Lobbying firm hits $1M in first quarter

BY THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

With lobbying firms gradually filing compensation reports, at least one firm topped $1 million in fees during the year's first quarter for work in the Legislature, according to a state website. Capital City Consulting LLC reported hitting the $1 million mark in legislative fees from Jan. 1 through March 31. That included earning $40,000 to $49,999 for representing the insurer Aetna, Inc. and $40,000 to $49,999 for representing Race Tech LLC, according to a report filed in April. Lobbying firms are required to submit quarterly reports that broadly show how much they received from clients. In most cases, the reports list amounts in ranges rather than in specific amounts. Firms face a May 15 deadline for filing reports for the first quarter, but reports have been gradually appearing on a state website during the past month. The first quarter included the annual legislative session. As of Monday morning, at least nine firms had reported earning between $100,000 and $249,999 during the first quarter for their legislative lobbying. They were CAS Governmental Services LLC; Cynergy Consulting LLC; EBS Consulting; Gentry & Associates LLC; GMA Inc.; Louis Betz & Associates Inc.; Paul Hawkes; RSA Consulting Group LLC; and Russ Klenet & Associates, according to the state website.