Tallahassee has its share of graybeards, but only one GrayBeard.

GrayBeard Strategies is the latest venture for veteran lobbyist Matt Bryan, whose four decades of experience in state capitols nationwide have made him a go-to adviser for businesses, nonprofits and government contractors navigating Florida’s political landscape.

“When it comes to policymaking, state procurement and political strategy, the stakes are higher than ever before. Organizations need a trusted adviser who brings decades of wisdom, strong integrity and deep relationships to develop policy agendas and guide decision-making,” Bryan said. “This new adventure is informed by my life’s experiences in the rough-and-tumble field of governmental relations and fueled by my relentless drive to make an impact for those who have chosen to invest in me.”

GrayBeard Strategies is built around exactly that premise. The firm offers executive-level guidance on government engagement, from crafting legislative strategies and shaping policy agendas to navigating appropriations, procurement and major state contracts. Bryan also positions the firm as a partner for organizations looking to strengthen or rebuild their in-house government relations teams.

Bryan’s reputation in Tallahassee and beyond is anchored in a long track record of results. At Smith Bryan & Myers — now SBM Partners — he assembled a wide-ranging client portfolio touching health care, transportation, taxation and agriculture.

His achievements include securing tens of millions of dollars in recurring state appropriations, helping drive more than a billion dollars in Medicaid reimbursement increases over six years, establishing incentives that bolstered Florida’s short rail lines, and winning a first-of-its-kind supplemental insurance contract for state employees and retirees.

Those who have worked alongside him say the record speaks for itself. Lantern CEO John Zutter credited Bryan with making “the difference between success and failure” in navigating state governments, and Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ & Owners’ Association CEO Lonny Powell described him as a strategist who can “connect the dots” across politics, policy and public affairs like few others.

GrayBeard also launches with a strong endorsement from former Gov. Jeb Bush: “I had the pleasure of getting to know Matt during my time as Governor. His honesty, work ethic and strategic insight stood out from the start. I’m confident he will be a valuable asset to growing businesses across the country in this venture.”

Beyond the résumé, Bryan is known for cultivating deep relationships across the political and business spectrum. He remains active in the National Association of State Lobbyists and has mentored a generation of rising government relations professionals in Florida and elsewhere.

With GrayBeard Strategies, he says the mission is simple: give organizations a roadmap to success.

“Throughout my career, I’ve seen what works — and what doesn’t — when it comes to building effective advocacy teams,” Bryan said. “GrayBeard Strategies exists to share that institutional knowledge with organizations looking for more than representation: they want results.”

If your mental picture of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) is still tote bags, New England accents, and politely liberal documentaries, WSRE — Northwest Florida’s homegrown public television station — is here to remind you that not every PBS affiliate fits that stale stereotype.

And now the station is taking a stand: WSRE’s nonprofit fundraising foundation just filed a first-in-the-nation federal lawsuit to stop Pensacola State College from taking control of millions in private donor dollars that have sustained the station’s community service for nearly 60 years.

The lawsuit alleges PSC didn’t just decide to walk away from its decades-old relationship with PBS, it formally terminated the Foundation as its partner and “Direct Support Organization.” It went even further, demanding the nonprofit dissolve and “that funds donated by private citizens be turned over to the government entity, PSC.”

That’s not exactly the “small government” model most Northwest Florida residents imagine when they think about how public institutions should work.

But to understand why this fight matters, you need to understand what WSRE actually is — and what it isn’t.

WSRE is NOT whatever your culture-war uncle thinks PBS looks like. 

This is a station with 1.2 million viewers that is rooted in the Gulf Coast’s true identity: military bases, hurricane seasons, local history, and the families who shape all three.

WSRE’s “Connecting the Community” series has spotlighted veterans, told the story of Air Force Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Jr., and honored military families and memorials across the region. Two of its signature documentaries — “The 2 Sides Project” and “They Were Our Fathers” — follow Vietnam Gold Star children reckoning with the losses of war.

On the Gulf Coast, this isn’t niche content. It’s the lived experience of the community. It’s why WSRE is beloved by the community for its excellent programming that has informed and entertained for generations

And, as we approach the 250th ‘birthday’ of our American independence, what could be less woke than Ken Burns’ incredible documentary on the American Revolutionary War? 

And when the tropics start to spin, WSRE becomes something else entirely: a public safety asset. It produces long-form hurricane preparedness programming with the National Weather Service, Escambia County Emergency Management, and local school safety officials. Families trust it because it’s local — and because storm misinformation can be just as dangerous as the weather itself.

And then there are old friends like Big Bird, Elmo and the Cookie Monster (whose colors of yellow, red and blue belie the reality that they are completely apolitical). Sesame Street programming and its PBS program cousins have helped all of us raise our children the right way.

So, when PSC cut ties with PBS and then sought to raid the donor-raised funds for itself, the Foundation drew a legal line in the sand.

“This is about honoring donor trust,” Foundation Chair Amy Day said, in announcing the lawsuit. “People gave to support WSRE’s mission — not to bankroll a government entity’s shifting priorities.”

The politics around public broadcasting in Florida have been heating up for some time. Florida Department of Education leadership has made no secret of its ideological distaste for PBS, even though affiliates like WSRE look nothing like the unfair national caricature.

But the legal issue here isn’t ideology — it’s ownership.

When private citizens donate to a nonprofit mission, who controls that money? The donors who gave it? Or a government body that decides it wants to sweep the money and use it for something else?

If PSC prevails, what other ambitious money-hungry entities will see other nonprofits — including those far removed from public broadcasting — as potential treasures to raid?

Northwest Florida donors built WSRE. They funded the veterans programming, the hurricane prep shows, the documentaries, and the early-learning resources. These were gifts from families, not appropriations from a state budget.

PSC made a choice when it left PBS. Donors made a choice when they gave to WSRE. Now, a federal court will decide whether those donor choices still matter — and whether a local station that has been embraced by conservative Northwest Florida for decades can keep serving the community that shaped it.

Many of the people who love and have supported WSRE through the years are also likely fans of Pensacola State College. But this PSC plunder of WSRE’s donor funds provides too much sad irony when the college’s mascot is a pirate.