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Home My WebLink AboutTax Paid Lobbyist_Post_03/29/2012 0 � > 0 � 0 U �y c� 3 � 0 � a� * .� ` � � � ��w , �. �� (�� [ �3.� �R.� �� x � � � p � `�,�� _ ' �• �� u � � �.� �� a _ .. ,� - � �� :� . � � ; � � u .., � � �� , � � � � � � ° �, . � � � �� . ,�� _� � ;� � � ,� _ � z � .� �� .� � '� � � � '�� . .�� . � � . � � �� ' � � a � � . � _ ' � �� . � � _ `� '� r� ��. �� , s �� . �� o. � � � � _ �� S• � s � � � � � �� . � o � �� ._ �. �� .�� e�� . �� . ___.��_ __W�.._.�_.v__._....�.�__�.._W._..� _.____.._�._..._�..__._...�o_��.��_._�_�._._ � . � :� � � � � '. �� g�� ,_.s _ _ � .��...__�__.... c �+ �� ,g�� ,. � , � "' � � ��• �� `��'�� .r��` ��!�� .7.��►` � ;� � e�"� ,�� s�� a� !f, 1�' � .A. �.. � '� �� , �a � . . � � � � �.� � �� i/�1'�" ,.., �g �; � � �� . �. � . �� - _ � � �.. . � � �� .�� "�' �ii� �v� � � � �� A � � -� � � � "' .:, �.s � ��.�� i � . �{. �- �� ,� �� -� � ��. � ,� � � �i 1�� _�_.�r:_ • � �r - _ ----- �- � r■ ,� �� Y�'��. � � �� .� � � � � � � __ �� '�� .�� :� � � � � �Cf� � ; � .�,, ,: � � `' ��.� � �� - ��-, � � � � �� . �� _ ,�i� �� ,� � �: � ,�,,,r�,.� . � . � ��. � � � � � � � g ��g1 � .� , . � '`" ��',,�� .,. � � � � i w� � ��.� �J� .5 .�&'6�� .E � �� -�� ,� �� "- ` �� . :� �_:, � � � � � � _ �'� � .:�� s� +� �� . �� ! � �` �� ..::'� � �� i F � �� .� .�� , �� .G �:��:�� „�„� __ , ' ;� ,.� �� ;��. � � � � �:C`� .. _-- -- ; �'�� .� �, �� .� �� . ° � ��' a . ��° ��I �!r � � � _ � �� '� �,�1 I� � � � � � �� , �� 1 „� •w � � ■! �' �� ,� /'�� ' � . � ' � � � . �� '��v� �+ ,alt�.�� .; ;;-� r � �� e� �� _ �� . � � � -- �.�CF-- � � � �.� �� _ :� � � � �� n. ..�• $' g � �� ,: '� � � w�� s � "`.Ir'"�. . � --� �� y' � 1� t0 ��.s e� ,a r � � ir ip1 �� .- I'v . � �= ef� �D r� � � � � �.w . �� '�� l� � �� 7�{ � �� b� � Q•°'S`�� # �� , � �� -� � � �� ::-y;;�� W �� { `�,� �� - � � � � ��.._ <�, .; �� w�� R� � � � � � � �� _ �- � �� ., � �..w � �� °� � �� :� �� x�� 1 ��a �� f�� http://d igital.ol ivesoftware.com/Ol ive/ODE/PalmBeachPo st/PrintCo... Publication: Palm Beach Post; Date: Mar 29, 2012; Section: Main; Page: 1 A POST EXCLUSIVE Government spending on lobbyists TAX-PAID LOBBYISTS TH RIVE IN COUNTY Governments value their clout, contacts By JOEL ENGELHARDT Palm Beach Post Staff Writer In 2007, Delray Beach fired all of its lobbyists. It hasn't hired another one since. But most big cities sooner would cut parks, libraries or lifeguards than eliminate their clout in Tallahassee and Washington. Even as governments slim down their own once-fat lobbying forces, the professionals paid by one government to bird-dog another thrive. Since 2007, local taxpayers have put up an average of $2.2 million a year for lobbyists, a Palm Beach Post survey of 38 cities and 13 agencies shows. In the past three years, as many cities and agencies have laid off workers to counter declining tax revenues, the average annual lobbying cost has slipped by $322,000. More than half of the county's cities, including Greenacres, North Palm Beach and Lantana, have no lobbyists. The 18 cities that do have lobbyists paid them $5.6 million during the six-year period surveyed by The Post. Aside from cities, The Post surveyed 13 agencies, including Palm Beach County, the school district and the sheriff's office. They paid $7.3 million. Two-thirds of the money went for lobbying in Tallahassee. The rest went to Washington. Most agencies cut lobbyist expenses in recent years, but two paid significantly more. Boca Raton and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office increased their lobbying heft with the addition of the same firm, the influential Boca law firm of Weiss, Handler, Angelos and Cornwell. The firm went from no contracts among surveyed governments three years ago to bringing in the most, $400,000, after it hired former state Senate President Ken Pruitt in 2009. Others that paid more for lobbyists: Riviera Beach, the Palm Beach County Health Care District and the Florida Inland Navigation District, which manages the Intra-coastal Waterway and concentrates most of its lobbying might on Washington. Delray