INFLUENCE Magazine – Fall 2021 by Extensive Enterprises Media

The Southern Group Lobbying Firm of the Year

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Smith Bryan & Myers :: Nick Iarossi :: Matt Blair :: Eric Edwards John Holley :: Ashley Kalifeh :: Kelly Mallette :: Johnston & Stewart Behind the scenes on Sine Die

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PUBLISHER’S | NOTE

@PeterSchorschFL

Picking ourselves up

hy do we fall, sir?” Alfred Pennyworth rhetorically asks Bruce Wayne toward the end of “Batman Begins.” “So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.” After a devastating 2020, who could have predicted that 2021 would be a true annus horribilis. I don’t know many people who have not fallen down during these past 18 months of the pandemic. Certainly I have. Certainly my family has. My wife endured a non-COVID-19 health scare that took every bit of our strength to overcome. But we fall so we can learn to pick ourselves up. And that’s what we’ve done. And that’s what those in The Process have done, as well. It has not been easy, not by a long stretch, to be involved in state and local government. I don’t know if there has been a time in my lifetime when more has been expected of our elected officials. There also has been a lot expected of those in proximity to power. Kelly Cohen, the uber connected Orlando-based lobbyist, explained to me that while there is a limit to what those in the influence industry can do in response to a pandemic, there is an overwhelming demand for the connectivity and information possessed by the lobby corps. Cohen is a partner at The Southern Group, this year’s Golden Rotunda recipient for Lobbying Firm of the Year. One of the main rationales for awarding TSG this title is the firm’s response to the politics of the pandemic. It would have been very easy for TSG or any of the other Golden Rotunda winners to clutch their positions tightly and weather the pandemic.

“

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

Michelle, Peter, and Ella Schorsch, September 2021. But not The Southern Group. Nor any of the other 2021 Golden Rotunda winners, like Nick Iarossi or Matt Bryan. They are dominating the influence industry because in the current crisis they see an opportunity to help their clients navigate unprecedented times. Rather than contracting, they are expanding their business operations. The 2021 Golden Rotundas celebrate their efforts. Congratulations to all of the winners.

Peter Schorsch Publisher

Peter@FloridaPolitics.com

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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 October 2021, Extensive Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

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INFLUENCE MAGAZINE features

94 THE GOLDEN ROTUNDAS INFLUENCE Magazine honors the lobbying firms, organizations and individuals who excelled during a Session unlike any other in Florida’s history. Above: Oscar Braynon, David Browning, Rachel Cone, Brian Bautista, Sydney Ridley

74 Sine Die in Pictures

A behind-the-scenes photographic look at the Florida House on the last day of the 2021 Session.

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2021 FLORIDA CHAMBER ANNUAL MEETING & FUTURE OF FLORIDA FORUM MAGIC IS HAPPENING IN FLORIDA! JOIN US AS WE UNITE THE FLORIDA BUSINESS COMMUNITY FOR GOOD. OCTOBER 27 - 28, 2021 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando If you are interested in the future of Florida, don’t miss the opportunity to unite and attend our premier event of the year to discuss how business leaders are engaging in the Florida Chamber’s Six Pillars Framework and the 39 goals of the Florida 2030 Blueprint.

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74 152

53 50 All About the Benjamins What is the top lobbying firm in Florida? Check out our list of the state’s Top 25 advocacy shops.

60 The ‘New’ Florida Chamber

45 8

22 146 What I’ve Learned After more than 40 years covering politics in Florida’s capital city, Rick Flagg drops his mic to spend more time with his family and in his backyard.

With a successful navigation of pandemic challenges, a long-term plan in hand and new a revamped organizational chart, the Florida Chamber is looking forward to growing the Sunshine State’s economy.

On the Move Political Aficionado’s Guide

Briefings from the Rotunda

68 Making ‘the Best’ Even Better

Fourth Floor Files

As he ascends to the top job at Associated Industries of Florida, Brewster Bevis seeks to make Florida a national leader for businessrelated legislation.

Insiders Advice

The Big Question

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Aficionado’s Guide to ...

the Political GOOD READS

WRITING

The

STUFF

TECH

Trump Dump BY ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER

Readers are awash with books chronicling the tumultuous presidency of the 45th President of the United States

ibrarians take note: Now’s the time to free up some room on the 973.933 shelves, because a “tsunami of Trump tomes” is headed your way, according to Axios’ Mike Allen. He estimates 17 books currently are in the publishing pipeline about Donald Trump throughout the remainder of this year and into 2022. If past is prologue, each book will tease its contents by dropping little scooplets about this or that in the weeks before publication. The first wave of books dropped in July, with the appearance of “Landslide” by Michael Wolff and “Frankly We Did Win this Election” by Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender. They debuted at Nos. 2 and 3 on the New York Times Bestseller list (bookended on the nonfiction list by books written by Fox News hosts Mark Levin and Jesse Watters). Wolff’s book was his third about Trump, following “Fire and Fury” and “Siege.” Unlike most of the other authors providing autopsies on 45’s presidency, Wolff has no ties to mainstream media outlets and a reputation for sometimes playing a little fast and loose with his facts and at-

tribution. But it did have its share of revelations — Trump considering postponing the election because of the pandemic, for one — and critics praise its quick pace and readable prose. Bender had been teasing the contents of “Frankly We Did Win This Election” for six weeks before its release date. Over the course of 150 interviews and reviewing reams of documentation, “What struck me was how these senior people around Trump were worried that he was a danger to the country that he’d become violent in his desperate attempt to hold on to power,” the author said. One theme throughout the book was Bender’s chronicling of “Front Row Joes,” a group of Trump supporters who attended 50 or more of his campaign rallies. “They were mostly white, older, kind of (living) paycheck to paycheck with time on their hands to fill and a little lonely,” he said. “Some of them never had kids or were estranged from their families and Trump in a weird way enriched their lives, made their worlds bigger.” A week later, “I Alone Can Fix It,” by Pulitzer Prize winning reporters Phillip Rucker and Carole Leoning, hit the bookFall 2021

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stores and became an immediate bestseller. This well-respected duo from the Washington Post chronicled, as they put it in the subtitle, “Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year.” Clocking in at 500 pages, it’s not an easy read, but it is a fairly complete chronicle of what occurred during the tumultuous time. Three more recent books focus on the COVID crisis, but that story can’t be told without including the President who presided during the pandemic and was a victim of the virus himself. Check out “The Premonition: A Pandemic Story” by Michael Lewis, the prolific unveiler of the story behind the story in nonfiction such as “The Big Short” and “Moneyball.” Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright has written “The Plague Year,” which tells the complete story of the pandemic with precision and emotion. Bookshop.com calls “Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic that Changed History,” “the definitive account of the Trump administration’s tragic mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic,

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

and the chaos, incompetence, and craven politicization that has led to more than a half million American deaths and counting.” It was written by Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta. There’s no title yet for Maggie Haberman’s highly anticipated book, due out sometime in 2022. In addition to extensively covering Trump’s presidency — including a Pulitzer Prize for her work on a team that investigated his advisers and their Russia connections — the New York Times reporter has a long view and an enviable network of sources developed while covering Trump for more than 20 years. When announcing the deal, her publisher promised “an instant classic, a definitive and fascinating account of Donald Trump, his life and his presidency.” Despite what seems like the never-ending parade of books about Trump’s tumultuous presidency, he has a long way to go to surpass Abraham Lincoln’s record. The New York Society Library estimates 150,000 have been written about America’s 16th President.

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ATT DIXON

the Political

Aficionado’s Guide to ...

WRITING

n May 2020, POLITICO published a lengthy analysis of Florida Republicans with presidential aspirations for 2024. Donald Trump was still in the White House, and no one was challenging him. The magazine’s Florida bureau chief, Matt Dixon, had talked to 20 political veterans, many of whom had worked with Sen. Rick Scott, Gov. Ron DeSantis or both. “These insiders reveal that almost every story involving Florida’s statewide politicians is best understood by viewing it through the lens of the 2024 race,” Dixon wrote. Dixon compared the state’s GOP prospects to the early stages of a horse race, much too early to call apart from the identity of the three front-runners: Scott, DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio. “It just occurred to me that all of these large national Republicans called Florida home. (Donald) Trump now, DeSantis, Rick Scott in the Senate. And before some of his legal troubles, Matt Gaetz was rising fast. All these nationally known big-name, big-personality Republican figures here, so I thought it might be an opportunity to do a big project other than a story.” That project will soon be a book. Published by Little, Brown and Company and due out early in 2023, Dixon’s work promises to be a user’s manual no Florida political watcher should be without. That remains true regardless of the apparent winnowing that has taken place since the early months of the pandemic. “When I first started considering (the book), it was a somewhat level playing field with Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, DeSantis and Matt Gaetz,” Dixon said. “Since that time it’s kind of become DeSantis and everyone else.” A Wisconsin native, Dixon graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee before moving to Florida in 2008. His path included stops at The Villages Daily Sun, the Panama City News Herald and the Florida TimesUnion. He left the Naples Daily News in 2015 to join POLITICO, the year the blog began expanding its coverage to state politics.

