer fraud and ranks second for identity theft reports, it’s ridiculous that a fee would be imposed on Floridians. This bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously and made it easier for Floridians to protect themselves from fraud.

Noah Valenstein — The DEP boss proved you could demonstrate a commitment to the environment, while also actively serving Florida’s communities. DEP’s budget includes just over $100 million for Florida Forever, increases funding for state parks, and support for the Everglades and the EAA reservoir. The Department’s leadership was also on display this Session as they led discussions around enhancing Florida’s wetlands protection program through the assumption of the federal “404” permitting program.

Mat Bahl — Mat should get the award for the person least likely to ever lobby to be on this list. Anyone who knows Mat knows he is the master strategist and ardent negotiator, all of which have benefited the House and Speaker as the gavel came down on Corcoran’s final session. But what many people may not know is that Mat has every proposed move, turn and counter-turn planned out months in advance for his principal and leadership to consider. If you have wondered why the House has consistently been one step ahead of the Senate for the last two years — Bahl is the reason. A loyal adviser who stays behind the curtain, never seeking or wanting the spotlight is a rare animal in politics — but even more unusual

Clockwise from top: Sen. Kathleen Passidomo and Sen. Wilton Simpson during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting. and Rep. MaryLynn Magar, chair of the House Health Innovation Subcommittee speaking during a Medicaid presentation. Photos: Colin Hackley is how many speakers Mat has advised and how many future ones he undoubtedly will.

Katie Betta and Fred Piccolo — The chief spokespeople for the Senate and House deserve a medal dealing with an irascible Capitol Press Corps. They’ve done an admirable job distilling complicated policy to readable text in a hurricane of news releases, and defended their principals when needed. We don’t know what the future holds as leadership changes after this Session, but their stars are bright.

Kevin Reilly — Scott’s legislative affairs guru batted them out and over this Session, with hits and home runs on opioids, guns, supermajority tax requirement, Venezuela, budget-related items, and nursing home rules.

Airlines - Flying into Florida has come in for a smooth landing via the tax package, with a reduction in the state’s airline fuel tax. Lower fueling taxes will mean more airlines will assign more planes to come to Florida, bringing more flights, passengers and economic growth to the SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 99

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Sen. Dana Young (top) and Rep. Paul Renner. Photos: Colin Hackley

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state. Legislative leaders have signaled a desire for a complete phaseout of the fuel tax in the coming years, making airlines and airline passengers big winners for sessions to come.

Americans For Prosperity-Florida — The Koch brothers-backed, pro-free market organization couldn’t quite finish the job on Enterprise Florida, but Chris Hudson and his high-powered team did outmuscle a former Senate President and passed the “union-busting bill,” which notched a sweet victory for them. Also, an effort to create a funding source for Hollywood it opposed had a quiet death.

Anti-drug community — Kudos to substance abuse providers, county sheriffs, and the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association for recommending and working to protect funding for medication-assisted treatment and mental health counseling programs. They’re vital in addressing the opioid epidemic (remember that?).

Associated Industries of Florida — Led by Tom Feeney and Brewster Bevis, the AIF team was successful in delivering several pro-business and pro-consumer measures in their fight to protect Florida’s business community. From helping to pass branded glassware, deferred presentment transactions, out-of-country foreign money judgments, state assumption of federal 404 dredges and fill permitting authority to defeat retroactive claim denial, and defeating efforts to repeal PIP, AIF was instrumental in the halls of the Capitol on behalf of Florida employers and employees. As eyes turn toward election season, I look forward to seeing what’s to come from their political operations.

Babies — It was touch and go, but efforts to reduce infant mortality were able to keep funding at last year’s level, instead of taking a 30 percent haircut. The Senate backed off on a plan to shave $19 million from the programs; they said providers were duplicating help elsewhere. The House came to the rescue. New moms and moms-tobe will benefit.

Beekeepers — They didn’t get a new license plate, but they did get enhanced penalties for the theft of a beehive. The legislation will double the fine from $5,000 to $10,000 for the felony theft of the bee colony of a registered beekeeper. This stuff actually happens: The Miami Herald recently reported the charging of a Miami Lakes pastor (!) for the heist of thousands of bees.

Booze delivery — Dana Young pushed through a bill, on its way to Scott, that would expressly authorize alcohol delivery services accessed via a smartphone app. Delivery through apps such as Drizly and Shipt is already available in the state, but “current law does not address orders received via the internet or other electronic forms of communication.” Guess who else supported the measure? Yep, Uber.

Bail bond agents — The industry lobbied hard against a sweeping criminal justice reform that would have cost taxpayers $10 million to fund and would have authorized counties to create supervised bond release programs. It would have allowed qualifying inmates to be moved from prison to county jails in cases when they are terminally ill and given less than a year to live. Guess what? Rob Bradley, the Senate budget chair who was behind it, killed his own bill in light of all the late-Session priorities. But he said he’ll address it next year. As Bob Marley sang, “He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day …”

Beer drinkers — Bars and restaurants are now allowed to accept free branded glassware from vendors, a measure that will reduce costs for retailers. Studies have shown having the appropriate style of glass available to consumers enhances the overall image of beer.

This legislation will help retailers provide the best beer-drinking experience to customers.

Businesses that rent — The reduction of the commercial lease tax is another cost-saving win for thousands of retailers across the state.

Florida remains the only state in the nation that charges this burdensome tax.

Chris Nocco — The Pasco Sheriff brought home the bacon for the Thomas Varnadoe Forensic Center for Research and Education, a forensic research and training facility in Pasco County. It was a priority for him.

Sen. Rob Bradley, left, talks with Sen. Aaron Bean, and Sen. Jeff Brandes, right, during the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting.

Photo: Colin Hackley

College kids — Students with excess credits (over 120) are catching a break.

The bill by Amber Mariano and Aaron Bean will alleviate certain surcharges currently charged to students. The measure will provide refunds of excess charges for students who finish their degree within four years.

Carrot, instead of a stick.

Community college presidents — Take Sarasota-Manatee President Carol Probstfeld. She appeared to have fended off a bill that would provide for enrollment caps for baccalaureate degrees and a new state board. While funding for state colleges decreased, protecting their kingdoms from greater oversight won out over allocations.

Corcoran & Johnston — Although the lobbying firm’s business indeed did not suffer over the last two years, won’t it be nice for Michael Corcoran to stop being asked, “Excuse me, is Richard your brother?” (We kid. Everyone knows they’re related.)

