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Expressway Board OKs Seeking Lobbyist Bids

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By RICH SHOPES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 23, 2007

TAMPA - The Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority is looking to hire a lobbyist, less than a year after the state's auditor general said the practice might not be legal.

On Monday, the authority's board voted to schedule interviews with two Tallahassee-based lobbying firms competing to represent the authority at next year's legislative session. The firms are Southern Strategy Group and Smith, Bryan & Meyers Inc.

Joseph Waggoner, the authority's executive director, said he needs help keeping tabs on pending state legislation and that he won't have time to travel to Tallahassee. The authority operates the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

'I just need help and the staff here is small,' he said.

Waggoner stressed that the lobbyist will work on an interim basis of six to nine months and that eventually the board will hire an in-house 'government relations manager.' There isn't time to conduct a job search and interviews before the legislative session starts next spring, he said.

The authority got into hot water last year when the auditor general complained it paid $1.5 million for lobbying services from July 2001 to June 2006. State law forbids public money from being spent on lobbying by outside firms, according to the auditor general.
Board attorney Patrick Maguire disputed the auditor general's interpretation, however, and said other agencies, including the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority and Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, frequently use outside lobbyists.

The authority hasn't figured out how much to pay the firm but expressway officials said it should be less than the in-house position, from $67,933 to $101,878, plus benefits.

Interviews are set for next month. A recommendation to the full board could happen by its next meeting Nov. 19.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.

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