With the dexterity of an airboat captain, Dixon has kept readers abreast of the latest trends in the political swamp. In August, he revealed the extent to which the Governor’s $40 million campaign war chest has been fattened by anti-lockdown politics. Two weeks later, he documented a drop in DeSantis’ poll numbers below 50% as COVID infection rates shot up. Dixon followed up in mid-September with a story that could render those losses moot, as Democrats appear to be running out of new voters to register at the worst possible time. From where Dixon sits, the state’s Republican mantle—and its most likely presidential hope—is still the Governor’s to lose. “DeSantis has become fluent in lib owning,” Dixon said. “And a lot of his policy priorities through the Legislative Session were very much focused on things that drive Democrats nuts and the conservative base loves— the transgender thing, and he’s starting to talk about critical race theory a lot. Basically all of the national conservative media talking points that get the attention of those audiences are the things that get distilled into DeSantis’ legislative priorities and are the things he governs on here. He reads the room well and he knows how to tap into that intensity.” As for any rumored tension or distancing between DeSantis and Trump? Don’t count on it. “I don’t really buy the idea that there is really any tension between the two at this time,” Dixon said. Trump is focused on defeating the

Fall 2021

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10 Republican members of Congress who voted to impeach him. Picking fights with DeSantis is not part of that. And stylistically, DeSantis is still tacking hard Trump.” It hasn’t been all work, of course. The same month Dixon’s story broke down Florida’s 2024 GOP hopefuls, the pandemic forced the cancellation of his May 30, 2020, wedding to Ana Ceballos, now a politics and policy reporter for the Miami Herald. The wedding finally took place this past June. The couple enjoys camping and kayaking North Florida’s springs, rivers and lagoons. Like the best tour guides, Dixon has developed a healthy respect for nature’s unknowns, including how one of the nation’s quirkiest swing states will next vote, starting with DeSantis’ reelection prospects in 2022. “It’s helpful to remember he only won by 35,000 votes,” Dixon said. “It’s a kind of different political moment now but it is still Florida and statewide, it’s very competitive. I think without question DeSantis is the prohibitive favorite at this moment in time, no matter who the Democrat is. But a lot of people have gone broke trying to predict Florida politics. I don’t intend to be one of them.”

Dixon’s forthcoming book is scheduled to publish in early 2023.

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the Political

Aficionado’s Guide to ...

STUFF

Go, Go Hard work and dedication are staples for success, but having the right gadgets and gizmos — whether it’s to make work more

Stay Fit On The Go

efficient or to keep your mind,

Hitting the gym can be hard when The Process gets into full swing, but thanks to technology, staying fit doesn’t have to require a ton of time. These gadgets help keep you on track without messing with your daily schedule.

doesn’t hurt. From high-tech or-

body and soul in the game —

With this subscription service, users have access to 11 workout types including HIIT, Pilates, strength training, yoga, and even walking. The app, which can be used with an Apple Watch and is available on iPhones and iPads, helps users stay motivated with real-time metrics including heart rate on screen. Latest workouts include 20-minute cycling workouts with Kym Perfetto set to a hip-hop playlist and pilates with Darryl Whiting, a former running back for the Fordham University Rams, set to a dance music playlist to focus on your glutes and hips.

More Peloton?

The Peloton rocked the world of home cycling when it first launched in 2014, later adding a treadmill to its catalog of home workouts. The instructor-led videos allow riders to fit workouts into their day without having to sweat it out in a gym on a strict schedule. Now, rumors are the company is looking to add boxing and rowing to its repertoire. In the meantime, competitors are already on the market.

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

there’s not much you can’t find to check all those boxes. Here are some of the latest to stay fit and keep on top of your day.

Apple Fitness+

ganizational tools to home gyms,

Hydrow

Check out Hydrow’s similarly immersive machine that simulates being in the water. With a 22-inch touch screen display and front-facing speakers, the machine lets rowers take their workout just about anywhere. The fit-for-home design allows users to store the machine upright to save space, and its wheel system makes moving it from room to room a breeze, not a part of the workout.

Cubii under-desk elliptical

Don’t have time to pull the Peloton out? No worries. Cubii has created an under-desk elliptical designed to keep you moving even while you sit. The design provides a whisper-quiet workout that won’t disturb your office mates or Zoom meeting participants. With some models clocking in at less than $300, it’s also a cheap way to stay fit even with a busy lifestyle.

Fitbit Charge 5

The new Fitbit includes tools to track daily readiness, manage stress, measure heart health and staples like its go-to health metrics and built-in GPS. The daily readiness score tells you whether you’re ready to workout or should prioritize recovery while a daily stress management score measures how exercise, mindfulness and sleep help manage stress. And with Will Smith backing the new product who wouldn’t want to get on board?

Nexersys home boxing

Nothing gets the stress out like throwing a solid punch, and with Nexersys’ suite of home boxing machines, you can enjoy an interactive workout from the home or office. Anatomically accurate punch pads measure punches while a flat screen delivers workout routines for all skill levels. Products include traditional boxing, a kickboxing variety and even one for youngsters.

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Keep Connected COVID-19 delivered many blows, but it also taught some valuable lessons about working in a digital world. With these new cultures comes the need to stay connected in all new ways, and the tech world is responding with these must-have new gadgets and some reboots of old staples.

New Apple Watch

Apple’s Series 7 line of watches includes five new colors — green, blue, red, starlight and midnight — with its biggest screen yet. But the bigger screen doesn’t mean a bulkier watch. Apple re-engineered the screen to reduce borders by 40%, increasing the screen size from its previous Series 6 by 20% and 50% larger than its Series 3. The new watch also includes an always-on Retina display for crisper images, a smooth design and a more durable wear. And it has all the features Apple Watch lovers have come to expect, including health information, notifications, calendars, apps and new, faster charging.

Magical calendar app

This start-up app is coming, though it’s not clear exactly when. The app, which has raised $3.3 million for production so far, aims to reimagine the calendar experience from one of merely personal time management to a team collaboration tool. You can sign up for early access at Magical’s website, magicalhq.com.

Office Gadget Must-Have

Ticktime countdown timer

Trio portable dual and triple screen laptop monitor

Trio and Trio Max fit just about any laptop to optimize viewing capabilities in dual or tri-screen. The portable design allows multiscreen functionality on-the-go and eliminates the need for more traditional home or in-office set-ups. The screens range from about $250 for the dual screen option to about $500 for tri-screen. 20

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

Whether you’re counting down the time until your next meeting, Legislative Session or the next election, this productivity gadget provides three ways to count time, with a style that looks good on the desk. It includes options for a preset countdown, a customized countdown and a start to count, which can time upward from 0 to just under 100 minutes.

Gazepad Pro wireless charging mouse pad

Coming in at less than $50 on Amazon, this mousepad doubles as the basic office staple and a wireless charger. The large design has plenty of room for mouse operation and a large smartphone and is compatible with most devices. It’s a sleek way to ditch some cords without losing any charging function.

Eric Johnson, President 75 NE 20th Street Wilton Manors, FL 33305

(202) 306-6046 Johnsonstrategies.net Fall 2021

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TECH

A whole new Vū BY JANELLE IRWIN TAYLOR

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

n the 1940s, as World War II threatened professional baseball and put ballparks on the chopping block, Philip K. Wrigley had an idea. Why not field teams of women? It worked, and birthed the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, later the inspiration for the ‘90s classic, “A League of Their Own.” Much like that, the film industry faced crippling challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic that temporarily suspended productions worldwide. And it was a Florida company largely leading the charge to bridge the gap, in a way that will likely forever reshape cinematography. Tim Moore is CEO of Tampa-based Diamond View Studios and, now, Vū, a cutting edge offshoot that utilizes LED walls to produce content from a single studio of

scenes from virtually anywhere. The studios serve as an alternative to green-screen technology, which uses, as the name suggests, a green screen to superimpose actors into various scenes without them being there. But unlike green screens, LED walls can capture video in real time that is virtually indistinguishable from a real scene — whether it’s a commercial shot of a luxury car on the autobahn or an actor scaling Mount Everest. The walls are giant screens that show various backgrounds and can be used to film in real-time, with a simplified editing process that captures all of the benefits of green screen without all the time needed to merge the actor into the background with special effects.

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Top: Vū’s virtual production studio uses giant LED screens to project panoramic images of locations, which replace green screen technology. Left: LED Walls allow fewer staff to capture images and bring them back to a high-tech studio, saving potentially millions in overhead costs. Right: The editing process under LED Wall technology allows footage to be edited in all new ways and may be the future of film.

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

“This represents a paradigm shift in the industry,” Moore said. “When digital hit distribution, you saw that Netflix took off and Blockbuster tanked.” Now that’s happening in production, too. “What’s going to happen is traditional studios will become inferior to these digital studios,” Moore said, and Florida is at the epicenter of the opportunity to take over.

CAPITALIZING ON OPPORTUNITY

The technology behind LED walls for video production hit around February of last year, Moore said. The next month, cities began shutting down to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the pandemic took hold in the U.S. and around the world. With California — the epicenter of the film industry — under some of the strictest lockdowns in the country, productions were put on hold. One example is the NBC crime drama “The Blacklist,” which like so many others, was forced to halt production amid the pandemic. So producers got creative, finishing the final episode of its seventh season, which had been nearly complete when the studio suddenly shuttered, with animated scenes juxtaposed with live action shots that had already been filmed. While that out-of-the-box quick thinking allowed producers to finish the season

with a graphic novel kind of feel, it was by no means a long-term solution. Others found that LED walls afforded the opportunity to not only meet production demands in a COVID-19 world but also allowed studios to cut costs. Instead of using huge production teams to shoot onsite at distant locations, LED walls allow much smaller teams to deploy to an area, capture environments digitally and then bring them back to a studio. “Producers are always chasing the bottom line,” Moore said. “This tech can reduce costs up to 70%.” The space isn’t cheap. Moore said using an LED wall studio runs about $30,000 a day, compared with $1,500 to $2,500 for traditional studio space. But it saves much more in other areas. As Moore noted, the cost to shut down the Howard Frankland Bridge for a shoot can be as much as $2 million. With LED wall technology, that cost is no longer needed. Likewise, he said the White House is constantly being recreated on sets, only to be torn down and rebuilt later. Now, digital images of the White House can be used over and over, without having to absorb the cost of building a set. Crew sizes are smaller, too. So as far as overhead, producers can see a major reduction in overall costs.

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And now that the technology is here — not to mention getting better by the day — it’s not going anywhere. Moore likened the emerging trend to 2007, when some production studios shifted to using digital cameras rather than tape-based. “When it got good, no one ever went back,” Moore said, adding that those who took that first leap were at a huge advantage over those who didn’t. And that’s where his new company comes in.

FLORIDA GOT A BOOST FROM THE GOVERNOR Top left: Vū has so far produced several commercials and has been featured on national television programming. Bottom left: LED Wall studios are a big time operation. Vū’s Tampa studio took over an entire shuttered department store. Top right: Welcome to Vū: Rather than sending large production teams to on-site filming, LED Walls allow the images to come directly into the studio, without sacrificing visual quality. Bottom right: LED Walls, much like green screens, can simulate motion and give as-if-you-werethere vantage points of grand scenes — Whether it’s a vast mountain range or the peak of Mount Everest.