Crusade against child marriages — An issue that many in The Process were unaware was even happening in Florida jumped to the forefront. But the bill that passed was watered down, some said, from an outright ban on minors getting married to an exception for 17-year-olds. Still, this should help

the extreme examples from happening, such as very young teens getting hitched to older men. A shoutout to Gus Corbella and Ryan Wiggins for their work behind the scenes.

FHCA — It was yet another successful year for the Florida Health Care Association. Representing more than 80 percent of Florida’s nursing homes, FHCA’s highest priority focused on the health, well-being and comfort of the residents under their care. With strong support from President Negron, the Legislature provided nursing home residents with their first Medicaid funding increase in many years, $138 million that will help maintain quality care for some of our state’s most frail residents.

Those residents will also see their personal needs allowance increased to $130; that’s an additional $25 per month to help them pay for personal items that will improve their quality of life. The association also worked closely with leaders to ensure that new generator rules stayed focused on what’s best for long-term care residents during disasters.

First responders — Those who serve selflessly and are in need of help got a boost from lawmakers, in no small part due to

CFO Patronis. He carried the flag for police, firefighters, paramedics and others who seek treatment for job-related PTSD through their workers’ comp benefit. The League of Cities initially fought it tooth and nail, saying their members would suffer the burden of added costs. They backed down; the heroes won.

Firefighters — Bills passed that would create a public records exemption for fire plans (SB 738); make it a crime to bribe a fire marshal (SB 820), and another was killed that would have gutted a high-rise sprinkler retrofit bill (SB 1432). Also, the “trash valet” bill (SB 746) was amended to ensure compliance with national regulations and sunset provision in 2021.

Farm Share — It’s always nice when a good-guy organization comes out ahead in the legislative process, and there aren’t many causes better than Farm Share.

Thanks to a partnership with the Legislature, Farm Share reclaims fresh, healthy produce that’s not pretty enough for stores and provides it, free of charge, to needy Floridians. Farm Share recently surpassed 500 million pounds of food donated to Floridians, and last year was an indispensable part of Florida’s recovery from Hurricane SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 101

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Senate Appropriations Chair Rob Bradley speaks during his committee’s meeting. Photo: Colin Hackley Irma — distributing more than 2 million pounds of food and supplies in just the first 10 days after the storm devastated the state. Given Farm Share’s nimble disaster response and return on investment, the nonprofit saw an increase of nearly $1 million in its state funding.

Florida Gulf Coast U. — The school got $13.7 million for operational funding, $10 million for a coastal studies building, and $500,000 for an academic achievement initiative. Shout out to Floridian Partners for shepherding all that through The Process.

Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association — Carol Dover’s organization can claim major victories on navigating the state’s regulation of the hospitality industry. When legislation was filed to support short-term rentals, FRLA was the leader in those negotiations. Additionally, FRLA was a key player in ensuring that the franchise legislation did not pass. Furthermore, the association claimed a significant victory in the tourism development tax reform by requiring a minimum of 40 percent of that tax revenue be used for marketing before any expanded use — for many counties, it will equal an increase in tourism marketing expenditures.

Shawn Frost, Florida Coalition of School Board Members — The education policy wins in HB 7055 and HB 1279 had most of the issues identified by the FCSBM. They included sustainable fix and funding for charter school capital outlay, district transparency and accountability, funding 102 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

and expansion of parental choice, such as the Hope Scholarship, Struggling Reader Scholarship, and $25 million to address the waitlist for Gardiner Scholarships. Frost, of MVP Strategy and Policy, was a constant presence this session and was instrumental in delivering for his client.

Governors Club — The morning breakfast during the committee weeks and Legislative Session is a tastefully understated winner. The addition of the custom omelet station the final week packed the joint.

The outdoor patio is enchanting. Winner, winner … but hey, could you do it every morning during Session and not just Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday?

Glades Communities south of Lake Okeechobee — The Florida Legislature is putting $50 million toward speeding up repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike for the second straight year. Gov. Scott has personally made the pitch for this funding, and has made four trips to the Glades to discuss the financing over the past year. Coupled with South Florida lawmakers delivering on a promise for additional workforce training dollars for the Glades communities, the people from “Muck City” fared well this year.

HCA — After nearly a decade of close legislative calls and legal wrangling, HCA scored a huge victory when the Legislature unanimously passed an overhaul of rules governing trauma centers, which will allow HCA to continue operating several trauma centers previously in dispute. Lawmakers

also corrected the company’s EAPG reimbursement rates moving forward and will provide retroactive payments from last year. Finally, even though the agreed-upon state budget used the House’s rate enhancement framework, which favored the socalled “Safety Net” hospitals, legislators are now asking tough questions about public hospitals’ profits and acknowledging how Medicaid dollars should reimburse hospitals for the care they provide, rather than their corporate status. That alone is a huge win for HCA moving forward.

Institutes for Commercialization — The last bill passed by the House overhauled the Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research, replacing it with the Institute for Commercialization of Florida Technology, a privately managed investment arm focusing on tech and startups in this state and leveraging seed and angel investment from the private sector. It’s being called a game-changer for Florida’s innovation economy.

Insurance industry — They successfully prevented policy they didn’t like from seeing daylight, blocked the trial bar, tackled Uber, you name it. PIP repeal? Nope. But one low point: there was no movement on AOB reform, a signature issue for the industry. It will be front and center next year, as the companies are fed up and ready for a change.

Lennar — The largest homebuilder in the U.S. did pretty good in Florida this Session. An obscure, technical provision

extends the statute of limitations to sue on a “construction defect” to allow counterclaims, cross-claims, and third-party claims up to one year after a pleading is filed. It also specifies that “punch list” items and warranty work do not extend the statute of repose. A mini-law lesson from Lawyers.com: “A statute of limitations sets a lawsuit-filing time limit based on when the potential plaintiff suffered harm, while a statute of repose sets a deadline based on the mere passage of time or the occurrence of a certain event that doesn’t itself cause harm or give rise to a potential lawsuit.”

Mary Brogan Early Detection Program — There’s actually a program everyone can get behind — and they did. All of us have been affected by cancer in one way or another, and there are more than 19,000 breast cancer stories in Florida every year.

The Mary Brogan Early Detection Program provides cancer screenings to medically underserved women, and this dedicated program won strong support in the form of a switch to recurring dollars to continue its important quest to save lives. The Early Detection Program treats patients like they’re family, with a network of doctors and advocates who have helped women get the attention and care they need. Recurring dollars make planning so much easier for crucial programs like this, so kudos to the admirable Mary Brogan Early Detection Program — and you can bet I’ll be rocking my pink shirt.

