Top Lobbying Compensation for Q3: Ballard Partners Leading, Southern Group Close Behind
In the latest quarter, Ballard Partners emerged as the top lobbying firm in Florida, bringing in an impressive $9 million. Brian Ballard’s firm raked in $5.25 million from legislative lobbying and $3.76 million from lobbying the executive branch, totaling $9.01 million for the quarter. With over 300 clients contributing to their success, Ballard Partners had a stellar performance, with some clients exceeding the $50,000 cap on range reporting.
Leading the pack was the Council of Florida Medical School Deans, paying $256,000 split evenly between legislative and executive branch lobbying. Extremity Care followed closely behind at $250,000. Ballard Partners had a strong team of two dozen members in Q3, including notable figures like Michael Abrams, former Florida CFO Jeff Atwater, and former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.
After briefly ceding the top spot to The Southern Group in Q2, Ballard Partners reclaimed the lead in Q3. The competition between the two firms has been neck-and-neck, with Ballard Partners securing the top spot in Q1 2024 and Q4 2023. The Southern Group reported a total of $8.77 million in Q3, with $5.14 million from the Legislature and $3.63 million from the executive branch.
Both firms are in a tight race for the annual top spot, with Ballard Partners edging out The Southern Group by a mere $145,000. Florida lobbyists and lobbying firms had until Nov. 14 to file compensation reports for the third quarter, covering July 1 through Sept. 30. The deadline for these reports to be submitted to the state is Feb. 14, 2024.
