Ron Book Has Made $1 Million Lobbying This Year; Lincoln Diaz-Balart Got Rich Off Genting

By Tim Elfrink Wed., May 16 2012 at 10:00 AM

Ron Book

It's only May, but South Florida super-lobbyist Ron Book is already having one hell of a year in Tallahassee. This week, lobbyists filed their reports for 2012's first quarter and since January, Book has already topped $1 million in fees. Who's paying him all that cash? Along with every other city in Broward and Dade, he's raked in big paydays from AT&T -- which fought to change a tax rule -- and from the West Flagler Kennel Club, which helped kill a bill to add three resort casinos to Florida.

Book's not the only local lobbyist having a good 2012. Malaysian giant Genting threw big money at former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart in its losing bid to bringing a casino to downtown Miami.

Book is one of three lobbyists to report more than $1 million in earnings in the first three months of 2012. (The others are Ballard Partners, which has offices in five cities, and Tally's Southern Strategy Group.)

Book's single biggest payday came from A Place From Mom, a Seattle-based company that refers seniors to assisted living homes. It's not clear what they were lobbying for in Tally this year, but apparently it was worth $60,000.

There's no mystery about Book's second biggest client, West Flagler Kennel Club. Along with other pari-mutuels, they fought successfully to kill the bill to bring a massive new casino to downtown Miami; they spent $50,000 with Book.

The company on the losing end of that fight, Genting, didn't hold back its own lobbying fees. The firm spent $75,000 with Diaz-Balart's lobbying group, Western Hemisphere Strategies, plus another $75K with Foley & Lardner, a Tallahassee firm.

Here are Book's biggest spenders. (Bear in mind that almost 100 other clients also spent $10,000 or more. Check out Book's full report here, and feel free to join Riptide in cursing yourself for not choosing a lobbying career.)

$50,000 or more
A Place for Mom
AT&T
West Flagler Kennel Club, Inc

$30,000 or more
University of Miami
Public Health Trust-Jackson Memorial Hospital
Advocate Program, The
Carlisle Development Group
Florida Regional Councils Association
Miami Project/Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis
Miami-Dade County

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Tags:

Genting, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Ron Book

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Xclient

Book will end up in jail or dead before his time. Karma.

Pee in the Bay

Ron Book is sleazy and lobbyists on all the aisles are sleazy. But Book even breaks the law in cities and counties that pay him. No morals. This is the guy who sent people to set up camps under the Julia Tuttle Causeway so they could pollute Biscayne Bay. Then he lied.

Sir_Elton_Juan

Lobbyist make good money, and they come from both sides of the aisle, now get over it.

Mrs Book

With all that money , Book should go out and buy a personable personality, instead of the obnoxious, lower than dog shit persona he has....all the money in the world can't buy class. He will severly pay the price one day ,for his unscrupulous,unethical actions.

Rtlrtr

So what if he lacks personality ! Bottom line, he gets by clients that respect him for his ability to get the job done

Creep

Ron Book is the same guy who was taking money from Miami-Dade County while he was part owner of a company installing illegal billboards in N. Miami. N.Miami is in Miami-Dade County. Scumbag lobbyist.