155min
Good Friday morning.
The Senate and House passed their spending plans last week, and there’s a $3.3 billion gap between them that will need to be bridged during budget conference meetings between the chambers.
But those can wait until Monday, according to a joint memorandum issued Thursday.
“Senators and Representatives can expect budget conference meetings to begin next week and, therefore, should feel free to return to their districts this weekend upon the conclusion of their scheduled obligations in Tallahassee,” the memo reads.
Suppose you’re looking for someone to thank. In that case, the memo credits Senate Budget Chief Kelli Stargel and House Budget Chief Jay Trumbull and their “outstanding staff” for making “great progress toward finalizing joint allocations.”
It continues, “Worth noting, the Senate and House budgets were already aligned in many key areas.”
So, what does the memo mean for us onlookers? Enjoy your weekend — it’s likely your last chance to relax before Sine Die.
___
With 2021 in the books, it’s time to look at the … well, books of the top lobbying firms in the state.
Florida Politics parsed the reports submitted by firms that lobby the state government to compile a definitive list of the state’s top lobbying shops, at least in terms of revenues.
The list follows Florida Politics’ reporting on lobbying firms’ quarterly compensation numbers.
For those who need a refresher, the Top-5 firms in the fourth quarter were The Southern Group, Ballard Partners, Capital City Consulting, Ron Book and GrayRobinson. We also dived into Q4 earnings numbers for the mid-major firms.
All of those firms showed up in the year-end rankings. You can get all the details by reading the full Top-25 breakdown on Florida Politics, but here’s the short version:
— No. 1: The Southern Group ($22 million)
— No. 2: Ballard Partners ($18.8 million)
— No. 3: Capital City Consulting ($17.1 million)
— No. 4: Ronald L. Book PA ($10.3 million)
— No. 5: GrayRobinson ($9 million)
— No. 6: Greenberg Traurig ($8 million)
— No. 7: Rubin, Turnbull & Associates ($7.5 million)
— No. 8: Corcoran Partners ($5.9 million)
— No. 9: The Advocacy Group at Cardenas Partners ($5.9 million)
— No. 10: Metz Husband & Daughton ($5.5 million)
— No. 11: Smith Bryan & Myers ($5.4 million)
— No. 12: Johnson & Blanton ($4.5 million)
— No. 13: Floridian Partners ($4.3 million)
— No. 14: PooleMcKinley ($4 million)
— No. 15: The Mayernick Group ($2.9 million)
— No. 16: Dean...