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

While much of the country remained under at least some level of lockdown, Florida quickly reopened, giving the state a 12-month head start on launching LED wall production technology, Moore said. Gov. Ron DeSantis faced heaps of criticism for his approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, with critics arguing he should have done more to protect Floridians. But he maintained a strict anti-lockdown approach beginning last April. DeSantis cited the need to keep the economy rolling. The film industry may emerge as one of the biggest winners of that approach in Florida. Moore looks to Disney for evidence. The happiest place on earth has two U.S. locations, one in California and one in Florida. “Anaheim was so affected, they’ve now

brought a significant part of their workforce to Orlando,” he said. Moore calls it the Matthew effect. “It comes from a verse in the Bible. It’s cumulative advantage. If you are the first mover in a market and then you get business and then advertising, newcomers are so far behind it begins to snowball,” he said. That’s a space Moore hopes to fill with his emerging LED wall endeavors.

GROWING FAST Vū took over a shuttered department store in University Mall to create a 35,000-square-foot production campus with a 100-foot-by-20-foot curved LED wall. There, the company shot high-tech commercials for Jeep and Mercedes Benz, which played during the Super Bowl in Tampa, and a 21 Pilots music video. The company’s work has since been featured in USA Today. Vū has opened eight studios in Florida so far and one in Toronto. It also launched partnerships with the University of South Florida, the University of Tampa and Florida State University to serve as a training ground for new tech, with commitments to donate about $5 million to state universities and colleges to help build the future workforce to continue growing. It gifted its own patented technology to USF and UT to further build the workforce. Vū is now the largest producer of LED studios in North America.

HELPING FLORIDA OVERCOME ITS INCENTIVE PROBLEM For years, Florida has faced a major problem in the film industry — incentives. Simply put, the state doesn’t have them. It means television shows, movies and commercials set in Florida are sometimes shot in other states, most recently in Georgia, where sets are erected to look like Florida even though the real deal is only a couple hundred miles to the south. “Live By Night,” a big-budget Hollywood film starring Ben Affleck, was filmed in Brunswick, Georgia, in 2015 and not in Ybor City where the film was set. It’s because Georgia, which has no cap on its film incentives, was able to offer up to 30% in incentives to shoot in their state. Florida, as is usually the case, had nothing to offer. Instead, a fake Ybor City was erected. But six years later, that problem might not be such a big deal. Incentives typically run about 20% of total costs, while LED studios

can save producers as much as 70%. So even without an incentive, there’s still a bottom line win if Florida can maintain its advantage in the new LED space. “These studios are emerging by the dozens in Florida,” Moore said. “It could shake things up and put Florida in play.” That will be welcome news to lawmakers in Florida who have long been split over the incentives issue, some within their own political parties. Republicans, who dominate the state Legislature, frequently debate whether to fully fund the state’s now defunct film incentive program. Lawmakers in 2010 stocked the program with nearly $300 million. By 2012, the cash was gone, and in 2016, lawmakers allowed the program to sunset. Critics argue the state doesn’t see a return on investment from film incentives. One estimate showed the state recouped less than half the total $296 million paid out for incentives. Those who support incentives, however, say the estimates ignore private spending. Film Florida Executive Director John Lux told the Tampa Bay Times in 2017 the Tampa Bay area would have received about $30 million from the “Live By Night” production in addition to creating thousands of jobs. If Moore has his way — though he notes incentives still would help — Florida could reap the fiscal benefits of film production even if it doesn’t have to foot the bill for incentives. “There’s such a big opportunity for Florida to become a mover and shaker in this video realm,” Moore said. “One of the big advantages is we have three patents around this country and we’re right here in Florida. Obviously the tax incentives would help with that, but we could really become what Atlanta did to Hollywood.”

Fall 2021

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Thank you, Doctors!

The FMA is proud to represent Florida’s heroic physicians, who are serving tirelessly at the epicenter of a global crisis to protect the public health. We thank them for their dedication to patients in times of uncertainty, joy, sorrow, and every moment in between. Learn more at www.FLmedical.org 30

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Briefings from the Rotunda

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Father, daughter duo tapped for jobs in Biden administration

ook out, Washington. The Williams family is coming. Alan Williams was recently tapped for a key role at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The former member of the Florida House of Representatives will serve as the deputy assistant secretary for intergovernmental relations in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations. Not to be outdone by her father, Adrianna Williams landed an appointment as a special assistant within the Office of Management at the U.S. Department of Energy. Alan Williams served in the Florida Legislature from 2008 to 2016. During his time in the House, he chaired the Florida Legislative Black Caucus and worked as House Democratic Whip from 2012 to 2016. Since 2017, he has worked as a government relations consultant for Meenan Regulatory and Legislative Attorneys. During his political career, Alan Williams served as the Secretary of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and a member of the White House Legislators Working Group on Middle Class Economics. In 2014, he was named National Legislator of the Year by the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. The elder Williams has also served on a variety of advisory boards, including Leadership Florida, Leadership Tallahassee, the Bethel Community Development Corporation Board of Directors and the Leon County Chapter of the FAMU National Alumni Association. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Florida A&M University. Both father and daughter were engaged in the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign, with Alan Williams serving as a coordinated coalition strategic adviser in Florida. Adrianna Williams served as national co-chair for Black Students for Biden and was a leader of National Students for Biden. In these roles, she educated young Americans about climate change, environmental justice and infrastructure reform. Before joining the Biden administration, she served a stint as an intern for North Carolina District 20 State Sen. Natalie Murdock. Adrianna Williams is a Duke University graduate, where she studied neuroscience.

Fall 2021

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Briefings from the Rotunda

Dean Mead selects new government affairs head, expands practice

here’s a new woman in charge of Dean Mead’s government relations and lobbying practice. The powerhouse firm has tapped Jennifer Ungru to lead the practice, succeeding Pete Dunbar in the role. Ungru is the first woman to serve in this capacity at the firm. Ungru brings nearly 20 years of political, policy and governmental experience to the role, serving in several high-profile roles in the Governor’s Office, Florida Legislature, and national and statewide campaigns. Ungru previously served as then-Gov. Rick Scott’s chief of staff, overseeing nine agencies, including the health care and public safety departments. She also served a tenure as the chief of staff for the Agency for Health Care Administration. Ungru received her bachelor’s degree from Loyola College of Maryland and a law degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus. In addition to Ungru’s appointment, the firm also announced Emily Duda Buckley and Timothy Riley would be joining the firm. Duda Buckley will serve as the firm’s government relations manager. Before joining Dean Mead, she served as the director of legislative affairs for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Her public sector work also includes time in the Executive Office of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget and the Florida House of Representatives. Riley brings a broad-based environmental law practice to the firm. With clients primarily in the manufacturing and public utilities industries, Riley aims to use his real-world knowledge to help clients through all phases of a project’s development. He also serves as an officer and judge advocate in the Florida Army National Guard.

Above: Emily Duda Buckley and Jennifer Ungru Below: Timothy Riley

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Briefings from the Rotunda

Wright joins The Able Trust

onna Wright doesn’t grade papers anymore, but she is still a teacher. Her classroom is the state of Florida, her students the companies that want to improve their access to people with disabilities. As Director of Development and Marketing for The Able Trust, she educates business leaders on the most neglected sector of our population, a service gap that exists in part because we do not see them. Wright is also a perennial learner, a voracious consumer of information. She has stayed up late and worked weekends, and put full-time hours into allegedly part-time jobs because she wanted the work done correctly. She expends the same kind of energy supporting her children’s sporting events, her new home in Tallahassee or the vegetables she grows in the backyard. There is no off switch. She cited a verse from First Thessalonians to sum up the total endeavor: “Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.” “That’s all I’ve ever known and all I’ve ever believed,” Wright said. She speaks in crystal clear sentences that become paragraphs, the paragraphs joining into themes, the themes into lessons on disability — a condition, she argues, that better describes accessibility gaps to hidden millions among us than within the people themselves. “You probably won’t realize that one in four individuals have some sort of visible or invisible disability,” Wright said, the latter including chronic pain or dizziness, mental illness and epilepsy, a long list that encompasses 70% of the disability spectrum. “So that’s over 5 million Floridians and a billion and a half across the globe. From a business standpoint, some of your best customers, some of your best suppliers probably have interactions with persons with disabilities.” People with disabilities have had a hard time getting recognized despite those numbers, even despite landmark legislation modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Americans with Disabilities Act, enacted under President George Bush in 1990, required schools and workplaces to have ramps, elevators, curb cuts and a range of accommodations for those with visual or hearing impairments. More than 30 years later, most public buses now have wheelchair lifts, children with disabilities attend schools alongside nondisabled peers and we have access to a wider range of telecommunications devices. Yet in 2020, 12.6% of disabled people were unemployed while the unemployment rate overall stood at 7.3%, and twice as many people with disabilities live in poverty as the nondisabled, according to the National Council on Disabilities. “Incredibly important equity and inclusion conversations are happening around the country right now, as they should be,” Wright said. “But if you think about it, disability inclusion often takes a back seat to racial inequities, and to gender or sexual orientation. We are really trying to insert ourselves into the diversity, equity and inclusion conversations because it really deserves a seat at that table.” Donna Hicks grew up in Roxboro, North Carolina, where she enjoyed helping her great-aunt, a teacher, decorate her fourthgrade classrooms for the fall. She graduated from Meredith College, where she met her future husband, Baker Wright, who was 34