doesn't miss paid presence The reasons for having lobbyists, or not having them, varies from place to place. Delray Beach, the county's fourth-largest city, ended its lobbying efforts in 2007 after it learned that its lobbyist, Kathy Daley, had not registered with state government. Having a paid presence in Tallahassee and Washington hasn't been missed, City Manager Dave Harden said. "We don't feel like it has hurt us," Harden said. "The best lobbying is really when elected officials contact members of the legislature directly themselves or go to Tallahassee and meet with them." Not true, say those who employ lobbyists. Elected officials don't have the time or expertise to influence policy in the fast-paced world of lawmaking. "You've got to have the ongoing contacts up there," Palm Beach County Administrator Bob Weisman said. "It's having the connections and the personal familiarity with these people that gets you the access." 1 of 4 3/29/2012 8:57 AM http:Ud igital.ol ivesoftware.com/Ol i ve/ODE/Pal mBeachPo st/PrintCo... Elected officials simply can't keep up, veteran Miami lobbyist Ron Book said. "They don't understand the ins and outs," he said. "Taxpayers are not well-served by that approach." County takes team approach In 2005, Palm Beach County threw out its approach of in-house staff working with a single lobbyist and hired a team of outsiders that ran up annual bilis topping $470,000. This year, Palm Beach County is paying $285,000 to eight lobbying firms. The county paid the most of all area governments for lobbying over the last six years: $2.2 million. The county went to the team approach to help it regain support in Tallahassee after legislators became angry over the frenzied Scripps Research Institute site search in 2005. Commissioners get a weekly issues summary during the session and the lobbying team makes presentations at commission meetings. Asked to name major achievements, the county's in-house lobbyist Todd Bonlarron, who oversees the entire team, cited money for a Glades water plant, Lake Worth Lagoon cleanup, library money, pill-mill legislation and help in killing bad bills. One that got away, however, came about in the final days of this year's session. A bill enabling the 4,000-acre Callery-Judge citrus grove to become a city passed before county lobbyists could defeat it. Fearing overdevelopment, the county's lobbyists still have a chance, Bonlarron said: They will lobby the governor to veto the bill. The county cut its lobbying payout by 28 percent in the past three years compared with the previous three years, while Boynton Beach cut its spending in ha�f and West Palm Beach's bills went down by 40 percent. Liaison navigates `the red tape' Tequesta, population 5,629, is the county's smallest city with an annual lobbying contract. Its long-running $36,000-a-year relationship with Jack Cory of Public Affairs Consultants is needed, Village Manager Michael Couzzo said, because Cory gets money for projects such as rebuilding the Tequesta Drive Bridge and expanding the water treatment plant. "He is the liaison that gets us through the red tape," Couzzo said. The village could produce no contract for its agreement with Cory and has no interest in putting the position out for bid, Couzzo said, because '�the council feels comfortable with Jack and what he's done for the community." Using 2010 Census figures, Palm Beach spent the most per capita on lobbying: at $42 per resident. Tequesta was second at $38. Most cities spent less than $10 per resident. