Politics
Nick Matthews to lead The Southern Group in Broward County
The Southern Group is strengthening its growing footprint in South Florida, bringing on longtime Broward County advocate Nick Matthews as a partner.
Matthews brings more than 15 years of experience navigating Broward County’s political and policy landscape. Over his career, he’s built trusted relationships across city halls and county government, earning a reputation as one of the region’s most effective advocates.
“Nick brings unmatched expertise in local government affairs and a deep network of relationships throughout Broward County,” said Rachel Cone, Senior Managing Partner of The Southern Group. “His results-driven approach and long-standing reputation as a trusted advocate will make him an invaluable asset as we expand our footprint across South Florida.”
In his new role, Matthews will represent clients before local governments, continue serving state-level clients, and help The Southern Group further cement its presence in Broward County.
Before joining the powerhouse lobbying firm, Matthews worked as a Senior Government Relations Consultant at a prominent Fort Lauderdale-based law firm, representing clients in sectors ranging from development and transportation to healthcare, energy, and technology. He guided companies through complex regulatory and policy matters, helping them effectively engage with local and state leaders.
“The Southern Group is getting a dynamic professional in Nick,” said Coral Springs City Commissioner Josh Simmons. “I don’t know anyone as well respected or as successful at advocating for clients in all four corners of Broward County.”
Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine also praised the move: “I am excited for The Southern Group. Southern is a real powerhouse firm that is joining forces with a leader in Nick Matthews. The sky is the limit for Nick and Southern in the Broward market.”
Earlier in his career, Matthews served as Senior Legislative Coordinator in Broward County’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. There, he played a key role in advancing initiatives such as beach renourishment, improvements to Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, and major investments in environmental resources, emergency management, and infrastructure.
“This is a special development,” said Rep. Chip LaMarca. “I met Nick many years ago when I was working in Broward’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs as a lobbyist for the County. I have seen Nick grow into a leader in his field, and most importantly, a consultant that can be trusted by both sides of the aisle.”
A lifelong Broward County resident, Matthews continues to stay active in his community, championing policies and partnerships that support the region’s economy, infrastructure, and quality of life. He lives in Broward with his wife, Barbara, and their twin sons, Henry and Logan.
Mills was a day-one Byron Donalds backer in the gubernatorial race.
A former House Speaker and current candidate for Governor is leading the charge for Republicans as scandal swirls around a Congressman.
Saying the “evidence is mounting” against Rep. Cory Mills, Paul Renner says other candidates for Governor should “stand up and be counted” and join him in the call for Mills to leave Congress.
Renner made the call earlier this week.
But on Friday, the Palm Coast Republican doubled down.
He spotlighted fresh reporting from Roger Sollenberger alleging that Mills’ company “appears to have illegally exported weapons while he serves in Congress, including to Ukraine,” that Mills failed to disclose conflicts of interest, “tried to fistfight other Republican members of Congress, and lied about his party stature to bully other GOP candidates out of primaries that an alleged romantic interest was running in,” and lied about his conversion to Islam.
The House Ethics Committee is already probing Mills, a New Smyrna Beach Republican, over allegations of profiting from federal defense contracts while in Congress. More recently, the Committee expanded its work to review allegations that he assaulted one ex-girlfriend and threatened to share intimate photos of another.
Other candidates have been more reticent in addressing the issue, including Rep. Byron Donalds.
“When any other members have been involved and stuff like this, my advice is the same,” said Donalds, a Naples Republican. “They need to actually spend a lot more time in the district and take stock of what’s going on at home, and make that decision with their voters.”
The response came less than a year after Mills, a New Smyrna Beach Republican, spoke at the launch of Donalds’ gubernatorial campaign.
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Staff writer Jacob Ogles contributed reporting.
The cold war between Florida’s Governor and his predecessor is nearly seven years old and tensions show no signs of thawing.
On Friday, Sen. Rick Scott weighed in on Florida Politics’ reporting on the Agency for Health Care Administration’s apparent repayment of $10 million of Medicaid money from a settlement last year, which allegedly had been diverted to the Hope Florida Foundation, summarily filtered through non-profits through political committees, and spent on political purposes.
“I appreciate the efforts by the Florida legislature to hold Hope Florida accountable. Millions in tax dollars for poor kids have no business funding political ads. If any money was misspent, then it should be paid back by the entities responsible, not the taxpayers,” Scott posted to X.
While AHCA Deputy Chief of Staff Mallory McManus says that is an “incorrect” interpretation, she did not respond to a follow-up question asking for further detail this week.
The $10 million under scrutiny was part of a $67 million settlement from state Medicaid contractor Centene, which DeSantis said was “a cherry on top” in the settlement, arguing it wasn’t truly from Medicaid money.
But in terms of the Scott-DeSantis contretemps, it’s the latest example of tensions that seemed to start even before DeSantis was sworn in when Scott left the inauguration of his successor, and which continue in the race to succeed DeSantis, with Scott enthusiastic about current front runner Byron Donalds.
Earlier this year, Scott criticized DeSantis’ call to repeal so-called vaccine mandates for school kids, saying parents could already opt out according to state law.
While running for re-election to the Senate in 2024, Scott critiqued the Heartbeat Protection Act, a law signed by DeSantis that banned abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy with some exceptions, saying the 15 week ban was “where the state’s at.”
In 2023 after Scott endorsed Donald Trump for President while DeSantis was still a candidate, DeSantis said it was an attempt to “short circuit” the voters.
That same year amid DeSantis’ conflict over parental rights legislation with The Walt Disney Co., Scott said it was important for Governors to “work with” major companies in their states.
The critiques went both ways.
When running for office, DeSantis distanced himself from Scott amid controversy about the Senator’s blind trust for his assets as Governor.
“I basically made decisions to serve in uniform, as a prosecutor, and in Congress to my financial detriment,” DeSantis said in October 2018. “I’m not entering (office) with a big trust fund or anything like that, so I’m not going to be entering office with those issues.”
In 2020, when the state’s creaky unemployment website couldn’t handle the surge of applicants for reemployment assistance as the pandemic shut down businesses, DeSantis likened it to a “jalopy in the Daytona 500” and Scott urged him to “quit blaming others” for the website his administration inherited.
The chill between the former and current Governors didn’t abate in time for 2022’s hurricane season, when Scott said DeSantis didn’t talk to him after the fearsome Hurricane Ian ravaged the state.
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