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

on his way to a doctorate in behavioral psychology. She went on to earn a master’s degree at Florida State University in special education. Her first student, a 12-year-old named Derek, had suffered a stroke at birth. He contended with seizures, then an operation to remove the brain tissue that had caused them. His cerebral palsy led school authorities to place him in increasingly restrictive classes rather than toward assimilation. “This is a student nobody expected to graduate,” Wright says. Wright got to know the boy and his family. At certain key junctures in the ensuing years, she spoke up on his behalf. “Not only did Derek mainstream out of my class, he graduated high school, he graduated college and he has an incredible career in IT,” she said. She regards that ongoing relationship as a guiding example, a North Star — her “true why” — for pushing herself and her students to break barriers. Wright left teaching to raise a son, then a daughter. She volunteered heavily, serving on the boards of the Red Cross, the American Lung Association and as President of Heart Gallery Big Bend, which seeks permanent homes for children who have spent years in foster care. Five years after teaching, Goodwill hired her as a spokeswoman. The state’s Department of Economic Opportunity came calling next, needing a leader. Wright headed the Unique Abilities Partnership Program, a new initiative. For several years, she traveled the state with Gov. Rick Scott, who had campaigned on jobs, pitching corporations on disability awareness. Their emphasis differed somewhat from the legacy of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which has been criticized as a fallback option for underperforming employees, a haven for plaintiff’s lawyers pursuing settlements, even a “shakedown racket,” according to opinion pieces by lawyers in the City Journal. “I can’t take credit for this, Gov. Scott, now Sen. Scott, used to say this all the time,” Wright said. “But I believe the best thing that you can do for any person is to help them get a job regardless of their age, disability level, the color of their skin or whether they like pizza or hamburgers,” Wright said. “It doesn’t matter.” Toward the end of Scott’s second term, she accepted a position as Chief Operating Officer of the Florida Chamber Foundation. A lasting imprint of that experience, Wright said, was cultivating “a bird’s eye view, seeing how economic development, innovation, things like quality of life and education all impact one another.” One key relationship paved the way for yet another transition. Tony Carvajal, the foundation’s Executive Vice President and a mentor, moved in 2019 to The Able Trust, which advocates for education and employment for people with disabilities. In April 2021, Allison Chase, president and CEO of Able Trust, hired Wright at his recommendation as the nonprofit’s director of development and marketing. She has attacked the new challenges with characteristic gusto, working until the job is finished regardless of the clock or calendar. “I do not believe in the notion that business is just business, that it isn’t personal. There are lives and livelihoods that are impacted by business. So I don’t do anything that I don’t care about on a personal level. So a job has never been just a job for me. It’s about the opportunity to create and to learn and to grow.”

"If you don't get serious about your money, you will never have serious money." -Grant Cardone

850.980.0421 ASHLEY@ROSSCONSULT.NET

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Briefings from the Rotunda

King promoted to partner at RSA Consulting

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

n the early 2000s, California seemed like a costly paradise to Natalie King, its bitter politics no longer inviting, her job a casualty of NAFTA. So the product of a military family did what she always did. She relied on her internal compass. Sometimes that meant sticking to the plan, such as plugging away at a college degree over nine years while working full-time. At other times she took big leaps, such as leaving California for Hawaii. “I thought I wanted to move out there,” King said of the move that landed her at Communications Pacific, Hawaii’s oldest public relations firm. “I got there and realized that was wrong. And so the person I was with at the time — we were together nine years — he had a brother who lived in Florida. He thought it would be a good idea to move here and it was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” Today King is the Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of RSA Consulting Group. In retrospect, it was a journey too perfect to have been planned. She tells the story easily, her speech rapid and clear. As a newcomer to Tampa in 2004, she connected with seven temp agencies. One was so impressed, they dropped the traditional third-party posture and tried to hire King directly. “It was just one of those coincidences in life,” she said. “I was in their office, which was on the same floor of the building where the Tampa Bay Partnership had their office. They were having a big meeting that day with

Briefings from the Rotunda key business leaders and elected officials. And while I was sitting in the hiring manager’s office, a call from the partnership came in. Their receptionist for the meeting had called in sick. “She said, ‘Can you hop over there? Just do this for today.’ I said sure. It was the best spontaneous thing that’s ever happened to me.” As the stakeholders checked in at her table, King noted their names and the roles each played as interlocking puzzle pieces in the Tampa Bay landscape. “It was the Rhea Laws, the Kim Berfields, the Dewey Mitchells, the Roy McGraws,” she said. “I don’t know anybody and I’m sitting there meeting them all.” Ideas about the area as a nerve center of the state struck home in myriad ways. “That first day, I realized how rich this community is,” she said. “It’s a small town but a big dynamic place to live, work and play. I’m like a walking billboard for the EDC or the Chamber. I just saw the vision. It was like, ‘Oh my god, this is awesome, I have to be here.’” King soon joined the Tampa Bay Partnership. She spent the next three years immersed in policy and legislation around water, energy, ports and airports, health care, K-12 and higher education, tort reform and growth management over eight counties. In the public policy committee, she met Tom Pepin, the President and CEO of Pepin Distributing Company and a well known philanthropist. Over time, Pepin began to see King as a potential key player in the family business and related nonprofits, Pepin Academies and what is now known as AdventHealth Pepin Heart Institute. The “community development” position she accepted in 2007 drew on King’s human resources and marketing backgrounds, a hybrid spokeswoman and chief of staff post also involved in philanthropic activities. “He let me make hard decisions and backed me up when I needed backup,” King said of Pepin. “He called me out when I needed to be called out. He’s the hardest boss I’ve ever worked for but also the most generous, the most supportive. I can’t express strongly enough how critical he has been to my success.” The Pepin post brought her in and around legislative affairs but fell short of full-time lobbying work, which was something she wanted. She found it with RSA Consulting, a small firm King joined in 2011. As with other big moves, this one also grew organically out of a relation-

ship. King’s work with Pepin sometimes brought her into the orbit of the Tampa Bay Lightning and its top lobbyist, Ron Pierce, with whom she organized the occasional fundraiser. When Pierce, a former legislative adviser in Tallahassee, founded RSA Consulting in 2009, she lent him marketing and PR help. “When Ron started RSA,” she said, “I joked, ‘Well, you’re going to have to grow this company big enough to hire me.’ And about six months later he called me. He said, ‘Were you serious?’” King joined RSA as its community relations leader, striking an agreement on the way out the door to retain Pepin Distributing as a lobbying client and to keep serving as the company’s community liaison. RSA’s 70-plus clients include hospitals and schools, developers and local government, arts organizations, professional sports teams and tech companies. Her role as Vice President and COO didn’t change with the advent of

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COVID-19. The pandemic did prompt Pierce and King to grow her title by one notable word: partner. “I care nothing about titles,” she said. ”That’s one of the ironies of this. Rounding out the legislative team are Edward Briggs, who directs community and governmental affairs, and senior lobbyist Kaitlyn Bailey. Briggs “is going to be one of the best lobbyists ever in existence, he just doesn’t know it yet,” King said; while Bailey is “just so smart … an overachiever on every level.” While that 4,700-mile move to Florida ranks as one of the best decisions she had ever made, it’s not the best. That distinction rests with her marriage to yacht captain Mikel King. They lived on a boat for four years but now make their home in Seffner, a semirural bedroom community 20 minutes from Tampa International Airport. She’s more bullish than ever on the Tampa Bay area, a one-time destination of chance that now feels like destiny.

HEAR THE STORIES BEHIND THE POLITICS.

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Fall 2021

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Briefings from the Rotunda

Former Florida Solicitor General Amit Agarwal Joins Holland & Knight

olland & Knight has brought on Amit Agarwal as a partner in its Tallahassee and Washington offices, boosting the firm’s federal and state litigation practices. “Amit is a brilliant lawyer and advocate whose impressive achievements in the public sector bode well for success in private practice at Holland & Knight,” said Christopher Kelly, the head of Holland & Knight’s Litigation Section. “He will, without question, be an incredible asset to Holland & Knight’s Litigation Section and clients, as well as the firm’s regulatory and government affairs practices, which are well known in Washington, D.C., and across the country.” Agarwal grew up in South Florida and is a graduate of Duke University, where he earned a degree in English. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University, graduating magna cum laude and serving as Editor-in-Chief of the American Criminal Law Review. Most recently, he worked as Florida’s solicitor general from 2016 to 2021, a stretch covering the administrations of former Attorney General Pam Bondi and current Attorney General Ashley Moody. In that role, he oversaw civil and criminal appeals involving the state’s interests in all state and federal appellate courts. Before becoming Florida’s solicitor general, Agarwal served as the deputy chief of the Appellate Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

Southern District of Florida, during which time he worked with Wifredo “Willy” Ferrer, the chair of Holland & Knight’s Global Compliance and Investigations Team and the executive partner of the firm’s Miami office. “At the U.S. Attorney’s office, Amit stood out among his peers because of his professionalism, dedication, unparalleled legal research, writing and oral skills, and leadership. Holland & Knight’s clients will absolutely benefit from having a powerhouse lawyer like Amit on their team,” Ferrer said. Agarwal’s resume also includes a trio of prestigious legal clerkships, including under U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and Judge Edward Becker of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia. “Holland & Knight’s outstanding reputation in both Florida and Washington, D.C., was a major factor in my decision to join the firm,” Agarwal said. “Similarly, the firm’s expansive litigation department, including its first-rate State Attorneys General and Global Investigations practices, convinced me that this was the ideal place to continue my career.” At Holland & Knight, he joins a team with a global reach — the firm has more than two dozen offices worldwide and employs more than 1,400 lawyers with practices in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law.

Briefings from the Rotunda

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Berger Singerman add father-son team to roster

he Stratton family has found a home at Berger Singerman. The business law firm announced Charles Stratton and Joshua Stratton have joined the firm as partners in the dispute resolution team. The father-son duo brings decades of experience to the firm’s eminent domain practice and will focus their practice on representing private property owners and lessees in eminent domain and other related matters. “Charlie and Josh Stratton are two of Florida’s most distinguished eminent domain practitioners whose passion for defending the rights of property owners and lessees is a perfect match for Berger Singerman’s focus on representing entrepreneurs and their businesses,” said Paul Steven Singerman, co-chair of Berger Singerman. “They exemplify our commitment to recruiting and retaining culturally compatible top legal talent.” Charles Stratton brings nearly 40 years of eminent domain expertise to the practice. He began his career at the Florida Department of Transportation, becoming the state’s chief eminent domain attorney. He entered private practice, joining Nelson Mullins Broad and Cassel in Tallahassee, where he focused his practice on representing property owners affected by eminent domain and related proceedings. Charles Stratton received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and his law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Joshua Stratton also specializes in eminent domain matters, representing private property owners and lessees around Florida, practicing at Nelson Mullins Broad and Cassel before joining Berger Singerman. He received his bachelor’s from Brandeis University, his law degree from Rutgers University, and his LL.M in intellectual property, commerce and technology from the Franklin Pierce Law Center.

