Nearly $40 million was spent to lobby Florida lawmakers in the first three months

TALLAHASSEE -- Lobbying the Legislature is big business. During the first three months of the year, companies, local governments and other clients paid an estimated $37.4 million to lobbying firms for legislative work, according to state numbers.

Lobbying firms are required to file quarterly reports that offer a picture of how much they get paid. The numbers aren’t exact because firms largely report their income in ranges, though specific information is available about payments of $50,000 or more.

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Firms faced a deadline this month to file reports about their compensation from January through March, a period that included most of the first half of the annual legislative session. Here are the firms that pulled in the most money for legislative lobbying during the quarter and a list of large payments from clients:

FIRMS REPORTING COMPENSATION OF $1 MILLION OR MORE:

· Ballard Partners

· Capital City Consulting LLC

· GrayRobinson PA

· Greenberg Traurig PA

· Ronald L. Book PA

· Rubin, Turnbull & Associates

· Southern Strategy Group

FIRMS REPORTING COMPENSATION OF $500,000 TO $999,999:

· Becker & Poliakoff PA

· Corcoran & Johnston

· Floridian Partners LLC

· Johnson & Blanton

· Metz Husband & Daughton PA

· Smith Bryan & Myers Inc.

· The Advocacy Group at Cardenas Partners LLC

· The Mayernick Group LLC

FIRMS REPORTING COMPENSATION OF $250,000 TO $499,999:

· Anfield Consulting

· Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

· Colodny Fass

· Dean Mead

· Gunster Yoakley & Stewart PA

· Heffley & Associates

· Holland & Knight LLP

· Hopping Green & Sams PA

· Larry J. Overton & Associates Inc.

· McGuireWoods Consulting LLC

· Peebles, Smith & Matthews, Inc.

· Pittman Law Group PL

· PooleMcKinley

· Ramba Consulting Group LLC

· RutledgeEcenia PA

· The Fiorentino Group

· The Legis Group

PAYMENTS OF $50,000 OR MORE TO LOBBYING FIRMS:

· Amscot Financial, Inc.: $51,000 paid to Metz Husband & Daughton PA.

· AshBritt: $135,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

· Auto Tag Management Group: $89,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

· Automated Healthcare Solutions: $50,000 paid to Ballard Partners.

· Charter Schools USA: $65,000 paid to Tripp Scott PA.

· Citizens for Responsible Pet Ownership: $75,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

· FCCI Insurance Group: $50,000 paid to Leath Consulting.

· Florida Municipal Broadband Alliance: $60,000 paid to Peebles, Smith & Matthews, Inc.

· Fontainebleau Florida Hotel, LLC: $63,000 paid to Corcoran & Johnston.

· HCA Healthcare: $56,000 paid to Rubin, Turnbull & Associates.

· K.A.S. & Associates, Inc.: $200,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

· Miami Project/Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis: $55,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

· MorseLife: $50,000 paid to Floridian Partners LLC.

· Performance Title Services: $130,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

· Polaris: $60,000 paid to Southern Strategy Group.

· Seminole Tribe of Florida: $55,000 paid to Greenberg Traurig PA.

· Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, Inc.: $84,000 paid to Ballard Partners.

· Small County Coalition: $165,000 paid to Robert P. Jones & Associates.

· State Farm Florida Insurance Co: $50,000 paid to Tripp Scott PA.

· Sunfest Herbs LLC: $50,000 paid to Ballard Partners.

· The SEED Foundation, Inc.: $61,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

· The Vestcor Companies, Inc.: $69,000 paid to Southern Strategy Group.

· Title Clerk Consulting Company, LLC: $160,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

· U.S. Stem Cell, Inc.: $90,000 paid to Rubin, Turnbull & Associates.

SOURCE: Florida lobbyist registration and compensation website.