Florida Government Advocacy

The actions of state and local government impact all companies doing business in the state of Florida. You need a team of experienced government advocates on your side that is committed to helping you navigate through often bureaucratic governmental regulations and procedures, use government to the advantage of your business, and prevent the adoption of laws or regulations that could be detrimental to your business.

A Long History Advocating for Clients

For more than 30 years, Holland & Knight has represented clients before Florida government. We understand that the actions of state and local governments can significantly impact the success of your company if it is doing business in Florida. Our team of lawyers and public policy advisors applies our depth of experience, relationships and substantive legal know-how to advocate on your behalf to resolve any issues of concern impacted by Florida government.

Members of the firm's Florida Government Advocacy Team are dedicated to assist you by:

• monitoring legislative activity
• drafting bills or amendments
• seeking sponsors of bills or amendments
• obtaining appropriations
• testifying before legislative committees
• passing legislation that is favorable to your company
• defeating legislation that could be harmful

Our legislative work is not industry specific – we can assist any client who needs to understand the Florida legislative process or is interested in trying to pass or defeat legislation.

The support you receive from our Florida Government Advocacy practice is not limited to representation before the Florida Legislature – we also have a long-standing and extensive executive branch lobbying and state administrative law practice. This practice includes representing clients before the governor, the Florida Cabinet and all state agencies. Our Florida administrative law practice encompasses a wide range of regulatory matters including rulemaking, permitting, negotiations, administrative litigation, compliance and enforcement proceedings, business and professional licensing, and rate making.

The interactions that you have with Florida government extend beyond Tallahassee –we understand how this impacts your company and how you may be able to benefit from a wider range of opportunities. We regularly represent clients before all different types of local governments throughout the state including county commissions, city councils, school boards, transportation authorities, and other local and regional governmental entities. Holland & Knight lobbyists also work with our procurement lawyers who are committed to providing a seamless, integrated approach to helping clients win new business or maintain their existing contracts with Florida state agencies and local governments.

The lawyers and professionals that comprise Holland & Knight's Florida Government Advocacy Team have vast knowledge of Florida's governmental processes and relationships with key governmental decision-makers that have been developed over more than three decades. The team includes lawyers and senior professionals who have served in elected and appointed positions in Florida state government:

• Bob Martinez, former governor of the state of Florida, former Drug Czar under President George H.W. Bush, former mayor of Tampa, and vice chairman, Southwest Florida Water Management District
• Martha Barnett, current member of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, former chair of the Florida Commission on Ethics and former member of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission
• Clay Henderson, former county commission chair for Volusia County
• Fred Dudley, former state senator (chair of Judiciary Committee) and representative
• Braulio Baez, former chair of the Florida Public Service Commission
• Garrett Blanton, former chief of staff of the Florida Department of Management Services, and Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
• Mia McKown, former general counsel to the Florida Department of Citrus and former hearing officer for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• Richard Perez, former general counsel to the Florida Department of State
• Ginny Myrick, former county commissioner for Duval County

Recent Engagements:

• Represented the nation's largest telecommunications company in a contested Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) proceeding involving the client's merger with Florida's largest local telecommunications company. The FPSC's order approving the merger was appealed to the Florida Supreme Court and affirmed.
• Represented one of the nation's largest telecommunications companies before the Florida Legislature in passing legislation to provide for statewide video franchising.
• Eliminated a multimillion dollar sales tax exposure for a client through the combination of an administrative protest to resolve the past liability and lobbying the Legislature for the adoption of a prospective tax exemption.
• Represented a large electric utility in obtaining a need determination from the FPSC for a 283 MW integrated gasification combined cycle power plant and a 633 MW combined cycle plant.
• Represented one of Florida's largest land owners in obtaining water and wastewater utility certificates from the FPSC for a 38,535 acre development.
• Provided an international IT company with representation in a bid dispute and provided subsequent procurement counsel and advice that helped result in our client obtaining a significant state contract.
• Negotiated an amendment to a bill on behalf of a major health care client that, as originally drafted, would have significantly affected the customary business practices of the provider's pay procedures leading to increased administrative costs and possible lost revenue.
• Through negotiations with House and Senate leadership ensured, during a tough budget year, that funding for a hospital association would be held harmless thus allowing these medical facilities to avoid cutting services or closing clinics that provide essential health care services to lower income residents of the state.
• Negotiated on behalf of a national bookstore company an amendment to a bill that, as originally drafted, would have placed new notification requirements on the stores. These new requirements would have placed undue burdens and added administrative costs on these stores thus affecting their ability to provide efficient cost-effective service to their patrons.
• Through coordination with the governor's office and legislative leadership, prevented the introduction of legislation that could have had the effect of completely disrupting a company’s ability to continue providing services to the Executive Branch agencies.
• Represented a statewide association in urging the passage of a measure amending Florida's Administrative Procedure Act (APA). This effort also involved negotiations with representatives of the governor's office.
• Represented entertainment companies in connection with proposals that would have prohibited or restricted their amusement arcade games. These measures were not enacted.
• Represented a major communications company in clarifying a section of the Florida Building Code regarding the required wind-load designs of their facilities. After getting mixed signals from the Florida Building Commission on a proposed Petition for Declaratory Statement, we negotiated a statutory change with the commission, which we lobbied for as an amendment onto an issuing bill during the last few weeks of the 2008 regular session. The bill passed and was signed by the governor. Pending similar adverse actions by other counties were avoided.