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Briefings from the Rotunda

Baird, Phillips join Consensus Communications

his has been a year of growth at Consensus Communications, which added two new team members to its ranks in June. Joining the Orlando-based public relations firm were Trent Phillips and Margaret Baird, both of whom will help develop client strategy and communications. Phillips comes to the firm from the Florida Senate Majority Office, where he served as a legislative analyst, advising members of the Republican caucus on policy, strategy and communications. He has also worked as a legislative assistant to Sen. Jeff Brandes and Rep. James Grant. “Trent brings a unique blend of communications, legislative and political experience to our team,” said Ryan Houck, a partner with Consensus. “His work for the Senate Majority Office and noted GOP lawmakers will help our clients shape the message, develop content, and pair new tactics with time-tested strategies.” A native of Orlando, Phillips graduated from the University of Central Flori40

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da with a degree in political science. In 2016, He was named one of Florida Politics’ “30 Under 30” rising stars. “No one does creative or communications better than Consensus,” said Phillips, who joins the firm as a director. “I’m excited to join this exceptional team, work in this collaborative climate, and create communications that help our clients succeed.” Baird, meanwhile, most recently worked at Tavistock Development Company, where she served as a marketing coordinator and took the lead on marketing and communications for the Lake Nona Life Project longitudinal health study. At Tavistock, she developed social media strategies for all of Lake Nona’s social media channels, implemented digital and print residential marketing strategies and produced residential communications strategies by way of email campaigns, social media and event promotion. “Margaret brings a refreshing perspective of public relations and mar-

keting tactics to our team,” Consensus partner Dana Loncar said. “Her prior experience will help provide our clients with innovative ideas for content development and communication strategies.” Baird, who is from St. Pete Beach, also attended UCF, where she earned her degree in advertising and public relations with honors. “Joining the Consensus team and its storied history is very exciting, and I look forward to bringing my knowledge of the very latest technology and tactics to bear for our clients,” said Baird, who joins the firm as an account manager. The new hires were announced on the heels of the firm’s hardware-heavy awards season, which included five Pollies, four Reed Awards and 11 Tellies. Consensus Communications manages strategic communications for a range of corporate, political and civic clients across Florida. The firm is especially active in Central Florida and has topped the Orlando Business Journal’s list of leading public relations firms seven times in the past decade.

Telling your story

Is part of our story From government relations to strategic communications, business development, and community affairs, we've built a team that's changing the conversation. Krista Landers Communications Coordinator

@RSAConsulting #TeamRSA

Ron Pierce Natalie King Edward Briggs Kaitlyn Bailey Owen Melody Arnold

LEGISLATIVE, LOBBYING AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS With over 85 years of combined experience representing clients before the Florida Legislative and Executive branches, LLW’s Legislative team zealously advocates for our clients throughout the state, helping them navigate through the governmental and regulatory processes.

For more information, contact Lori E. H. Killinger

850.222.5702 lkillinger@llw-law.com 315 South Calhoun Street, Suite 830, Tallahassee, FL 32301

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Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A. is a statewide law firm with 31 attorneys and 25 years of experience practicing in the areas of legislative, lobbying and governmental affairs, pension and bond counsel, environmental, transportation and infrastructure, land use, real estate and litigation. LLW’s team has experience assisting special districts and local governments as general counsel, special counsel and lobbyists. For more detailed information on our qualifications, visit our website at www.llw-law.com.

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Briefings from the Rotunda

Jasmyne Henderson expands Pittman brand to Orlando

he Pittman Law Group is expanding into the Orlando market with a new office headed by Jasmyne Henderson. “As our firm celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, we are excited about growing our presence in the Central Florida market as we continue striving to represent our clients to the absolute best of our ability,” founder and managing partner Sean Pittman said. He added that Henderson is “ready and prepared to lead” and has proved “invaluable to the firm” during her tenure. “The firm’s expansion to Orlando to serve and engage a growing list of clients is incredibly exciting, but Jasmyne’s added work ethic, leadership and commitment to success will make it extremely special,” Pittman said. The lawyer and Florida State University College of Law alumna will be leaving her longtime position as director of the firm’s governmental affairs team in Tallahassee to open and manage the new office. “I’m honored to lead this next era of expansion to the Pittman Law Group. The I-4 corridor is the heartbeat of Florida, so it is a logical next step for me personally and the Pittman Law Group to establish a strong presence in Orlando,” she said. “I look forward to serving clients in and around the City Beautiful and setting a foundation for the next 20 years of excellence.” Henderson had a fast ascent at the Pittman Law Group. She was immediately promoted from law clerk to lawyer after graduating from law school in 2015. In the six years since, Henderson has become a state Capitol insider and a trusted attorney to many. She was included in the National Bar Association’s class of 40 under 40: Nation’s Best Advocates and has been recognized as a

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Rising Star of Florida Politics in a past edition of INFLUENCE magazine. After announcing Henderson’s shift to the Orlando market, the firm followed up with a new hire at the Tallahassee office. The new face on the government affairs team is Evan Steinberg, a 2020 FSU graduate with experience across all levels of state government. In addition to his experience as a staffer in the Senate

and the Broward County Commission, he — like Pittman — is a former FSU student body president. Founded in 2001, the Pittman Law Group is a boutique law and lobbying firm that represents a diverse set of clients ranging from local governments such as Miami-Dade and Broward counties to major corporations such as Uber and AT&T.

Fall 2021

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INFLUENCE Fall 2021

FOURTH FLOOR>FILES USING THE GOLDEN RULE AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR GOOD Significant other? Children? Grand kids? Wife, Leslie, and two daughters, ages 6 and 9. In 25 words or less, explain what you do. I advocate for the best university in the country – Florida State University! Go Noles! Without using the words Democrat, Independent or Republican, conservative or liberal, describe your political persuasion. Government operating within its constitutional limits. If you have one, what is your motto? It is hard to beat the Golden Rule. During your career, have you had a favorite pro bono client? Being “InHouse” hasn’t afforded me the chance to do this.

Who is your favorite Florida Capitol Press Corps reporter and why? To quote the character Michael Bolton from the movie “Office Space” when asked which of the singer Michael Bolton’s songs is his favorite, “I guess I sort of like ‘em all.” Other than Florida Politics. com, your reading list includes… Lately there have been a lot of books about Fairies and Wimpy Kids with the girls, but I’m looking forward to some more grown up books over the summer. What swear word do you use most often? I’m working on this.

Three favorite charities. So many noble organizations to choose from but if I have to pick three I’ll start with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Pace Center for Girls, and Take Stock in Children.

What is your most treasured possession? My National Championship Ring. It reminds me of what can be accomplished with true teamwork.

Any last-day-of-Session traditions? A quiet dinner with the family after Sine Die.

The best hotel in Florida is… The Port Inn in Port St. Joe.

What are you most looking forward to during the 2022 Legislative Session? Seeing the Capitol full of people again.

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? Jim Rimes, Randy Enwright, Todd Thomson, and Peter Schorsch.

If you could have another lobbyist’s client list, it would be… I couldn’t top the one I have! Professional accomplishment of which you are most proud? My work to help active-duty members of the military transition to professional civilian careers in Florida while I was a member of the House of Representatives.

When you pig out, what do you eat? My tops would be anything on the menu at Smokey’s Real Pit Bar-B-Que or a burger from Blue Dot. If you could have dinner with a historical figure no longer living, who would it be? Sir Winston Churchill

Clay Ingram

PHOTO: The Workmans

Lobbyists are often accused of wearing Gucci loafers; do you own a pair of Gucci loafers? If not, why not? I do not — saving to send my kids to college!

Favorite movie. “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”

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FOURTH FLOOR>FILES ADVOCATING WITH SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST MINDS IN THE BUSINESS

In 25 words or less, explain what you do. I build relationships, educate, and advocate, on behalf of our amazing clients, for the best lobbying firm in Florida, Johnston & Stewart Government Strategies. Without using the words Democrat, Independent or Republican, conservative or liberal, describe your political persuasion Somewhere in the middle. If you have one, what is your motto? It’s a beautiful day, and it’s great to be alive. During your career, have you had a favorite pro bono client? Justice for Dan Three favorite charities. The Humane Society, Jack and Jill Center, Children’s Miracle Network Any last-day-of-Session traditions? We are usually still working! But once things slow down, we order pizza and start cleaning up the office to head back home. What are you most looking forward to during the 2022 Legislative Session? Hopefully something that resembles a more normal Session. I’d so much rather be walking the halls of the Capitol than sitting at my desk.

Anita Berry

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

If you could have another lobbyist’s client list, it would be… I wouldn’t trade our clients for anything! I am incredibly honored to work with each of them and call so many friends. Professional accomplishment of which you are most proud? Being part of the team that came down from Baltimore to integrate Johns Hopkins Medicine with All Children’s Hospital in St. Pete. It was an incredible experience that helped to shape my career and honestly change my life. I may have never moved to Florida if it wasn’t for that job and 10 years later, I’m still here.

