BFR
Briefings from the Rotunda
Tim Stapleton’s long FMA tenure turbocharges his health care advocacy efforts for Gunster in 2023 T
im Stapleton may have only been at the Gunster lobbying firm for a year and a half, but he’s far from a rookie in The Process. Stapleton’s extensive background leading the Florida Medical Association (FMA) through a turbulent time in the realm of health care policy put him in good stead as he helped quarterback a series of budget project and policy wins during Session this year. For the past 25 years, Stapleton was at FMA, including stints as its CEO and leading its public affairs division. The group advocates for doctors in Florida, and his time there coincided with the Great Recession and Obamacare, which both produced massive legislative fights over how to fill budget shortfalls and approach the possible expansion of Medicaid. It was also a time when large health systems took over small, independent practices. “Being at the FMA for so long … I really saw everything,” Stapleton said. “I saw how the business of health care and medicine in Florida, and really across the country, has changed. When I started at FMA most of our members had an ownership interest in their practice. … That’s no longer the case.” In January 2022, Stapleton moved to Gunster, a large corporate law and lobbying firm with offices throughout the state. It pulled in between $250,000 and $500,000 in the first quarter of 2023, according to its compensation report, and boasts a long list of clients.
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INFLUENCE Fall 2023
Stapleton cited his colleague Simone Marstiller’s reminder that they are business advisors, not merely lobbyists for their clients, helping them navigate the complex realm of health care policy in the state. “Having that expertise, and understanding the providers’ perspective, has really helped me transition into the private sector and help clients that are maybe employing large groups of physicians or buying physician practices or figuring out how to manage those businesses,” Stapleton said. Stapleton and the Gunster team procured $199 million in the budget for their clients, mostly from the $195 million for petroleum contamination cleanup projects throughout the state. But it also includes $1 million Stapleton pulled down for the Els for Autism Foundation. The Els for Autism Foundation was started 10 years ago by former professional golfer Ernie Els and his wife, Liezl, in honor of their son, Ben, now 20, who was diagnosed with autism. The group runs two charter schools for children with autism. The funding in this year’s budget will go toward building an aquatic center for teaching children water safety and drowning prevention. Another project Stapleton worked on was HB 387, which allows a physician to renew a patient’s certification for medical marijuana treatment, following their required initial in-person certification visit.