Mental health advocates — It’s a shame a tragedy like Parkland has to occur to cause winners in the legislative process. That said, mental health advocates are finally counting a big win after years of spotty, unpredictable funding. Schools and increased safety measures will also come out as big winners. “Winner” is a difficult designation to assign to this sad chapter in our history, however. Maybe the win will be the change and good that comes from it all.

Alisa LaPolt — A former Gannett news reporter and nurses’ lobbyist, now leading NAMI-Florida, she gained new visibility at the Capitol in the face of a statewide tragedy as the voice of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI-Florida under her leadership was instrumental in getting provisions in legislation requiring schools to have mental health public awareness programs for teachers and students, for one. She’s sure to press the issue in 2019 as well.

Newspapers — The digital powers couldn’t force a change in public notice laws, meaning legacy “print” media get another reprieve from losing their monopoly. Florida law ensures Old Media an in by requiring meeting notices and other legal notices to be in print. Under state law, such ads must run in a newspaper published at

Sen. Bill Galvano outlines a portion of the school safety legislation that is part of the legislature’s response to the Valentine’s Day mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Photo: Colin Hackley least once a week and considered a county’s publication of record. So Gannett and others can count on that revenue stream for at least another year.

Northeast Florida — The last year has been an eventful one for the area: Rob Bradley became Appropriations Chairman and performed like a seasoned professional.

Future House Speaker Paul Renner capably handled his chamber’s tax package. Sen. Travis Hutson took some major steps toward becoming a future presiding officer.

And don’t forget Sen. Audrey Gibson, who ascended to the role of Leader-designate of the Senate Democrats. If only there were a Jacksonville-based lobbying firm that works with them all … oh wait, there are: The Fiorentino Group, as well as Southern Strategy Group’s Matt Brockelman and Deno Hicks.

Nurses — A piece of legislation brings Florida Advanced Practice Nurses in closer alignment with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Consensus Model.

It changes the title from Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) to Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) and adding Clinical Nurse Specialists to the APRN role, as well as clarifying certi-

fication. Credit lobbyist Allison Carvajal on this one.

Orlando — Lawmakers approved a measure allowing smaller restaurants downtown to serve liquor. If signed, eateries with smaller floor space and fewer seats could get special licenses to offer booze. Mayor Buddy Dyer pushed the legislation, saying it’d be a boost to business and would increase foot traffic. Hoist one for us.

Physicians — The Florida Academy of Family Physicians picked up a win with legislation that allows doctors to sign direct-primary care agreements with patients. This is sometimes referred to as “concierge care” for the masses. It’s a new patient-centered model that allows doctors to contract directly with small businesses and patients without involving insurance companies. (Not that insurers are happy about this movement.)

“Pre-eminent” universities — Gobs of money was thrown at Florida State and UF for construction projects, including atmospheric sciences, an interdisciplinary research commercialization building and College of Business. Not to focus on FSU, but how much did it also help to have the heft of John Thrasher and Kathy SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 103

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Mears? Just a little? Sure. And credit assists to The Mayernick Group and Paul Hawkes.

Residents of the not-so Sunshine State — With the passage of the disaster preparedness sales-tax holiday, citizens of Florida are winners because they have more time to get prepared for all of Florida’s natural disasters while also saving money. Thanks to the Florida Retail Federation’s advocacy efforts, this year’s holiday was extended from three to seven days. With more time to purchase generators and other vital supplies, residents and visitors in our state will already be prepared when the storm comes, rather than last-minute rushing to the store.

Red light cameras — Efforts to get rid of them failed again this year, as they have in recent years. Who wins? American Traffic Solutions, the vendor that supplies and maintains many of the systems, and makes a pretty penny from them. Supporters say the cameras save lives and allow law enforcement to get a grip on more serious crime. Opponents counter that red-light cameras are just a way to shake down motorists for money through fines.

Retailers and consumers — Every year, there are attempts to raise the felony threshold for retail theft. This year was no different — the proposed new threshold was $1,000. After a Session-long fight, the Florida Retail Federation was successful in making sure criminals didn’t get a cost-of-living increase on the back of retailers. By keeping the threshold as-is at $300, the group says it will help deter retail theft and organized retail crime, which the FRF says will keep small businesses from raising their prices to compensate for stolen merchandise.

“Safety net” hospitals — Shouts out to Tony Carvalho and Lindy Kennedy of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida. The Legislature agreed to fund another $319 million — including the federal share — in the upcoming year’s budget, as they did for this year (2017-18).

They honestly need the help: “Safety net hospitals ensure the highest level of care to all Floridians, regardless of their ability to pay,” they say. Here, here.

Short-term lenders — Critics have had a field day blasting payday lenders, but the industry worked relentlessly to show legislators how valuable their products are to Floridians who need quick funds but can’t walk into a bank or credit union and leave with cash. Energized by a heavy-handed federal regulation that would have hammered their industry, short-term lenders pushed harder than ever to ensure that Floridians have access to the credit options they need. Sponsored by Reps. Janet Cruz and Jamie Grant in the House with Sens. Rob Bradley and Oscar Braynon in the Senate, HB 857 and SB 920 made winners of companies like Amscot and Advance America, which were absolutely relentless in their work to retain important consumer protections. Overwhelmingly passing through all committee meetings and on the floor, the legislation

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is a huge win for consumers who use these services and the companies that provide them.

Supreme Court justices — It’s good to be a top jurist. The budget includes pay boosts for all seven justices, hiking their paychecks 36 percent to $220,000 a year. They’re not alone. Other state judges get a raise, as do prosecutors and public defenders.

And state law enforcement officers will get more, either 7 or 10 percent, depending. Even state-employed firefighters get a $2,500 raise. Finally, some respect. Let’s see Gov. Scott try to line-item veto these.

Tech industry — Major wins: The adoption of proviso language that shows a preference for cloud solutions in procurement; and state data and information will have increased protection, security and analytic capabilities. Moreover, with the passage of HB 495, Florida students will have greater access to computer science and coding instruction. Studying these disciplines gives students computational thinking, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, advocates say.

Teye Reeves — Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! The “sea piracy” bill, also known as “vessel salvage” (HB 469), foundered this year thanks to a mutiny led by Reeves, of Floridian Partners. The oh-so-heavily-lobbied bill successfully passed seven committees of reference, but walked the plank before making it to the Senate floor. (We have mixed some metaphors here …)

Jeff Vinik — The Legislature sent to the governor a proposal to create a special district in Tampa to fund some features of a proposed $3 billion development in the city’s Channelside neighborhood. The proposal is backed by Strategic Property Partners, a partnership of Bill Gates’ investment arm, Cascade Investment, and Vinik, a billionaire developer. Water Street Tampa has become one of the most eagerly awaited private developments in Tampa.