Lobbyists are often accused of wearing Gucci loafers; do you own a pair of Gucci loafers? If not, why not? No loafers for me! It is rare that you will find me in the Capitol in anything except heels. Who is your favorite Florida Capitol Press Corps reporter and why? I like so many of them! Peter Schorsch, Matt Dixon, Gary Fineout, and Christine Sexton, to name a few. Other than Florida Politics.com, your reading list includes… I’ve been reading Capitol Hill Style since my first job in D.C. Don’t let the name fool you – it’s a wonderful community of professional women, many of whom work in politics, and it has been a great resource for career development and insightful policy conversations. What swear word do you use most often? I don’t swear! What is your most treasured possession? My family, friends, and dogs. The best hotel in Florida is… The Vinoy in St. Pete. 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? This is a tough one! It would be impossible to pick just four. I’ll just say that if you’ve spent any time in our office, you know our firm is a show in and of itself. We are a tight-knit family, and I’ve had the opportunity to be part of conversations that include some of the brightest minds in Florida. Whether it’s a strategy discussion with a client, or quality time with legislators, the dialogue is always entertaining. Favorite movie. “Say Anything.” We should all be a little more like Lloyd. When you pig out, what do you eat? If I’m in St. Pete, Hawkers is my go-to. Anytime else, popcorn or chips with dip. If you could have dinner with a historical figure no longer living, who would it be? Can I say my late grandmother? I was named after her and have been told we would have had a lot in common, including our interest in politics. I would love to meet her and hear about her experiences.

PHOTO: The Workmans

Significant other? Children? Grand kids? My husband, Ben, and our two dachshunds, Doyle and Hazel.

FLORIDAPOLY.EDU 48

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

FOURTH FLOOR>FILES FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS PARTY LINES FOR A BETTER FLORIDA Significant other? Children? Grand kids? Married for 40 years to my beautiful wife, Kay Cooksey Dick. Three caring children, Steven Dennis, Mehgean Willoughby and Stephanie Clary. One terrific daughter-in-law, Teresa, and two supportive son-in-laws, Geoff and Luke. Seven grandkids ranging in age from 16 years to 14 months – Paige, Cole, Parker, Isabella, Peyton, Scott and Benjamin. All live in Tallahassee. In 25 words or less, explain what you do. Lobbying is about building relationships with policy makers, clients and other lobbyists. It also takes a thorough knowledge and understanding of the issues and hard work. Without using the words Democrat, Independent or Republican, conservative or liberal, describe your political persuasion. After almost 46 years in the Process I focus on my clients’ issues and keep my political views separate. I focus on doing the job for my clients and let politics sort itself out. If you have one, what is your motto? Always take time to smell the roses. During your career, have you had a favorite pro bono client? Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff, A.J. Smith, is a close friend and has done a terrific job in curtailing — and is close to eliminating — the meth problem in his area. He has some excellent “out-of-the-box” ideas for treatment and life after prison for individuals with substance abuse disorders. Three favorite charities.Big Bend Hospice, Children’s Miracle Network and March of Dimes.

PHOTO: The Workmans

Any last-day-of-Session traditions? I make sure I have plenty of adult beverages on hand for sine die (and maybe a little beforehand). What are you most looking forward to during the 2022 Legislative Session? The Senate and House and the Governor working together to provide Florida’s citizens a safe and vibrant environment during these difficult times. Professional accomplishment of which you are most proud? In 2017, the Legislature passed legislation that would have allowed the big box stores to sell hard liquor in their main stores. I was

lobbying against the measure on behalf of ABC Liquors and Florida Independent Spirits Association. The Senate passed it by a few votes, and the House passed it by one vote. After the vote, several representatives switched their yes votes to no votes. While this didn’t help our effort, it showed how contentious the issue had become. The bill then went to Gov. Rick Scott. After our team spearheaded an aggressive, grassroots, veto-campaign, the Governor vetoed the bill. Contentious issues such as this highlight the importance of working with both Republicans and Democrats, which is something I have always taken pride in doing. The issue has resurfaced several times since 2017, and I am sure it will do so again. Lobbyists are often accused of wearing Gucci loafers; do you own a pair of Gucci loafers? If not, why not? No, never liked the way they fit – too tight. I am a Cole Haan kind of guy. Who is your favorite Florida Capitol Press Corps reporter and why? Steve Bousquet. He has been around for a number of years and understands the Process — both in the open and not so open. He’s persistent, works hard, and represents the issues/ stories fairly. What swear word do you use most often? I can’t sugar coat my swearing – the “F” word is used quite often in my vocabulary. What is your most treasured possession? My family! The best hotel in Florida is… The Biltmore in Coral Gables. A lot of history, especially the Al Capone Suite. Favorite movie? “The Godfather” – all of them. When you pig out, what do you eat? Dark chocolate covered almonds and heated dark chocolate peanut M&M’s. Enjoyed with a nice bottle of pinot noir or cabernet.

Scott Dick

If you could have dinner with a historical figure no longer living, who would it be? Martin Luther King Jr.

Fall 2021

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Top 25

FIRMS BY LEGISLATIVE LOBBYING COMPENSATION SECOND QUARTER OF 2021

OVER $1,000,000.00: 1. The Southern Group $3,268,000

2. Capital City Consulting $2,365,000

3. Ballard Partners $2,348,000

4. Ronald L. Book $1,930,000

5. Greenberg Traurig $1,195,000

6. GrayRobinson $1,090,000

7. Rubin, Turnbull & Associates $1,026,000

8. Metz Husband & Daughton $1,006,000 50

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

Amount Earned Based on Median Principal-Level Figures

SIX FIGURES: 9. Corcoran Partners $978,000

18. Anfield Consulting $500,000

10. Smith Bryan & Myers $795,000

19. Ramba Consulting Group $485,000

11. The Advocacy Group at Cardenas Partners $750,000

20. Peebles, Smith & Matthews $470,000

12. Johnson & Blanton $665,000

21. Dean Mead $360,000

13. Becker & Poliakoff $620,000

22. Hopping Green & Sams $350,000

14. Floridian Partners $605,000 15. The Mayernick Group $590,000 16. Rutledge Ecenia $530,000 17. Johnston & Stewart Government Strategies $505,000

23. Heffley & Associates $335,000 (Tie) 23. McGuireWoods Consulting $335,000 (Tie) 25. PooleMcKinley $325,000

Fall 2021

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The Long Term Care Labor Crisis is Here Now 9 out of 10

Florida Health Care Association Members say their workforce needs have gotten worse since 2020.

52% are reducing admissions to try

to address these workforce challenges.

loss or negative total margin.

74% at least once in the last month

98% at least once in the last month

needed to bring in temporary staﬀ through an agency to ﬁll shifts.

59% of facilities are operating at a

We must prioritize our long term care centers and support solutions that help them recruit and retain the best caregivers. | INFLUENCE Fall 2021

had to ask staﬀ to work overtime or take extra shifts.

{ insiders’ ADVICE

The

power of partnerships by brittany castillo

n the immediate hours and days after an emergency, political and ideological differences are put aside and people unite, moving heaven and earth to help each other. But as we’ve often seen, when the recovery timeline grows from days to weeks and months, or even years, those divisions return and can harm recovery efforts. Sustaining partnerships is critical in emergency response. We in Florida have seen firsthand how elected officials, businesses, and nonprofits put aside their differences to help communities heal in the wake of hurricanes, the pandemic, or other disasters. Debris is cleared, power is restored, residents receive assistance, vaccines are administered – life slowly begins to normalize. When partnerships endure the response, communities are left stronger and more resilient. AshBritt, an emergency management and logistics contractor, helps communities across the nation recover after emergency events. Recently, our logistics division worked with state and local partners to set up vaccination centers and COVID-19 medical facilities, many in the heart of underserved communities. But we didn’t stop there. We worked with local houses of worship, communi-

ty organizations, and nonprofits to encourage participation and help overcome misinformation. We made sure our team was versed on the community they were serving, and we hired local. In times of crisis, government must team up with the private sector to help communities get back on their feet. Emergency response works best when leaders take these steps:

1. Cultivate public-private partnerships before an event. Government

and the private sector serve different roles in recovery. The private sector often moves more quickly, pulling in capital and regional and national resources while government manages the rescue phases. Nonprofits have their pulse on the community, are trusted by residents, and make sure assistance is quickly directed to areas where the needs are greatest. Pre-planning task forces must build cross-sector coordination; a strong foundation before an event ensures lasting partnership weeks and months after the event.

2. Leverage private sector ingenuity to improve emergency response. The private sector leads innovation, and government must be open to new

solutions, ideas and ways of doing things. In the aftermath of a disaster event, we need innovative solutions to respond to the unique nature of the event at hand as well as to build back better.

3. Improve the way disaster response is funded. Money doesn’t flow fast

enough from the federal government and states down to counties and cities, a key factor that often impedes rebuilding post-disaster. Recently, Florida has accelerated the flow, administering funds much more efficiently. Financial support allows cities and counties to act and is a game changer for homeowners and local and small businesses. Partnerships matter, and that includes across government bodies. In almost every instance, crisis events bring out the best in people who want to help their families, friends, and neighbors and restore the hometown they love. Through the power of partnership, let’s be ready to help when our neighbors need us the most, and to see it through. Brittany Castillo is the CEO of Deerfield Beach-based AshBritt Inc.

Fall 2021

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Results Matter. Public Affairs Strategic Counsel Political Communications Legal Communications Crisis Communications Media Relations ALIA FARAJ-JOHNSON PRESIDENT

T. 850.212.8317 E. Alia@AliaStrategicGroup.com ALIASTRATEGICGROUP.COM 54

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

{ insiders’ ADVICE

When to hire a campaign finance lawyer

hen I tell people that a large part of my firm’s practice is campaign finance and election law, it often leads to questions, especially if the person is a new candidate or new to the world of the legislative process. Others may think they understand our state’s election and campaign finance laws well enough that a campaign finance attorney is an unnecessary expense. But in many cases, proactively working with a campaign finance attorney can save you time, headache, and compliance issues later. Here are some instances where working with a campaign finance attorney is a good idea.

To review political communications

Most people with political experience know that political communications need disclaimers, and they likely know the correct disclaimer to include. But it’s a good idea to have any communications from your campaign reviewed by an attorney, as there may be other considerations that should be taken into account, such as whether the communication implicates the Hatch Act, whether claims in the communication are properly sourced, or whether the communication is considered express advocacy.

by natalie kato

For your corporate political giving program

If your corporate client is new to political giving in Florida, asking a campaign finance attorney to provide you with a memorandum outlining how our state’s laws differ from federal campaign finance guidelines or from other states may be helpful to help achieve your giving goals. I can think of many instances where a national government relations manager was shocked to find out that in Florida they could give directly to candidates, as that practice is outlawed in many states.