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw asserts that lobbying saves taxpayers money. For instance, he said, his team of four lobbying firms helped taxpayers avoid paying a $750,000 legal claim to a former corrections officer arrested and falsely accused of running drugs in 2003. "There's no way I could afford a $750,000 hit," he said of the claim that dates to former Sheriff Ed Bieluch's administration. "How many unfunded mandates do those people (legislators) put on us that cost us millions of dollars?" Bradshaw asked. "If you don't have someone fighting for you I guarantee you those are going to happen." The sheriff's office is spending $282,000 for four lobbying firms this year. Ex-state senator a successful lobbyist The Tallahassee lobbyists who were paid the most since 2007, the West Palm Beach law firm of Lewis, Longman & Walker, made $750,000 during the six-year period, although the bulk of that 2 of 4 3/29/2012 8:57 AM http://d ig ital.ol ivesoftware.com/Ol ive/ODE/Pa1mB eachPo st/PrintCo... money came between 2007 and 2009. In the past three years, Weiss Handler, with Pruitt as a lobbyist, secured the most from local governments, at $400,000, while the Lewis firm declined the most. Pruitt resigned from his Senate seat in May 2009 and began lobbying for Boca Raton and the sheriff's office in fall 2009. He observed a two-year ban on lobbying the legislature by registering to lobby the executive branch. The sheriff, who is running for re-election, increased payments to the firm this year, going from about $50,000 a year to $120,000 after adding federal lobbying to the firm's duties. A two-page September 2009 "letter of agreement" is silent on the new financial terms and expanded duties but was the only document provided by the sheriff's office to reflect the relationship. Pruitt, however, no longer works for Weiss Handler. He left for his own firm, The P5 Group. While Boca Raton and the sheriff's office are still paying Weiss Handler, they insist Pruitt is their lobbyist and they have not been informed that he has changed firms. Pruitt and Weiss Handier partner Cynthia Angelos, a former circuit court judge, did not respond to repeated phone calls or letters detailing The Post's questions about his move. School district keeps lobbyist busy Among the most heavily used lobbyists is the Palm Beach County School District's Vernon Pickup- Crawford, a former district employee who formed his own firm in 2004. He is paid $147,000 a year to lobby for the district in Tallahassee and Washington. By forming his own company, he is able to represent other school districts but he points out that Palm Beach County's district benefits as well because it no longer pays an in-house lobbyist and staff. The federal lobbyist topping The Post's survey, Alcalde & Fay, is headed by former area Congressman L.A. °Skip" Bafalis. His firm has handled eight local accounts over the past six years, earning $2 million. Among firms grabbing a bigger share of local business in the past three years are Ballard Partners, which recently added Palm Beach Gardens to a local roster that included Boca Raton and Palm Beach, and the Pittman Law Group, which works for Palm Beach County, Riviera Beach and Royal Palm Beach. Although Florida TaxWatch is a not-for-profit group critical of wasteful government spending, it views lobbyists as a necessary evil, even for one government to employ against another, said Chief Executive Officer pominic Calabro. "There's a lot of value to having a professional lobbyist who's well respected by the parties. There really is, there's no question about it," Calabro said. "It's unfortunate. It's the nature of the beast." Staff researcher Niels Heimeriks contributed to this story. @ joel_engelhardt@pbpost.com 3 of 4 3/29/2012 8:57 AM http://di gitaLol i vesoftware.com/Ol ive/ODE/PalmBeachPo st/PrintCo... Tap 3 fed�er�l 1�bbyists Local governments spent $4.4 million to lobby Washington since 2001, with $3.6 million paid t� these three firms. Primary 2007-12 lobbyist Firm Municipal clients pay 1. L.A. Alcade Curre�t: Florida Inland hlavlgatlon afstrfct, $2,053,fi80 -�� `�� :. `Skip' � �ay Palrn Beach County, Boca Raton, Riv(era Beach �'�-.�-� Bafalis Farm�r. Palm Beach County School Dfstrict, Ch1ldr�n's SerYfces Councll, D�elray Beach,Jupl�er � � 2. Eric R. �1•�• Current: Boynton Beach $8fi8,02fl r-•. �'; `",�; Hanson Strat�ies Forme�: Palm B�ea�h County ��5 -� - C�rP- �. .`,�. 