Seeking an edge in Republican-dominated Washington politics, Miami-Dade public school officials awarded a federal lobbying contract to an influential Florida firm whose chief officer played a significant role in the election of President Donald Trump last fall.
On the recommendation of Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho, the Miami-Dade School Board on Wednesday awarded a contract that could pay Ballard Partners up to $540,000 over five years beginning July 1. The initial three-year contract pays up to $324,000 and can be extended for two years and pay up to an additional $216,000.
The firm, which earlier this year opened an office in Washington D.C., will “provide federal legislative consulting services to assist in advocating the Board’s interest before the South Florida Congressional Delegation, federal legislative committees, and the Executive Branch, including the Secretaries of Education, Commerce, Health and Human Services and Justice,” according to the school board’s agenda item on the matter