If you’re working with an association or other type of tax-exempt entity

While you may know the state campaign finance laws cold, if you are working with an entity that has certain IRS designations (Such as 501(c)(4) or 501(c)(6), federal regulations may also apply. It’s always a good idea to check with a campaign finance attorney to ensure the political activities by these types of entities are compliant.

For municipal or other local elections

Many local jurisdictions have their own campaign finance ordinances, reporting dates, or other special regulations. Don’t assume that these or-

dinances are consistent with state law; checking with an attorney can save you headaches later.

For ethics questions

In the course of a political campaign, questions relating to state ethics laws may arise, especially for incumbent candidates. It’s best to check with an attorney knowledgeable in both ethics and campaign finance to help inoculate against ethics concerns.

When you receive a complaint with the Florida Elections Commission

Violations of Chapter 106 can carry fines and, in some instances, criminal penalties. Consulting with a seasoned campaign finance attorney can help you handle these issues as they arise (and help prevent them in the first place!). While basic campaign finance (including state-mandated reporting) can often be handled by seasoned campaign staff, you should strongly consider consulting with an attorney for any complex questions. Natalie Kato is the founder and owner of Kato Law, a boutique government relations, campaign finance and elections law firm.

Fall 2021

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insiders’ ADVICE}

The realities of political consulting

fter spending more than two decades as a professional political campaign consultant the most frequent reply I give when asked what I do is, “I’m a garbage man.” Because I have learned over the years that replying, “I’m a campaign consultant,” usually generates replies such as, “For whom?” or “Eww, you’re a Republican?” Or my actual favorite, “What does that mean?” And if I’m being honest, “garbage man” is both an easy way to end the conversation and also the closest thing to the truth. The common perception that most have is that being a campaign consultant means you are the super genius who comes up with some unexpectedly brilliant strategy or idea that swings the race in favor of your client. If only. The reality is, it’s mostly a management position — whether you are directly managing the campaign (as I’ve had the fortune of managing six races for the U.S. House) or if you are acting as a general consultant for one or more campaigns. Your job isn’t to develop the winning strategy so much as it is to hire and manage the people who do so. It’s more of a management job than anything else, and I would like to think that my previous background in hospitality and retail management has helped. Certainly more than having a degree in political science would. In reality, a political campaign is literally just a small- or medium-sized business with a defined life cycle. Finance, marketing, organizational and

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

by jacob perry

overall business plans are all part of the modern campaign. Someone needs to know who must draft all of those things, hire folks to execute them and keep the organization on track. In fact, name any campaign that failed to meet even basic expectations and I’ll show you a campaign that wasn’t managed by a professional. The fun part about the business is the stories — and I’m sure we all have the same ones: bailing a candidate out of jail, being ghosted by a client for three weeks, begging a journalist over drinks to not write that unflattering article they are working on, scheduling a conflicting event so that your candidate won’t appear at a rally with Donald Trump, steering a drunk former Ambassador away from your 23-year-old female staffer, sitting next to Burt Reynolds at his personal table at a private holiday party at his home and hearing him tell stories about Marilyn Monroe…. Well, I am probably the only one who can tell that last story. And it is a good one. When you really think about it, what a garbage man really does is take away the refuse of our society to some unseen location to never be seen again. Seems like what a campaign consultant does is probably the reverse of that. Maybe I should stick to describing myself that way. Jacob Perry was a Republican campaign consultant for more than 20 years. You may find him on Twitter at @ RealJacobPerry.

Fall 2021

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insiders’ ADVICE}

Hot Take: Is Joe Biden secretly running Ron DeSantis’ 2022 race? by melissa sellers stone

ov. Ron DeSantis is starting to gear up for his 2022 reelection, and he may not have announced a formal campaign yet, but it’s becoming clear that President Joe Biden is his de-facto campaign manager. No one is doing more for the Governor’s reelection efforts right now than the constant flow of failures from the White House. When Biden failed in Afghanistan, DeSantis was able to tout his own record of military service. When Biden promised to send more monoclonal antibody treatments to the country in a public address, DeSantis had already been doing antibody treatment press conferences for months. Then, when Biden reversed his promised “50% increase” and cut Florida’s allotment of treatments, DeSantis got to point out his petty political retribution and let us all ask ourselves: Is Biden a hateful liar or just incompetent? Whichever one he is — he is helping the Governor gain even more momentum going into his reelection. If his opposition remains Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist, his campaign message is easy: Do you want “Joe Biden Lite” in Florida? Do you want to risk our jobs and economic growth for government greed? That will be a hard “NO” for Florida voters, especially as we build back from the rocky year of the pandemic. Fried and Crist are junior versions of Joe Biden. They may love a good press conference, but they don’t have much in the policy arena. Like Biden, Crist has spent a lifetime in politics, but Floridians aren’t looking for a professional pol-

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

itician in 2022 (again like Scott’s reelection in 2014). They are smart enough to realize that lifetime politicians only look out for themselves, not Floridians. What they want is a Governor who is a fighter and an optimist. That’s why they will vote for Ron DeSantis. Similar to the contrast we illustrated between Crist and Gov. Scott in 2014 (thanks to the skilled leadership of Curt Anderson, the OnMessage ad team, and messenger-extraordinaire Jackie Schutz Zeckman), DeSantis gets to say he is keeping the failures of Washington out of Florida. Scott railed against the crazy spending (train to nowhere) and mandates (remember, “if you like your insurance plan you can keep it?”) of the Barack Obama White House. DeSantis gets to remind us of Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending plans, immigration blunders, the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan that killed U.S. service members … oh, and I almost forgot, the pandemic lockdowns, business shutdowns and vaccine mandates. (To be fair, the Obama-Biden team loves them a mandate. Bonus points for consistency.) DeSantis has a great team of messaging experts around him already — including Phil Cox on the political side and Taryn Fenske in the Governor’s Office. They are seasoned political operatives who will surely lead him to a big win in November. Their only challenge, as I see it, will be to not waste any time on the thousands of opportunities their opponents give them to attack, but to instead keep DeSantis out in front and fighting

for Florida. He doesn’t need to waste his time talking about the three sides of every issue Crist has been on (and Crist is skilled enough to find a third side). The 2014 Scott reelection campaign was about a $200 million race and I am sure the DeSantis 2022 effort will be even more expensive. (Gov. DeSantis, like now-Sen. Scott, is a relentless fundraiser, and he will no doubt have every dollar needed to win.) In 2014, Scott won independent voters by over 50% (up from Romney’s loss of independents in 2012). This block, along with the Hispanic voting block (which the Scott campaign won around 50% of in 2014), will no doubt be a huge focus for the DeSantis team next year as they ask voters if they want to slam on the brakes with “Joe Biden Lite” or go full speed ahead into Florida’s Sunny Future with Gov. DeSantis behind the wheel. Of course, we can never lose sight of the fact that Florida is always a fight. But as things stand today, it looks like we will have Campaign Manager Joe Biden to thank for saving our tax dollars by avoiding a recount and letting the Governor win in a landslide next fall. Melissa Sellers Stone is the CEO of Cavalry Strategies. She served as senior adviser for the super PAC supporting Gov. Rick Scott in his 2018 U.S. Senate race, general consultant for Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis’ campaign, and was previously Scott’s Chief of Staff as well as campaign manager for his 2014 gubernatorial reelection campaign.

When policy impacts your business…

You need a team to help you impact policy.

Our lobbying team’s racial, ethnic, gender, and political diversity provides you with the distinct advantage of working with an array of state and federal legislators and local government officials from both sides of the aisle, as well as the various caucuses. Like all highly functioning teams, our lobbyists rely on each other’s unique set of political contacts, knowledge of various issues, and political intelligence to best help you tell your story. Our team enjoys access to the resources of a large law firm but operates like a “boutique” lobbying practice, providing you with personal attention and “on call” availability.

Government Law & Lobbying

Fearlessly Moving You Forward | beckerlawyers.com Fall 2021

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INFLUENCE Fall 2021

The Florida Chamber revs up for 2022 by drew wilson photos the workmans

lorida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson believes the Sunshine State is at a crossroads. One road leads to the embrace of policies popular in other large states that Wilson and other business leaders believe would stifle economic growth. The other path would allow businesses to take the lead in bringing Florida into the future and grow into a Top 10 world economy. “We’re either going to continue to be Florida, where we create good jobs and focus on free enterprise, or we’re going to go the way of New York, Illinois and California,” he said. From afar, it seems like the Sunshine State has already made its choice: the Florida Chamber is a perennial winner in post-Session autopsies, Gov. Ron DeSantis is about as un-California a leader as any, and economic metrics are bright — or, as bright as they can be during a once-in-a-generation pandemic. But maintaining Florida’s economic success isn’t easy. “Free enterprise isn’t free. We’re working with razor-thin margins here,” Wilson said, noting that a relative handful of votes separated DeSantis from Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum in the 2018 gubernatorial election. Wilson has spent years, racked up tens of thousands of miles and, for a time, used billions of bytes of bandwidth to unite the state’s business community behind his vision for the future of Florida. On any Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson (center) spent the past 18 months building an all-star leadership team, including (L-R) Executive Vice Presidents David Gillespie, Ivette Faulkner, Katie Yeutter and Frank Walker.

Fall 2021

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F E AT U R E

“We’re either going to continue to be Florida, where we create good jobs and focus on free enterprise, or we’re going to go the way of New York, Illinois and California,”

mark wilson 62

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

given day, he’s pitching that vision in the C-suites of Florida businesses large and small or to execs receptive to relocating here. Many of the bullet points he cites in boardrooms are likely familiar to anyone roaming the halls of the state Capitol. And anyone who has attended or tuned in to one of the Florida Chamber’s many conferences over the past few years has likely heard the pitch from Wilson himself. Florida’s population is growing by 800 people a day and will likely hit 26 million at the dawn of the next decade (it’s currently approaching 22 million). The state will need to create another 1.5 million jobs to accommodate the influx of new residents. And it will need to put in the work to attract the industries of tomorrow by building a workforce with the agility to adapt to businesses’ needs.