Volusia County’s beach access — A measure by Katie Edwards-Walpole now creates requirements for “customary use” ordinances, including court approval. It was drafted based on and around Volusia County. The bill, if signed, will leave intact Volusia’s beach access ordinance. The issue was lobbied by GrayRobinson’s Chris Carmody and Robert Stuart.

Greg Evers’ legacy — A measure to create a road in the late state senator’s name passed the Legislature. SB 382 will designate a “Greg Evers Memorial Highway” in the Panhandle, where Evers was from. He died in single-car accident near his home last year.

Better Than Ever 44 Years and Counting

Left to right: House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz, Sen. Anitere Flores, and Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez made the list in the 2018 Session.

Photo: Colin Hackley

MIXED BAG Joe Abruzzo — The state Senator turned state Representative has suffered a lot of ignominies seeing his private life dragged out in the press in recent years. Now he’s leaving the House early. It seems to us like he could have done more as a lawmaker, but we never begrudge anyone exiting the Legislature for personal reasons. Good luck, Joe. Janet Cruz — What legislative issue did she carry across the line this Session? Well, there was that vote-by-mail fix. But when it came to the gun debate, she spoke loudly but said nothing. She couldn’t keep her caucus in order during meetings, and couldn’t hold caucus votes in line when it mattered most. Maybe she was saving her powder for her county commission race.

Boaters — You hear the word “pirates,” and you immediately think of Johnny Depp movies, Gasparilla marauders, or Tampa Bay’s football team. Despite those cuddly images, an organization of Florida boaters used pirate images to brand maritime salvage and towing services as cutthroat brigands. In just its first year, the bill cleared seven separate committees and was passed overwhelmingly by the House, but got caught up in the end-of-session crunch and died in the Senate amid effective lobbying on both sides. Supporters shrewdly branded the salvage companies as “modern-day pirates” taking advantage of innocent boat owners, while the salvors pushed back by pointing out that they were saving lives and preventing loss.

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Rep. Matt Caldwell (top ) and Sen. Greg Steube, during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Pre-K-12 Education. Photos: Colin Hackley Rough seas ahead for any pirates looking for a bigger paycheck, because there may be no stopping the power of unyielding Florida boaters.

Drug addicts — An FRF-backed proposal would’ve required doctors to use e-prescribing software when doling out prescriptions instead of the old-fashioned and easily-manipulated paper tablets, 106 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

making it much tougher for patients to forge a prescription. Since the Governor’s office wouldn’t accept it in the opioid package, the forging will remain, and addicts will continue to gain access to dangerous drugs helping to fuel our state’s opiate epidemic.

Dunkin’ Donuts, 7-Eleven, et al. — Corporate brands scored a victory but had to

beat back a determined effort by Florida entrepreneurs who own franchise operations and wanted to level the playing field.

The Florida Retail Federation and others, representing brands from McDonald’s to UPS, helped fight off the franchise operators for the second year, as they worked for greater legal protections in the business relationship. Franchise owners wanted protections to stop the corporations from dominating their activities, and the corporations like things the way they are.

This effort is likely to come up again, so we’ll see how that plays out.

Florida Chamber of Commerce — Got a hit with elements of the tax cut package, but struck out on AOB and “bad faith” reform, workers’ comp changes, etc. Hard to put them in the mixed bag with more losses than wins this year, but they’re still pushing the cost-of-living reductions for Floridians, and they haven’t forgotten the importance of infrastructure investment.

Florida Justice Association — The trial lawyers land in the mixed bag again this year. It’s a tad surprising Jeff Porter’s team did not see many bills pass, including a priority PIP insurance redo. But give ‘em credit for beating back AOB, bad faith and workers’ comp changes. They also helped shed new light on human trafficking and, like their AIF counterparts, quietly embedded amendments throughout legislation. Plus, Kevin Sweeny continued an unprecedented political winning-streak throughout Session for the trial bar — even if his hand was sometimes unseen.

Fracking — This is another one of those issues that seems like a no-brainer, yet it fails to cross the finish line every year. A ban on fracking, the pumping of water and chemicals into the ground to flush out oil and gas deposits, was carried

by Dana Young this year. It got some hearings but ultimately didn’t go anywhere in the House. But fracking’s not gonna happen in Florida anytime soon anyway, so …

Hospitals — Another Session draws to a conclusion and the House’s attempts at reforming the “certificate of need” process, ambulatory recovery centers, and the other priorities of the current leadership failed. The celebration, however, shouldn’t last long because all should expect the pursuit to continue under Speaker Jose Oliva’s tenure. They got whacked on rural hospitals and funding formulas, but they won the priority bills by the fails of CON repeal, Recovery Care Centers/ Ambulatory Surgical Center Overnight Stays, PIP, workers comp payment cuts and advanced birthing centers. All passed the House, then died in the Senate ... even without Latvala there.

Hotel industry — OK, so they won the vacation rental battle. But they looked

Sen. Randolph Bracy, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice. Photo: Colin Hackley

ugly “winning” on human trafficking. A provision that would have allowed young victims of prostitution rings to sue hotels where they were forced to “work” failed this Session. And it would have created a trust fund from civil penalties. But the lodging lobby made sure it went down.

League of Cities — We’re starting to think they’re not the “white hats” everyone thinks they are. The group opposed helping first responders with PTSD (though it later backed away from that opposition). Then they opposed a bill that would block lawsuits against people who request public records. Then they pitched a fit over another bill to require uniform elections to increase turnout. We get it: They’re advocating for cities and being able to keep cities’ costs down. But their negativity is starting to be a bad look.

Pat Roberts — The Tallahassee-based TV producer took a win when a judge quashed subpoenas for his financial and tax records related to shows he made featuring star chef Emeril Lagasse for VISIT FLORIDA. But even though Speaker Corcoran, who pursued this case, is headed out the door, don’t assume Speaker-in-waiting Jose Oliva and the GOP House is just going to drop this.

Policyholders — While PIP was put to the test this session, it ended up getting TP’d and was never brought up again.

Lobbyists say that’s a win for Florida motorists: A measure being pushed by the trial bar would have wiped away years of cost-saving reforms. But policyholders will have to wait to see savings from Assignment of Benefits (AOB) reform.

