Associated Builders and Contractors strengthens lobbying presence in Tallahassee

The Associated Builders and Contractors logo (Pic via tricontristate.com)

Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida has contracted the services of a large legal firm to head its lobbying efforts in Tallahassee for the 2012 legislative session.

SaintPetersBlog reports that “Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida said Tuesday it’s beefing up its legislative presence in the Capitol, hiring GrayRobinson, P.A., which will have six lobbyists working for the building and trades organization.”

GrayRobinson is “a full-service corporate law firm with over 250 attorneys throughout 10 offices across Florida” that provides “legal services for Fortune 500 companies, emerging businesses, lending institutions, local and state governments, developers, entrepreneurs and individuals across Florida, the nation and the world.”

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is “a national association with 75 chapters representing 23,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms with nearly two million employees.” The organization has five chapters and two regional offices in Florida.

The Florida ABC last year supported the “Wage Protection” bill filed by state Rep. Tom Goodson, R-Titusville. Goodson and state Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, recently filed a very similar bill for the 2012 legislative session. The measure would prohibit Florida municipalities from “adopting or maintaining” local ordinances that crack down on wage theft, the practice of stiffing employees out of wages they are due.

Associated Builders and Contractors also has several political action committees “to work within the federal and state election processes,” including several specific to Florida chapters.

ABC has, according to Open Secrets, contributed more than $10.7 million to political campaigns from 1990 through 2012, and over 98 percent of those contributions have gone to Republicans.

Open Secrets also shows that GOP members of Congress from Florida — including Vern Buchanan, Ander Crenshaw, John Mica, Dennis Ross, Tom Rooney, Steve Southerland and C.W. Bill Young — have received contributions from the group.