The top brass at the Florida Chamber are hard at work strategizing ways to unite businesses behind their vision of lifting the Sunshine State’s economy into the top-10. The multipronged effort involves Yeutter’s efforts to boost workplace safety, Walker’s to help elect pro-business politicians, and Gillespie’s intelligence background.

Each of those end goals has several checkpoints, each extensively detailed in the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s “Florida 2030” research project. The $2 million effort, released in 2018, is the latest in a series of cornerstone research projects undertaken by the Chamber. It asserts that if Florida plays its cards right, it could claw its way up to the 10th largest economy in the world. When the Florida 2030 report debuted in September 2018, that goal seemed outside the Overton window of believability, if there is such a thing. Yet Florida is well on its way. At release, Florida would have ranked as the No. 17 largest economy in the world if it was measured as its own country — roughly on par with Saudi Arabia. While COVID-19 was by no means a boon for the econ-

omy, Florida managed to climb a couple rungs. By mid2021, it was neck-and-neck with Mexico as the No. 15 economy in the world, and the state’s per capita GDP is now higher than Germany’s. “You think of Germany as an advanced, technological economy. We’re right there with them,” Wilson says with uncontained enthusiasm. The pandemic didn’t hinder the Florida Chamber, either. Last year ranked as the second-best membership recruitment year in Chamber history. So far, 2021 is on pace to be even better. While Wilson’s road warrior spirit is no doubt a significant factor, this is not a one-man show. In late 2019, on the eve of the pandemic’s arrival, the Florida Chamber began executing an internal six-year plan Fall 2021

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Experienced Innovative Effective Public opinion affects your goals. We affect public opinion.

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

850.296.7142 | TALLAHASSEE.TUCKERHALL.COM

backed by a combined $105 million in funding to start checking off some of the 39 goals outlined in Florida 2030, such as slashing childhood poverty in half and ensuring 100% of third-graders are reading at grade level. About $40 million of the investment is heading to political operations to ensure the “right candidates” are elected to office. The political investment includes the rollout of a robust candidate training and recruitment effort through the Florida Institute of Political Leadership, which helps recruit, develop and prepare wouldbe candidates to run for office. “We want to recruit people who’ve signed a paycheck before, not people who’ve sued people who’ve signed a paycheck before,” Wilson said. The Chamber also recently pulled back the curtain on a massive, data-rich platform detailing the shifts in population and voter registration since the last time Florida’s state legislative maps were redrawn. The Florida Partisan Performance indexes rate each House and Senate seat along the same lines as the Cook PVI ratings. For now, the Chamber is allowing any interested party to peruse the data. But the most significant undertaking in that six-year plan was an aggressive restructuring of the Chamber’s key leadership positions. It was a tall order. The Florida Chamber of Commerce is not merely one entity, but 17 separate organizations, each with its own leader and mission. The Florida Chamber Foundation, for instance, produces research like Florida 2030. Other branches oversee the organization’s political operations and lobbying efforts. On that front, Wilson said the Chamber has hammered out two years of work in a matter of months. Among the most significant additions is Katie Yeutter, who was recruited to the Florida Chamber from the Wisconsin Chamber, where she held the dual position of Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

ivette faulkner

katie yeutter Fall 2021

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“If we can unite the businesses in Florida for good, then a lot of good things can happen.”

frank walker Yeutter, whom Wilson describes as “one of the most innovative leaders in the United States,” also holds two major positions at the Florida Chamber of Commerce. In addition to serving as COO, she is the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Chamber Safety Council. Thus far, the hire has been a home run. Since it launched in mid-2020, the Safety Council has quickly become a leading voice in workplace safety. The Safety Council’s most significant benchmark was achieved less than a year in, when it became the official Florida chapter of the National Safety Council. It has since developed a full suite of workplace safety training for organizations of all types and sizes, and its first statewide conference was a resounding success. Next year’s will feature Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” fame as the keynote speaker. The Florida Chamber has also upped its media game by putting Ivette Faulkner in command. Under her lead66

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

david gillespie ership, the Chamber has gone from producing simple press releases and the occasional video to a full-scale media production powerhouse. It has two in-house film studios, which helped make it uniquely ready when the pandemic forced the Chamber’s usual slate of events into the cyber realm. For its political arm, the Chamber went with a familiar face: Frank Walker. For the six years leading up to his September promotion, Walker led the Florida Chamber’s lobbying team and took the lead on developing the Chamber’s annual legislative agendas. Now, as Executive Vice President of Government & Political Relations, he will be in charge of the Florida Chamber’s extensive legislative and political operations. “Unifying the business community is not for everyone, and Frank has proven he has the integrity, experience and belief in free enterprise to make sure the right issues are addressed and the right leaders are elected,” Wilson said when he announced the personnel move.

Most recently, the Florida Chamber added David Gillespie as an Executive Vice President. The retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who spent 20 years as a senior intelligence officer will bring a unique set of skills to the Florida Chamber Foundation that Wilson said will ensure the state makes the right turn at its current crossroads and the crossroads to come. “To have someone with an intel background will help the Chamber have a ‘war footing’ and develop a perspective of who’s on our team and who’s against us,” Wilson said. Wilson and the team, both old and new, have put in countless hours of work. Despite some pandemic-induced hiccups, there has already been substantial progress in achieving the key goals outlined in the Florida 2030 project, too. Plus, the Chamber has optimism — and momentum — on its side. “If we can unite the businesses in Florida for good, then a lot of good things can happen,” Wilson said.

SCIENCE WILL BRING

US BACK TO NORMAL.

See the progress at PhRMA.org/coronavirus Fall 2021

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It’s

Brewster Time B

rewster Bevis got his start in the policy and politics world by picking up bagels on the 19th floor of the Capitol and buying pantyhose for Katherine Harris. Now, a decade after joining the influential Associated Industries of Florida, Bevis, who was recently named the group’s President, is set to become its next CEO in 2022. Bevis joined AIF in 2011 as vice president of external affairs. Two years later, he was promoted to senior vice president of state and federal affairs. When AIF CEO and former President Tom Feeney announced his plans to leave the business group, Bevis emerged at the forefront of about a dozen staff members to replace the former Congressman and Florida House Speaker. “If it’s not me, then who else?” Bevis recalled asking himself.

INFLUENCE Fall 2021

by renzo downey

F E AT U R E

PHOTO: Left-The Workmans, Right-Mary Beth Tyson

Brewster Bevis and his predecessor, Speaker Tom Feeney, on the balcony of AIF’s Adams Street headquarters.

The new President and incoming CEO inherits a nonprofit that has become a big player in Tallahassee since its founding in 1920. The COVID-19 pandemic has been the group’s latest curveball, but Bevis said the team’s core functions didn’t change much. One positive from the pandemic was bringing businesses and trade associations together in the Restore Economic Strength through Employment and Tourism, or RESET, Florida Task Force. Bevis came up with the idea for the task force after the AIF team discussed the challenges businesses faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. He then took the idea to people like Florida Retail Federation President and CEO Scott Shalley and then-Senate President-designate Wilton Simpson. AIF and others helped assemble the panel in April 2020. What started as a small group of interest grew into about 90 businesses and trade associations offering input. “I think truthfully businesses and trade associations here in the state really kind of came together for the first time,” Bevis said. “I’ve been here almost 11 years. Not once have I seen a group of that size come together to work on business issues, how do we survive.” The task force made recommendations on COVID-19 liability, which the Legislature passed and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved mid-Session 2021, and on codifying the pandemic-era alcohol togo policy, which also became law. Now Bevis has a vision of the priorities of the business community for the coming years that includes consumer data priva-

cy and tort reform. Addressing data privacy will likely be AIF’s goal for the 2022 Session. Lawmakers punted on data privacy after a majority couldn’t agree on private cause of action and matching Florida’s regulations to those of other states. But data privacy remains one of DeSantis’ goals. Other states like California and Virginia have adopted data privacy policies, but each have their flaws. Bevis hopes Florida could become a model. “I think a lot of other Republican governors and Republican-led states will look at what Governor DeSantis does on data privacy, so let’s help him create a model that is good for the business community and good for consumers,” he said. Bevis interned in the Florida Department of State’s Office of International Affairs when Harris was Secretary of State. When she was elected to Congress, he followed her to the nation’s capital. Later, he became a presidential appointee in the Bush administration.

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I think a lot of other Republican governors and Republican-led states will look at what Governor DeSantis does ...

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Can the best become better? I think we can for sure.

In Washington, he says he didn’t witness torts and the litigious environment to the extent Florida has it. Whittling away at it with tort reform is a long term goal. Reducing lawsuits could help reduce insurance premiums and lead to consumer savings. One recent lesson for Bevis is the newfound importance of cybersecurity. Recent attacks on companies have reinforced the importance of protecting businesses. “I think that’s always going to be an issue, because once you stop it here, they’ll figure out a new way, so it’s always evolving,” he said. In AIF’s coming board meetings, Bevis plans to hammer out specific visions for the association. “I don’t want us to stagnate. I don’t want us to just say, ‘well this is just what we’ve done forever and this is how we’re going to do it’,” he said. Part of the new President’s plans for AIF is to adapt by expanding its goals, build on its strengths and improve its weaknesses. To match that, the association would also need to grow its small team. “If there’s something that you know you hear time and time again from a member of this is a service we could provide you, well, maybe that’s somebody we need to hire to provide that service,” Bevis said. “Can the best become better? I think we can for sure.”

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Florida Sheriffs Association

THANK YOU SPEAKER CHRIS SPROWLS for creating the new honor of the Law Enforcement Officer of the Day in the Florida House of Representatives. Fall 2021

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Amid the grip of a deadly global pandemic, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Chris Sprowls led the 120 members of the Florida House to an historic Sine Die on April 30, 2021, delivering remarks from the rostrum of the House Chamber to a round of applause. Despite changes to many legislative traditions over the course of the 60-day Session, the closing day adjournment ceremony, or Sine Die, lived on.

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Sine Die a photo essay photos by the workmans

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