The Seminole Tribe — As the gambling

bill died, one wonders how much more money will they have to contribute to state coffers before they finally get some respect? The failure of a bill to pass means no renewed deal for blackjack, though they still have it at least through 2030. Still, with the jet gassed and ready, another year of nothing has to grind Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen’s gears.

Trees — Greg Steube’s tree-trimming bill itself got pruned this Session, after it aimed initially at pre-empting all tree regulation to the state, bypassing locals. It would have required utilities to get permits to work on the right of way if interfered with power lines. Then an amendment freed the utilities to perform trimming as they please. Oh well.

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BIGGEST LOSER Gary Farmer — He filed more than half a dozen bills to unpin the insurance industry, and none of them were heard in committee.

Farmer also appears headed for defeat in his race to become the Senate Democratic Leader. How tin-eared do you have to be to tell a woman that “small children” would hamper her duty to be a leader? Tell it to Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo. Or Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Or Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors.

Sen. Gary Farmer ‘s bills relating to the insurance industry went nowhere in the 2018 Session. Photo: Colin Hackley

CHUMPS Randolph Bracy — He was given a chance to be chairman of a prominent policy committee as a freshman Democrat. What does he do? Flagrantly denied requests by those on his own committee to hear their bills.

Don’t fool yourself that Bill Galvano wasn’t paying attention. Bracy’s heavy-handedness will make it that much harder for his colleagues to secure chairmanships under future GOP leadership in the Senate.

Anitere Flores — Where do we begin?

She couldn’t get her committees to successfully pass PIP repeal for Tom Lee, the trial bar, even President Joe Negron. The high-priority bill could not even make it through a confused and sloppy meeting of the committee she chairs. Let’s not forget the painfully awkward disclosure and ac108 | INFLUENCE SPRING 2018

knowledgment of her marital infidelity at Session’s beginning.

Jose Javier Rodriguez — The Herald put it nicely: If Scott approves this, it “forces nearly a half-dozen local and state lawmakers to choose between holding onto a sure thing and taking the risk of running for the congressional seat that Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is giving up in order to retire.” State Sen. Rodriguez is among them. Sorry, JJR. On a side note, who really wants to pay for all those special elections?

Matt Caldwell — Nobody told him running to the cameras immediately after Parkland to say why he was pro-gun was just too craven. When MSD students were at the Capitol, he tried too hard, pointing to his lapel ribbon to support them, while he

continually Politifact’ed himself into false talking points. A string of legislative failures preceded that: Don’t get us started on “Florida ForNever” under his watch. Then the odd zoning amendments in the HB 883 meltdown.

Kim Daniels — She pushed an unneeded bill to require that “In God We Trust” be posted in all public schools. In the wake of Hurricane Irma, she distinguished herself by asserting that “prophets” saw the storm coming. Then she used the storm as an excuse to hold off her foreclosure. She’s faced ethics and elections complaints. In the name of the Lord, indeed.

Bobby Payne — He backed a bill to inject treated sewage water into the aquifer. Where we, you know, get our drinking water. Really?

Christian Bax — The state’s top medical marijuana regulator, who got his job through his rich dad, arguably took Jesse Panuccio’s place (remember him?) as the Legislature’s favorite punching bag. As one lawmaker privately told a reporter, “I would not be surprised if this guy were unable to find his (orifice) with a funnel.” He has taken drubbing after drubbing for delays in getting medicinal cannabis to more qualified patients, all the while blaming an admittedly large number of lawsuits and administrative challenges. With Scott out of office early next year, MMJ advocates say they can hardly wait for a change.

Marion Hammer — Parkland made both her and the NRA run for cover, cowering under criticism for what many believe has been grossly undue influence over The Process. The fact that Republican leadership has stepped forward with packages they both deem unacceptable shows how far they may have fallen in the process.

Constituents — Residents of Senate District 16 and 31, and House Districts 33, 39, and 114 had no or little representation this Session, as those seats went vacant, pending special elections. #MeToo — Real sexual harassment and ethical behavior — no one should assume things have gotten better just because the articles have ceased and the hallway conversations have changed. It is how The Process goes. Something more significant has occurred, and all attention is focused elsewhere. Until the root is plucked, branches will continue to grow.

Airbnb — The vacation rental website really wanted the state to pre-empt local regulation of their services. The Legislature tried but didn’t pass anything. Casey Cook from the League of Cities led the fight and herded the cats. Even in the pre-emptionloving House, the first committee approval took two meetings and a lot of whipping to get a narrow victory. Later efforts to put VR-friendly amendments on the condo bills were also thwarted.

Affordable housing — As Rep. Bob Cortes tweeted: “After a very long session and many hours of work, HB 987 on Affordable Housing died because @FLSenate would not take it up and no reason why. #disappointed” Auburn fans — That license plate bill finally died, bringing agony to proponents Rep. Jamie Grant and Kevin Cate. As Grant tweeted: “So much good stuff in that bill that was the product of colleagues working across the aisle to empower some really great nonprofits and causes in FL Reforms to the program died too …”

Bicyclists — Chris Moya of Jones Walker successfully killed bicycle “ride share” legislation that would pre-empt cities’ and counties’ ability to prevent companies from put-

National Rifle Association and its lobbyist, Marion Hammer, may be seeing their outsized influence in The Process beginning to wane. Photo: Colin Hackley

ting a bunch of bikes in their communities.

Moya represents several bike companies that opposed the legislation: Decco Bike and Cycle Hop. Too bad: We had our helmets and skin-hugging bike pants ready to go.

Fantasy sports fans — Also dying with gaming legislation this year were efforts to clarify that fantasy sports play is not gambling and should not be regulated as such. It really isn’t a loss per se, but means fantasy players in Florida will continue their hobby in a legal gray area. Not that we expect police to start breaking down doors over this.

Flu sufferers — Had a tough time getting in to see your primary care doctor for your flu symptoms? Unable to get your hands on a box of Tamiflu? Having pharmacists around the state test and treat for the flu would’ve made life a lot easier for

thousands of Floridians. But this bill was denied by the Legislature, forcing sick patients and their children to suffer instead of receiving treatment.

Fight against distracted driving — A bill that would have made texting while driving a primary enforcement law went all the way through the House and three committees in the Senate but stalled on the Senate Appropriations desk after a hard push to pass this lifesaving measure and protect Florida families. It will be back next year if Emily Slosberg has anything to do with it.

