Politics
Last Call for 9.16.26 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
— First Shot —
Florida’s lobbying leaderboard did not budge in the second quarter, although the dollar signs did.
The Top 5 finished in exactly the same order as Q1, with The Southern Group leading the way for the seventh quarter running.
The shop led by Paul Bradshaw widened its lead with an estimated $12.71 million, up about $305,000 quarter over quarter. That figure includes $7.82 million in legislative pay and $4.9 million in executive compensation across 505 clients.
Ballard Partners held firm in second place with $10.55 million — $6.47 million in legislative and $4.08 million in executive — across 361 clients. Founder and President Brian Ballard’s shop added roughly $110,000 from Q1.
Capital City Consulting remained No. 3, a position it’s held firmly for the better part of five years. The firm, co-founded by Nick Iarossi and Ron LaFace, tallied $8.24 million and was the lone Top 5 shop to earn more from executive work ($4.28 million) than from legislative lobbying ($3.96 million).
Rubin, Turnbull & Associates secured fourth with $3.59 million. The firm led by Bill Rubin and Heather Turnbull split that haul between $1.92 million in legislative compensation and $1.67 million in executive pay while representing 145 clients.
GrayRobinson, the law and lobbying firm led by President and CEO Dean Cannon, rounded out the Top 5 with $3.15 million — $1.69 million legislative and $1.46 million executive — across 236 clients.
Zoom out from the leaders, however, and Q2 was cooler.
The latest batch of reports, which cover April 1 through June 30, show firms reported an estimated $95.2 million statewide, down $2.6 million, or 2.7%, from Q1. Nearly all the pullback came from legislative work, which fell 4.3% from $59.5 million to $56.9 million. Executive compensation was essentially flat at $38.3 million.
The Big Three nevertheless tightened their grip. The Southern Group, Ballard Partners and Capital City Consulting combined for $31.5 million — 33.1% of the market, up from 31.9% in Q1.
— Evening Reads —
—“Donald Trump’s arch will harm historic sites but must proceed, federal officials say” via Dan Diamond of The Washington Post
—“Inside RFK Jr.’s ‘backdoor’ approach to stop vaccines” via Eli Cahan of Rolling Stone
—“Alligator Alcatraz report raises alarms about Florida’s other immigration center” via Claire Heddles of the Miami Herald
—“Ron DeSantis urges disgruntled Republicans to stick with the party, warns of DSA takeover” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—“‘Cruel and unconstitutional’: DCF sued, accused of jailing defendants unfit for trial for months” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
—“State colleges, preK-12 schools must implement AI guardrails before July” via Jay Waagmeester of the Florida Phoenix
—“‘Cherry-picking’: $75M ZooTampa deal sparks Hillsborough fight over cultural funding” via Jesse Mendoza of Florida Politics
—“We’re not ready for superpersistent AI” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin
—“The volatile finances of airline pilots, America’s unpredictable millionaires” via Miriam Gottfried of The Wall Street Journal
—“I trained a fly’s brain to generate WIRED story ideas” via Will Knight of WIRED
— Quote of the Day —
“Any oil ‘deal’ with Venezuela’s interim regime has an expiration date: the day President Trump leaves the White House.”
— U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar
— Put it on the Tab —
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy-hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Susie Wiles has beaten breast cancer, and the future prognosis is bright: Three cheers for Modern Medicine.
Send a Spooky Red Scare to Gov. DeSantis for rolling out the tried-and-true playbook to motivate GOP voters.
With a Top 5 finish at the state level and a veteran hire for its federal practice, the GrayRobinson team earns a Flying High.
— Breakthrough Insights —
— Tune In —
Orlando City plays for spot in U.S. Open Cup final
Orlando City at Columbus Crew 7 p.m. U.S. Open Cup Semifinal, Paramount+, CBS Sports Network
Orlando City faces the Columbus Crew in a semifinal matchup in the U.S. Open Cup (7 p.m. ET, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network).
The US Open Cup is the oldest soccer competition in the United States, dating back to the 1913-1914 season. The competition has traditionally been open to all soccer teams, both professional and amateur, although this season, the field was limited due to the World Cup schedule.
Orlando advanced by beating USL League One side FC Naples in the round of 32, then topping MLS sides New England Revolution and Atlanta United in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively. Orlando City previously won the U.S. Open Cup in 2022. They have gone five straight without a loss in MLS league play. Antoine Griezmann has scored seven goals and added two assists in the last six matches.
Columbus advanced to the semifinals thanks to wins over the Richmond Kickers, One Knoxville and New York City FC.
Both Orlando City and Columbus have won the competition previously, Orlando in 2022 and Columbus in 2002.
The winner of the semifinal matchup will face the winner of the other semifinal between the Colorado Rapids and St. Louis City in the finals on Oct. 21 for the title and a spot in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
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