12/5/1989 - Laserfiche WebLink

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corporation in Missouri supplying a wide range of social and economic services to counties there. Commissioner Scurlock asked who Mr. McGuffey knows in Tallahassee. Mr. McGuffey stated that he knows State Representative Dale Patchett and all of the County's delegation. He explained that he is not a lobbyist who came from the Florida Legislature or the State of Florida government. There are a number of those who are available and are in Tallahassee, and they are effective and usually very expensive. He noted that the State Association of Counties was mentioned, and certainly the county wants to belong to them. Mr. McGuffey continued that there are 8 counties in the state who currently employ full time focal lobbyists, and obviously, these are the larger counties. Martin County is the smallest county that has one. The lobbyists do work with the Association of Counties which also works with the League of Cities and sometimes there is conflict between the city and county. The State Association of Counties currently works on broad issues that affect all the 67 counties; the Association wilt not work on a particular local Biti that you might want passed, and they will not work on your appropriations to get a bridge built or for a certain road. They do not work on individual things. Commissioner Scurlock did not believe the Commission needs a dissertation on what a lobbyist does. He believed we alt know our own Legislative Delegation, and he also believed that to be a good lobbyist you need to know a tot of people and have some background with them. What he is trying to determine is something Mr. McGuffey can do for us that is different than the resources we already have. Mr. McGuffey stated that frankly he does not have the background yet to go in and see the President of the Senate where no one else can, and he cannot necessarily go and see the Speaker of the House any more than any other. If he needed to see these DEO 196 61 ROOK 78 F�.,:�5