Felons’ voting rights — Despite a federal judge saying the state clemency process is unconstitutional, legislators didn’t pony up money to handle the backlog of ex-cons who just want to vote. Black lawmakers called foul, but the zero line didn’t budge. And Gov. SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 109

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Rep. Emily Slosberg speaks during a House Criminal Justice Subcommittee meeting. Photo: Colin Hackley

Scott and the Cabinet are declining to hear dozens of cases as they appeal the ruling.

Greyhounds — The Senate passed a ban on using steroids in racing greyhounds, only to see it sit untouched in the House.

The language wasn’t getting any play in the gaming conference, either. Dog trainers say small amounts of steroids are used only for birth control, not to enhance performance.

But dog-racing opponents, including Dana Young, call it “doping.”

Home rule — Cities and counties have been under constant barrage by legislative leadership, raising the question as to whether the Republican principle of “the government closest to the people is best” is being traded for “do as I say, not as I do.”

Injured immigrants — A bill intended to stop companies from dodging workers’ compensation benefit payouts to undocumented workers who are injured on the job died. The effort was born in the wake of two news investigations last year that showed how a change in the law enabled some companies to deny benefits to undocumented workers after they were hired and injured at work. The injured workers would be reported to state law enforcement for using fake IDs or Social Security numbers.

New World School of the Arts — The Miami performing arts school, whose grads include Oscar-winning Tarrell Alvin McCraney of “Moonlight” fame, lost added state funding. The school gives teens the opportunity

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to train in music, theater, dance and visual arts. The reduction means programs may be cut. So goes showbiz.

Panhandle drivers — The controversial bridge known as Bo’s Bridge was named after former House Speaker Bolley “Bo” Johnson. Sadly, the bridge ended up in default because not enough motorists use it.

An effort to get money for it went nowhere.

Can you blame them?

Public schools — While the Legislature touts the record “$101 increase in student funding,” in truth this funding is almost all taken up with the mandates to provide mental health services and pay for school resource officers. Districts must also pay for increased FRS rates to the tune of $53 million statewide. In the end, the real increase in student funding to provide additional programs and services to students is a paltry 47 cents.

Rural cities — Rural cities and counties in the Big Bend and Panhandle got hosed.

Once again, the budget priorities, especially water projects, appear to be going South.

Sanctuary cities — The Corcoran-Gillum debate, substantial statewide media buy, and it still didn’t go anywhere. Plenty of pushback, including IMPAC Fund’s Mike Fernandez letter signed by more than 120 bipartisan leaders calling on the Governor, Corcoran and Negron to kill the bill. Well, it made for a terrifying (and somewhat disingenuous) ad, anyway.

St. Pete Chamber of Commerce — No longer able to depend on Jack Latvala, the group lost the USF consolidation battle.

President Chris Steinocher and Advocacy Manager Matt Lettelier badly misplayed their hand on this issue.

Theme parks — The combined team of Florida Brewers Guild, the state’s craft beer group; Beer Industry of Florida, the Miller and craft beer distributors; and Miller-Coors itself won this year’s fight against the “theme park” legislation, which would have allowed Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and others to start pumping alcohol beverage manufacturers for an additional revenue stream, or was it called “cooperative advertising”?

TIKD — The Florida Supreme Court ordered the Miami-Dade firm that helps customers fight traffic tickets to show why it isn’t practicing law without a license.

Water projects — Another area that became a funding casualty because of the late-Session focus on responding to the Parkland tragedy and redirecting money to school safety and mental health programs.

So, things like better treating stormwater and improving sewer lines will be on hold again.

Write-in candidates — This could have finally addressed the whole problem of write-ins filing and closing a primary. The Supreme Court even told lawmakers this is an area they needed to fix. And again, no action.

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NO DISGUISE, FOR LOBBYIST

CHRIS

DORWORTH , LOSING HIS HOUSE RACE WAS ‘JUST A BLESSING’

BY PETER SCHORSCH

O

nce an ascendant Republican politician scooping up speaker pledge cards from his elected classmates as quickly as donor checks, future House Speaker Chris Dorworth was on top of the Florida political world.

That came crashing to a halt on Election Night 2012. The slick-talking member who quickly endeared himself to his classmates went down in a stunning defeat.

But Dorworth is now back in Florida’s political spotlight. A rainmaker for Ballard Partners, the former Seminole County House member is again a fixture on the tree-lined streets that comprise Tallahassee’s downtown.

Though his return has not been without questions.

Dorworth is not oblivious to what people say about his new role as a political lobbyist. When he snagged a gig with arguably the state’s most influential firm, it once again helped spark a conversation about Tallahassee’s cashing-in culture. In the capital city, the political ecosystem always has included a steady flow of former lawmakers taking high-paying jobs with firms that need them to pass legislation for their clients. And critics have long wanted to close the revolving door to put an end to that influence at play.

It’s that sort of politically fueled redemption story that has in some ways been center stage as Dorworth made his return. House Speaker Richard Corcoran, a friend of Dorworth, has pushed ethics

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Chris Dorworth with wife, Rebekah, and daughter, Grace.

Photos: Sarah Bray Photography

and lobbying reforms during his two years as speaker. Last year, for example, the House passed a six-year lobbying ban for lawmakers, but that went nowhere.

The short path from public service to Adams Street has always been a topic of discussion among reformers who often are unable to turn their rhetoric into policy change, but Dorworth views it differently.

“A lot of people malign the political lobbying job, but a lot of the time lobbyists take hits to be the foot soldiers in The Process,” Dorworth said.

Shortly after his loss, Brian Ballard, head of the lobbying powerhouse firm, called. A month later, Dorworth took the path of many former powerful lawmakers: he joined a lobbying firm.

“I had no idea that Ballard Partners was going to be there when I lost the election, but sometimes you hit the reset button and a week later I had the baddest firm in town calling,” Dorworth said.

The call wasn’t random though. Ballard had been eyeing Dorworth for some time.

“Winning or losing an election doesn’t determine someone’s value,” Ballard said. “I really got to know Chris during his Speaker-designate time and thought he was one of the brightest guys to be around and bring people together.”

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‘IT ALWAYS WORKS OUT’

When the offer was placed on the table, the two drove down to Fort Lauderdale to talk shop.

After a couple hours at the patio of a Four Seasons, Dorworth had a decision to make that would mean leaving politics behind. “There would be no redemption act in politics if I took this,” he remembered thinking. In the end, he decided to make the revolving door spin.

Dorworth would come to see his election loss as a blessing: “It wasn’t a blessing in disguise, it was just a blessing,” he said.

