Local

State agency heads step down as lobbying ban extension approaches

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The new year will bring new restrictions for lawmakers and government officials in Florida.

A 2018 voter-approved constitutional amendment goes into effect Saturday and will make government leaders have to wait a lot longer before they can lobby their former employers.

Nearly 79 percent of Florida voters said yes to the lobby ban extension in 2018.

UNF political science professor Dr. Michael Binder said oftentimes when public officials leave their positions, they quickly find themselves in the private sector lobbying the body or agency they once were a part of.

“Kind of the revolving door from public official to a paid lobbyist. Kind of the fat cat lobbyist. That stereotype,” said Binder.

Currently, state lawmakers, state agency heads, school board members, and other local elected officials have to wait two years after leaving their position before they can go back and lobby their former employers.

The constitutional amendment kicking in Saturday triples the wait time to six years.

“You want to avoid the idea that serving in government is really the first step to then lobbying government for much larger paychecks on the back end,” said Binder.

But just ahead of the new restrictions taking effect, at least four state agency heads plan to step down.

Among them, are DEO Secretary Dane Eagle, AHCA Secretary Simone Marstiller, Executive Director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Terry Rhodes and Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier.

Their immediate predecessors have gone into a wide array of positions.

Former DEO Secretary Ken Lawson now serves as Senior Advisor for McChrystal Group, a management consulting group.

Former Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty went on to found a Tallahassee-based consulting firm specializing in the insurance industry.

Former ACHA Secretary Mary Mayhew now heads the Florida Hospital Association.

Julie Jones, the last Executive Director of FLHSMV, is the only one to stay in government, serving as head of the department of corrections and now as Deputy Chief Financial Officer.

Dr. Binder argued at the end of the day, the current agency heads have nothing to lose by skirting the ban and nothing to gain by hanging in for a few more days or months.

“If you’re thinking about it or considering maybe getting into the lobbying sphere down the road, January of 2025 is a lot sooner than January of 2029,” said Binder.

There is a case against the lobbying ban extension.

In the past, some public officials have argued the limitations on future job prospects could reduce the pool of candidates by discouraging some people from entering public service.

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