Top 10 firms report solid revenue growth in Q1 of 2026; Southern Group takes top spot, followed by Ballard Partners

The Top 10 firms in Florida lobbying held their ground in the first quarter of 2026.

Newly filed compensation reports show the same 10 firms holding the same rankings they held at the close of 2025 — no newcomers, no drop-offs and no leapfrogging. And for the first time in a couple of years, every single Top 10 firm reported quarter-over-quarter revenue growth.

The latest compensation filings, covering Jan. 1 through March 31, show the state’s premier lobbying shops collectively riding another Session-season surge as lawmakers returned to Tallahassee for a contentious Regular Session that ultimately spilled into a Special Session on the budget that’s expected to conclude this week.

Florida lobbyists and lobbying firms faced a May 15 deadline to file first-quarter compensation reports. The figures below reflect filings received by the deadline, though late reports could marginally increase totals in the coming weeks.

Florida Politics estimates lobbying revenues using the median value of the compensation ranges disclosed on quarterly reports. Actual earnings may be materially higher, especially for firms that triggered the state’s highest reporting brackets.

At the top once again: The Southern Group.

The firm led by Paul Bradshaw reported an estimated $12.41 million in Q1 revenues, up 6.5% from the fourth quarter of 2025 and comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. Ballard Partners again landed in the No. 2 slot with $10.44 million, while Capital City Consulting maintained its grip on third at $8.33 million.

The rest of the Top 10 included Rubin Turnbull & Associates, GrayRobinson, Ronald L. Book PA, Corcoran Partners, The Advocacy Partners, Greenberg Traurig and SBM Partners.

GrayRobinson, led by Dean Cannon, and SBM Partners, the firm formerly known as Smith Bryan & Myers, had particularly successful quarters, reporting revenue bumps of 15.7% and 15.9%, respectively. Most of the remaining firms clustered in the more modest 5% to 10% growth range.

Capital City Consulting continued perhaps the steadiest long-term climb in the industry. Since Q2 2024, the team led by co-founders Nick Iarossi and Ron LaFace has grown from $6.51 million in quarterly earnings to $8.33 million with no meaningful dips along the way.

The Southern Group, however, remains the biggest overall growth story in raw dollars. The firm has expanded from $8.87 million in Q2 2024 to $12.41 million today — roughly a 40% increase over eight quarters.

Ronald L. Book PA again led the field in revenue-per-lobbyist efficiency, with the four-person team led by named partner Ron Book generating roughly $705,000 per registered lobbyist. Capital City Consulting followed at roughly $595,000 per lobbyist, while the shop run by Bill Rubin and Heather Turnbull also checked in north of $500,000.

Per-lobbyist revenues were more modest at GrayRobinson and Greenberg Traurig, though both are known as combination legal-lobbying firms with service offerings well beyond legislative and executive advocacy.

Ballard Partners also occupies a category of its own. The Florida practice helmed by Brian Ballard generated more than $10 million this quarter, but the Tallahassee revenues, while undeniably significant, represents only a small slice of what has become the country’s most lucrative federal lobbying operation. The firm’s national expansion accelerated during President Donald Trump’s first administration, held ground via bipartisan roster building during the Joe Biden years and rocketed to the top during Trump 2.0.

Floridian Partners, Metz Husband & Daughton and Arrow Group Consulting all finished just below the Top 10 cutoff at roughly $1.95 million, $1.85 million and $1.74 million, respectively. All three have been on the bubble for a couple of quarters, and MHD is no stranger to the Top 10 historically, so a shakeup in the rankings could be in store when Q2 reports drop in mid-August