While in office, before the Election Night that changed it all, Dorworth had faced financial and personal troubles. He was millions of dollars in debt, going through a nasty divorce and was facing ethics complaints that were later dismissed.

Serving in office, he said, was a real “financial sacrifice” for him.

“The best way to make a fortune is not in the Legislature,” he added.

Since leaving office, though, not just his professional life has changed. No one knows that better than Rebekah, his now-wife of two years.

“This is a man who had just been beaten and was experiencing public embarrassment, but he looked at me that night and said: ‘Rebekah, we are going to have a great life,” she said.

Dorworth’s 146-vote loss left him reeling, but it did not come without some lessons.

“I learned that you should never love anything that can’t love you back, and the office doesn’t love you back,” Dorworth said, looking back on that November night. “When you serve, you are renting that spot for a couple years.”

Witnessing the collapse of the golden-tongued politician left many in disbelief, especially those in his tight-knit crew in the Florida House.

“I would say everyone had seen how hard the folks were going after that seat, so I wouldn’t say it was a total shock, but it was definitely disappointing,” said state Rep. Matt Caldwell. “We had become friends over time and I was looking for-

ward to seeing him work toward the speakership.’”

But those in his orbit admit it didn’t take long for Dorworth to bounce back.

Rebekah remembers him being sad for about a day. State Rep. Jason Brodeur, who in the spring of 1995 met Dorworth during fraternity rush week at the University of Florida, recalls him being blue for about 12 hours.

“If Chris has a life motto it would be: ‘it always works out’,” Brodeur said.

In keeping with his mantra, things began to brighten up a week after the election when Ballard called. The timing, after all, was right. Voters had booted him out and the state had not yet toughened its lobbying ban on lawmakers which now imposes a five-year cooling-off period before legislators can lobby the Legislature.

Dorworth, characteristically known for his humor, now jokes: “It’s time to close that revolving door now!”

Part of his argument for taking the job: how could he say no to the “baddest firm in town”?

When reintroduced to the Florida influence scene, Dorworth quickly became one of Ballard Partners’ top lobbyists, taking on clients that mostly snag wins, even if at the last minute.

The transformation has been entertaining to watch for his friends in the process. Brodeur, for example, says his role as a “working bee” is fun to experience.

“In his life as a developer he has always been the principal, he directs everything, and now as a lobbyist, his job is to convince everyone — and that has been fun to watch,” Brodeur said. “He never really demonstrated that worker-bee personality that he is now.”

But the Lake Mary lobbyist considers himself a “foot soldier” fighting for those who have something at stake.

“Brian Ballard is an incredible guy to work for. You get to be in the middle of the most interesting issues and, during session, we have a bet in almost everything,” Dorworth said.

The relationships he fostered over the years while he was a lawmaker continued to be there in his transition. And the friends he made that remain in the policy-making side recognize that.

“I think the difference is when we were colleagues, all his motivations were based on his life experience. Now I have to realize that he has a job to do and that I have a

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‘TO BECOME A LEGEND YOU HAVE TO REINVENT YOURSELF’

State Rep. Jason Brodeur compares his former House colleague to entertainer Madonna, who became legendary after reinventing herself. Photo: Florida Memory

Dorworth, shown here speaking on the floor during his time in the Florida House. Photo: Colin Hackley

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job to do,” Brodeur said. “Now that he does advocacy for a living, he will tell me something and I know I have to to hear the other side.”

Eventually those relationships will go away and all he will have left is his personality to do the job well, notes Caldwell, who is running to be the next Florida Agriculture Commissioner.

“The truth is there’s two people that go into lobbying: the first are totally dependent on their relationship (and) get meetings because they know them personally. But once that runs out, then what? That’s when you see people who are able to use their personal relationships to keep relationship. I think Chris is definitely in the second group,” Caldwell said.

The Dorworths now have a 5-month-old baby girl named Grace Caroline. With that new parenting role, a newfound commitment to health and fitness was born.

“When I was pregnant, he was touching my belly and said he was going to get healthy for Grace. He told her, talking to the belly, that when she came out, the first thing she would see was a healthy Dad or a liar,” Rebekah Dorworth said.

Grace was born and there were no liars in the household. In a few months, Dorworth lost 105 pounds and soon became practically unrecognizable when marching through the Tallahassee landscape that knows him so well.

“Committing to a dream is not so easy, but he never lost hope,” Rebekah Dorworth said. “We went through some very challenging times together. He lost the election, we went through a lot of financial struggles and personal ones too. But nobody is more positive in those situations than my husband.”

After that flameout and comeback, Doworth says not a day that goes by that his wife doesn’t reference that 2012 Election Night and how glad she is that he lost.

But his longtime friend Brodeur, perhaps, puts it best.

“The point in order is that to become a legend you have to reinvent yourself: it was true for Madonna,” Brodeur explains. “And if you think about it, Madonna was the Material Girl and then went through a phase and turned into the club hit girl.”

“Dorworth is now like the club hit girl.”

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What I’ve Learned

Lizbeth Benacquisto 50, Fort Myers A veteran lawmaker leaves a mark on the #MeToo and Women in Politics movements AS TOLD TO ANA CEBALLOS IN TALLAHASSEE

ON ADVICE TO HER YOUNGER SELF: I would tell myself to always be focused on what your core values are. Focus on what brought you here and to never leave that behind. I would tell myself to honor the trust that voters placed in me — to be here and to act with them and on their behalf. I would also tell myself — and this is a lesson I learned growing up with three older brothers — to be strong, but to be graceful in that strength. You can be a force, but you can do so with the class and respect that I think the office represents.

POLITICS WAS NOT ALWAYS IN THE CARDS: It was not something that my family focused on. Of course, we were active in volunteer work and in our community, but it was never of a political nature. I think that in watching my grandmother, who was a woman ahead of her time, and my mother act so strong for the things that they cared about, it was instilled in me to be devoted to my community, and at some point a position became available at the city council. For me, it really wasn’t to be an office holder, it was just to be a voice and speak up for the things I knew needed to be addressed.

ON THE MOMENT THAT TURNED HER TO POLITICS: In the small community that we lived in, we were involved in this initiative to build a playground. It was a couple of my young mom friends and myself. When we were finished with that, we saw the ways in which the city council acted and the decisions that were made that benefited the community and there was an election coming up. There was an incumbent who was running for re-election and I thought, well, there is no one representing the young demographic in our community and we all thought someone like us should be part of the discussion, and so I said, ‘Oh, I’ll do it!” And I won — by four votes.

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PHOTO: Megan DiPiero Photography

“You can be a force, but you can do so with class and respect.”

