Sunburn — The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics — 10.11.21

By Peter Schorsch    

Good Monday morning.

We have four personnel notes and a wedding to start the day.

Ballard Partners is setting up shop in the Bay State.

The Florida-based firm went national in 2017 and quickly established itself as one of the top players on K Street. In 2020, it went international with an office in Tel Aviv. Now it’s cutting the ribbon on an office in Boston.

Ballard Partners has tapped Eugene O’Flaherty, the former Corporation Counsel for the city of Boston, to run the new operation.

“Along with our offices in Washington, D.C., Florida and Israel, having an office in Boston will provide our clients with greater reach across multiple jurisdictions,” firm founder and President Brian Ballard said.

“We are honored that Gene will be leading our Boston office, given his remarkable career in public service to the State of Massachusetts as a legislator and as Corporation Counsel to the City of Boston.”

As Corporation Counsel, O’Flaherty was the chief legal officer for former Boston Mayor and now U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh. In that role, he managed an office of 60 lawyers, paralegals and administrative staff.

O’Flaherty previously served in the Massachusetts House for 17 years, where he chaired the state’s Judiciary Committee and held the vice chairmanship on the Banks and Banking Committee.

Also joining the Ballard Partners Boston office is Stephen Passacantilli, who previously served as Special Assistant to Walsh, providing transitional assistance for the new mayoral administration and coordinated communication between the Boston City Council and elected officials of the state’s Boston Delegation.

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Walt Disney World and Disney Signature Experiences announced a trio of new additions to their government relations and external affairs teams on Monday.

Elizabeth Watkins joins the Walt Disney World government relations team as Senior Manager of Government Relations and will lead all local government and industry relations.

Watkins most recently worked on the Orlando Health government relations team. Before that, she served as the Florida Grassroots Manager for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, where she oversaw a series of successful public health-related ballot initiatives throughout the 2018 election cycle.

Stefanie Steele joins the external affairs team as Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, leading CSR local initiatives for Walt Disney World.

She most recently served as Director of Government Relations for Project Lead the Way and before that Senior Manager of Government Relations for Florida Virtual School. Stefanie joins incredibly talented CSR professionals, including Steven Miller, Senior Manager for issues management, and Nelson Placa, Senior Manager for CSR and community engagement.

Disney Signature Experiences, meanwhile, added Beth Thibodaux to its Public Affairs team as Director of External Affairs and Corporate Citizenship.

In her new role, she will lead strategic corporate citizenship and government relations efforts to support all Disney Signature Experiences businesses, including Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Vacation Club.

The new team members come as WDW celebrates its 50th anniversary and Disney Cruise Line resumes sailings from Florida.

As part of its 50th-anniversary celebration, Walt Disney World recently announced $3 million in grants to local nonprofits. These grants will help support the mission of six organizations, helping to support important causes and inspire a world of difference for children and families throughout the Central Florida region.

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LSN Partners is announcing today that Gabriel “Gabe” Groisman has joined the firm as a partner.

Groisman is a well-known attorney, advocate, public speaker, and writer who is also the current Mayor of Bal Harbour. At LSN Partners, he will use his experiences, skill set, and network to assist clients in government affairs at the state and national levels.

His addition bolsters LSN Partners’ thriving tech startup and international practices. He will continue to work with many global technology companies and help them navigate the procurement and regulatory affairs processes in the U.S.

Groisman simultaneously joins Llorente & Heckler as a practicing attorney and partner.

“Gabe is a passionate, motivated and hardworking individual. He is a welcomed addition to our exceptional team of professionals,” said founder and managing partner Alexander Heckler.

His hire marks a continuation of LSN’s expansion this year. Last month, bipartisan, full-service consulting firm announced nine additions to the team, including a trio of hires at its Washington D.C. office and several others who will bolster its presence in South Florida.

Groisman comes to LSN from a prestigious law firm where he was a partner and co-chair of the firm’s trade secrets and intellectual property group.

He is a strong advocate for Israel and is a highly sought-after public speaker on fighting antisemitism, the BDS movement and related topics.

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Chris Hodge joins UF/IFAS as the new assistant director for the UF/IFAS Office of Government Affairs. Hodge has spent the last several years working in the House as the legislative assistant to Rep. James Buchanan, the current chair for the House Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee. In his new role, Hodge will assist UF/IFAS Government Affairs Director Mary Ann Hooks in navigating the legislative process through monitoring key legislation, higher education funding and implementing strategies to expand governmental partnerships. He will also coordinate the UF/IFAS Council on Agriculture, Research, Extension, and Teaching.

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Spotted at the wedding of Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald and Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida at Casa Cien in San Miguel de Allende: Jason Delgado, Samantha Gross, Natalie Kato and Tim Nungesser, Elizabeth Koh, Emily Mahoney, Samantha Gross, Zac Sampson, and Tori Schneider.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@AlCardenasFL_DC: Getting a little tired of “tell-all” books by former (Donald) Trump loyalists trying to make money and cleanse themselves of the stench; mostly the former. Specially those who did not say anything till after Nov. ‘20 elections

—@DLeonhardt: In coming weeks and months, it is possible that the virus will surge again — or keep receding. We don’t know, and we do not have to pretend otherwise. We do not have to treat COVID as a character referendum.

—@NaKoleWatson: I don’t think folks realize that 600,000+ people have died. Everything isn’t about “folks don’t wanna work.” Over 600,000 people have died. They worked somewhere.

—@JimmyPatronis: Three years after Hurricane Michael, my love for Northwest Florida has only grown. This is God’s country, and our people are strong and resilient. If you haven’t visited recently, please bring your family down to the Gulf Coast soon. We’d love to have you.

—@EWErickson: My father-in-law has COVID. He was vaccinated. Went for an infusion and the nurse told him she had two more rounds she could give, and the (Joe) Biden Admin wouldn’t send any more because @GovKemp won’t do a vax or mask mandate.

—@AllenWest: I can attest that, after this experience, I am even more dedicated to fighting against vaccine mandates. Instead of enriching the pockets of Big Pharma and corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, we should be advocating the monoclonal antibody infusion therapy.

—@BenBeckerANJax: I have obtained this email sent by Jacksonville Aviation Authority COO Tony Cugno to the JAA board of directors regarding the delays at JIA on Friday that refutes “rumor” of an organized walkout by controllers regarding vaccination mandate