Sunburn — The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics — 2.25.22

By Peter Schorsch    

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.

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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 Mead ($2.8 million)

— No. 17: Anfield Consulting ($2.8 million)

— No. 18: Johnston & Stewart Government Strategies ($2.7 million)

— No. 19: Rutledge Ecenia ($2.7 million)

— No. 20: Becker & Poliakoff ($2.6 million)

— No. 21: Foley & Lardner ($2.5 million)

— No. 22: The Fiorentino Group ($2.5 million)

— No. 23: Ramba Consulting Group ($2.2 million)

— No. 24: RSA Consulting Group ($2 million)

— No. 25: McGuireWoods Consulting ($1.9 million)

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@ZelenskyyUa: Russia treacherously attacked our state in the morning, as Nazi Germany did in #2WW years. As of today, our countries are on different sides of world history.  has embarked on a path of evil, but  is defending itself & won’t give up its freedom no matter what Moscow thinks.

Tweet, tweet (graphic material):

—@TimWronka: Can we just have one year that doesn’t already suck by February? ONE YEAR.

—@MarcoRubio: One day, the world will be awed when it hears the stories of the bravery and heroism happening at this very moment in #Ukraine

—@BrianMastFL: I’ve lived war. I’ve left body parts on the battlefield. There is no redeeming value in it. We must return to peace through strength diplomacy.

—@Kasparov63: Cannot ignore the political 5th column of (Vladimir) Putin-ists, from the far-right & left in EU to the tankies & (Donald) Trump & his GOP followers in the U.S.. They may have the right to support a brutal dictator’s war in order to criticize (Joe) Biden, but it’s disgusting and anti-American. Do not forget.

—@EWErickson: Just want to know that times like this are why @CNN exists, and it is a good thing. The coverage with reporters on the ground across Ukraine and Russia is impressive.

—@NateSilver538: There are a lot of completely insane takes on here (Twitter) trying to graft various domestic policy grievances onto Ukraine. But it’s mostly people trying to cope with an uncertain and scary situation by groping for something familiar.

—@FabiolaSantiago: I’m just gonna put out there what’s on a lot of people’s minds in #Miami today re #RussiaInvadedUkraine: Now that Putin has helped himself to Ukraine, should Biden help himself to #Cuba? Asking for the 11 or so million humans on the island being crushed 90 miles south of #Florida … And apologies for the navel-gazing, commentary not meant to diminish the horror of what’s happening in #Ukraine #UkraineInvasion Just to point out the #Cuba horrors we ignore — 10, 20, 30-year prison sentences for young people expressing themselves — vs. the ones that outrage us.

Tweet, tweet:

—@MarcACaputo: Lots of chatter about a Trump-(Ron) DeSantis feud, but it’s more rumor than fact at this point that some folks are trying to wish into existence. It’s highly unlikely DeSantis would challenge Trump for President in 24, assuming Trump’s poll numbers remain where they are in the GOP. … Caveat: there is some talk from knowledgeable insiders who could see DeSantis filing to run for President in mid/late 2023 if Trump hasn’t filed by then. So, he technically wouldn’t be challenging Trump, a la Rubio announcing for President prior to Jeb Bush in the 2016 cycle

—@AngieNixon: Some of my colleagues with law degrees don’t know the difference between nationality and ethnicity.