SPRING 2018 INFLUENCE | 121

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

Benacquisto speaks in February about the Legislature’s school safety proposal in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Photo: Colin Hackley ON EVOLVING AS A POLITICIAN: I know that what drove me to be in public service from the first moment is still true today and that is being focused on issues that revolve around protecting children, protecting those who can’t speak for themselves and offering a voice to assist the underdog. I have do so in some of the legislative fights that I have taken on. But I think that my views have expanded beyond things that feel good and that matter on that interpersonal level into new issues of much larger scope that affect our business community and that affect our education system at a larger scale. That naturally expands, but who you are should never change just by virtue of the time you spend in office and I hope that will never be the case for me.

ON HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE: In terms of legislative fights, we took on issues that people said would never pass. You would get a pat on the shoulder and they said, “OK, you go fight that fight, but you will lose.”

Certainly, that would be the Cancer Treatment Fairness Act in 2013. There were folks who told me I would never pass that bill. But I just believed in it so strongly in my heart — and thankfully so many of my colleagues did too. I knew it was the right thing to do. Just those issues that seem to be so heavy, or too controversial, but yet given the chance I know people did what they thought was right and those issues passed.

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THAT FIGHT ONLY MADE HER STRONGER: I think if you engage the folks that you work with to see things from all perspectives and you ask them to hear the debated dialogue that people generally do — no, I should say they do — act on what they feel is right. Even though people said it was doubtful that it would pass, it only made me work harder because in those moments you realize that we are not fighting the battle of who wins here, we are fighting the battle of winning for the people you were elected to serve. And that’s a pretty strong motivator.

ON HER TOUGHEST MOMENT: There are always challenging moments in the process and if you see them for what they are, they are opportunities to learn. I am always trying to do it that way. But if we go back to the Cancer Treatment Fairness Act … we were faced with the decision of: do I wait to fight this next year? Do I take a win for the state and for our constituents where we can? And I always want to make sure I am reflective enough to make sure I am making the right decision at the right time. So when we were about to conclude session and we had the ability to extend it, that was one of those moments when you have to really check yourself to make sure you are doing the right thing for the right reasons. Ultimately, we did extend it. We stayed the course. We passed the bill, and it is now law.

ON HER REGRETS: I am not done yet, but I do believe that we make the best decisions that we can in the moment and I think we all would look back on the events of the last six months to a year and wish that maybe the #MeToo movement would have started earlier. And then people would have been more comfortable to speak about things that they experienced earlier. As a human being, you cannot help but want that moment to have come sooner in time.

ON HER #METOO ROLE: I live it myself.

And I wanted to say it is OK to tell your story and it’s OK to be active in the participation of making a positive change. For men and women who have experienced that at any workplace I wish that conversation would have happened sooner and that there was more awareness so we could have highlighted the bad behavior.

HER TAKE ON HOW THE TONE HAS CHANGED: Looking at the big picture, I think things have changed in the Legislature overall. It is not just one chamber, it is the entirety of the process and the entirety of every workplace across the state of Florida and our country — and it was a positive change. I am grateful for that, I am grateful for everyone who works in any building, in any workplace anywhere, that they were able to feel more comfortable to speak out about what makes them uncomfortable and bring a positive change.

PHOTO: Megan DiPiero Photography

ON HER PROUDEST MOMENTS AS A LEGISLATOR: I believe that in the time we have been here, there was a lot to be proud of. For me personally, I think it should make us all proud that we were able to raise awareness and offer the comfort and friendship and understanding that where there is bad behavior it should be stopped.

And that is something I am proud of. But there are people who are far braver who did things that deserve as much or more and continued credit as we move on, because this is not an issue of one week or one legislative session. It is a permanent issue of making sure that any workplace is a safe and hospitable environment.

ON WHAT SHE WISHES HER LEGACY WILL BE: Inasmuch as I’ve been able to do so, raising awareness about issues in South Florida and the priorities of the region and the issues we have been able to advance that help my home. I am very proud of that.

And to be a strong woman in a leadership position: only the second female to be the Rules chair, only the second female in the state’s history to be the majority leader. It speaks to what I hope young women who are entering the process will see. I want women to see clearly that wherever you want to be, you belong. If you work hard and earn the respect of your colleagues and

you are dedicated to making sure you do a good job, there is no limitation to where all of us belong in this arena.

ON WHAT’S NEXT FOR HER: This is the first time I’ve had a four-year term and I am very much enjoying the opportunity to be focused on the service and not being in that campaign mode. I really am enjoying the ability to help others. I am really enjoying being a senator.

WILL SHE RUN FOR CONGRESS AGAIN? I think my life is reflective of the following: you never know what opportunities will be presented to you. I never thought I’d run for city council and I really wasn’t thinking I would be a senator one day. So I will always be open to options as they present themselves. But I am focused on serving my constituents well and being the best I can be as I serve this role. I think serving on people’s behalf is an incredible privilege and from the time that you have that honor, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We make decisions and advance priorities that have a true and real impact on people’s lives and I always hope I can make an impact in a positive way.

But I am OK with who I am and the life that I have and my role as a mom, and the joy that it brings me. I will be OK no matter what the future brings.

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The Big Question

Q: YOU’RE NOW IN CHARGE OF THE CALENDAR:

BETTER TO BEGIN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN JANUARY OR MARCH? MELISSA RAMBA, FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION “January. We’re always full steam ahead in January anyway, why not start the Sine Die clock?! (Also, I have a lot of coats to wear.)

SAMANTHA SEXTON, PIFF “As much as I hate the cold and can’t understand why the Capitol doesn’t have a cloakroom, January, hands down. The sooner we start, the sooner we can slap on the Coppertone and bust out the margarita machine. ”

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MELANIE BROWN, JOHNSON & BLANTON

and interns during session.”

“January! I love being able to spend the cooler months hustling inside the Capitol, taking a break for the holidays and making it home in time for spring in Tampa!”

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JENNIFER GREEN, LIBERTY PARTNERS OF TALLAHASSEE

“I love to hit the ground running in the new year. A January start means better hair days (no humidity) and lower temperatures (less sweating while walking to the Capitol).”

“I would rather have session in March because my birthday always falls the last week of the session and that’s the best present ever (she said dripping with s arcasm…).”

“I’d go with whichever does not overlap with college spring break that year, for max

availability of babysitters

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“March! You can recover from the holidays . Doesn’t interfere with bowl or ski trips. When stuck for two months, might as well be during wedding season.

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