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.”