3. Hol�and Current: West Palm Beach $684,D00 " '� :. Richard and Formef: None �� Gold Knight _� 4 of 4 3/29/2012 8:57 AM http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Ol ive/ODE/PalmBeachPost/PrintCo... Publication: Palm Beach Post; Date: Mar 29, 2012; Section: Main; Page: 13A Top 10 Tallahassee lobbyists Local governments have spent $8.7 million on lobbyists in Tallahassee since 2007. The top 10 account for$5.3 million. Primary 2007-12 lobbyist Frm Municipal clients pay 1.Terry Lewis, Longman Current:None $751,226 �°��'"'' Lewls &Walker Fortner:West Palm Beach,Lake Worth � '�' Drainage DistriCt,Northern Palm County �- County Improvement District,Ocean Ridge 2.Vemon Schoolhouse Current: Palm Beach County $694,400 Pickup- Consulting Group School District .r�- Crawford Former:None 3. Brian Ballard Partners, Current:Boca Raton, Palm $667,100 ^ � Ballard formerly Smith Beach, Palm Beach Gardens , &Ballard Former:Boynton Beach 4.Tom Resource Group Current: Palm Beach County 5561,500 ,;� DeRita Sheriff's Office _ Former:Palm Beach Gardens, Riviera Beach 5.1on Keefe,Anchors, Current:Children's Services Council, 5555,000 .� .-,,p C.Moyle Gordon&Moyle Florida Inland Navigation District =- 1�. (formerlyASG Former:None Citigatron Group) 6.James North American Current:None $499,425 ,:�,�;; Harvey Strategies Former:Wellington, Northem Palm (formerly Florida BeaCh County Improvement District � Govt.Strategies) <- , 7. Ronald Ronald L. Book Current: Royal Palm Beach* $460,000 � Book PA Former:West Palm Beach ;1, � � 8.Ken The P5 Group Current: Boca Raton, Palm $400,000 Pruitt (formerly with Weiss, Beach County Sheriff's Office Handler,Angelos Former:None - &Cornwelp 9.Sean Pittman Law Current: Palm Beach County, $400,000 `� � Pittman Group Riviera Beach* " ' Former.None 10.Clark Fearington Smith Current:Health Care District $317,500 -_ Smith &Ralston of Palm Beach County Former:None "Pittman Law Group and Ronald L.800k PA work together on contracts for Riviera Beach and Royal Palm Beach. Sources:Cities and agencies provided cantracts and other informalion in response to public records requests fmm 7he Palm Beach Post,which based its analysis on their responses. 1 of 1 3/29/2012 8:59 AM http://digitaLol i vesoftware.com/U I ive/vU�/Yalm13 eachYosbYrintCo... Publication: Palm Beach Post; Date: Mar 29, 2012; Section: Main; Page: 13A Local governments' spending on lobbyists Local governments spent $13 million on lobbyists since 2007 but cut spending by nearly $1 million in the most recent three-year period. 2007-09 amount 2010-12 amount Change Palm Beach County $207,500 5616,000 $408,500 Sheriff's Office Health Care District $182,441 $283,698 $101,257 Florida Inland Navigation District $324,000 $396,000 $72,000 South Florida Water Management District $45,000 $48,000 $3,000 Seacoast Utility Authority $2,800 $0 $(2,800) Northern Palm Beach County Improvement Dist. $50,160 $35,670 $(14,490) Solid Waste Authority $165,500 $150,000 ${15,500) Indian Trail Impvmnt. Dist. $45,555 $24,000 $(21,555) Port of Palm Beach $124,100 $100,000 $(24,100) Children's Services Council $288,000 $189,000 $(99,000) School District of Palm Beach County $803,600 $659,864 $(143,736) Lake Worth Drainage Dist. $420,150 $98,400 $(321,750) Palm Beach County $1,357,520 $884,000 $(473,520) AGENCIES'TOTAL $4,016,326 S3,484,632 S(531,G94) 2007-09 amount 2010-12 amount Change Boca Raton $367,500 $546,000 $178,500 Riviera Beach $202,000 $360,000 $158,000 Belle Glade $0 $90,000 $90,000 South Bay $0 $18,750 $18,750 Royal Palm Beach $180,000 $180,000 $0 Tequesta $108,000 $108,000 $0 Gulf Stream $1,000 $0 $(1,000) Lake Park $60,000 $54,000 $(6,000) Palm Beach $180,000 $173,100 $(6,900) Ocean Ridge $12,006 $0 $(12,006) Loxahatchee Groves $22,000 $0 ${22,000) Jupiter $155,000 $120,000 ${35,000) Lake Worth $94,500 $30,000 $(64,500) Palm Beach Gardens $165,000 $72,000 $(93,000} Wellington $381,483 $286,425 $(95,058) Delray Beach $108,000 $0 $(108,000) Boynton Beach $362,875 $180,000 $(182,875) West Palm Beach $633,000 $378,000 $(255,000) CITIES'TOTAL $3,032,364 S2,596,275 S(436,089) ALL LOBBYING $7,048,690 S6,080,907 S(967,783) Sources:Cities and agencies provided conVacts and other information in response to public records reques[s from The Palm 8each Post,which based its anatysis on their respanses. 1 of 1 3/29/2012 8:57 AM