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by jon l. shebel, publisher
The Way We Do
What We Do
With the 1998 Session of the Florida Legislature convening on March 3rd, the Capitol
Press Corps in Tallahassee, which numbers over 100 reporters during the Session, is busy
calling around to find out the programs of all the special interest groups. This is an
annual occurrence. Here at Associated Industries of Florida, we spend hours on the
telephone and attending meetings with reporters who are preparing their pre-session
stories.
Each year, there are new reporters and they always ask, "How does Associated
Industries go about doing its job?"
This caused me, a few days ago, to sit back and ponder how we have changed the way we
represent the business community since I first joined the Association in March ,1969, the
day prior to the Session opening.
When I arrived, we had two lobbyists, an office manager, an assistant to the office
manager, and me -- the runner -- who was charged with creating a schedule for all the
business lobbyists in town (approximately six). This was the first time a schedule had
ever been prepared because formerly everything was done by word-of-mouth.
How things have changed! Today, our job at Associated Industries starts with elections.
Our Political Department starts its job the day after each election, planning for the next
election. The job of our political research arm, Florida Business United, is to brief
everybody and anybody in the business community interested in being participants in the
elective process. The bottom line is that, in addition to the research which the
Department conducts, the Political Department is responsible for recommending the
placement of over $450,000 contributed by Associated Industries Companies and
approximately $7.2 million contributed by our member companies to legislative campaigns.
After the elections, our Governmental Affairs Department, which has been conducting
research on a year-round basis regarding proactive and defensive legislative positions,
starts meeting with and briefing Legislators. Our 17 lobbyists are definitely the
top-of-the-line in Tallahassee and include a former Speaker of the House, Minority Leader
of the House, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Revenue, as well as
attorneys and experts who have been with us for up to 25 years. They stay in constant
touch with Legislators, not just during the Legislative Session, but in the Legislator's
home district on a year-round basis.
I believed years ago that "communications" would be the name of the game. Our
whole orientation for the last 20 years has been to build up the most sophisticated
communications system in the nation to keep business leaders advised as to how they can
best petition their Legislators on issues of interest to them.
Florida Business Network is the key to our communications system. It is a highly
computerized reporting system that, on the intake side, records every vote, campaign
contribution, bill, media reports, and just about any other data relating to issues and
Legislators. Our computer system enables us to reach every household and business in
Florida and to break them down so we can contact people based on legislative and
congressional districts and issues.
We integrate our Florida Business FaxNet (50,000 faxes in five minutes) with Florida
Business Network, and we have the in-house capability to operate phone banks, which let us
contact people in a Legislator's district and hook them up with their Legislator's office
to talk to them on particular issues.
Direct mail and television and radio commercials are also within our internal
capabilities. We are able to unleash, at a moment's notice, mailings and television and
radio spots within a Legislator's district or on a statewide basis on issues of interest
to business.
This is all in sharp contrast to the way we "stood in the rotunda" (the area
between the House and Senate Chambers) 29 years ago. In those days, that form of lobbying
was very effective and there were very few lobbyists compared to today.
In today's environment, I cannot think of any interest in Florida that does not have a
lobbyist. This is good because Legislators need to hear from every interest in our state
before making their decisions on matters of public policy. It is the goal of Associated
Industries of Florida that they hear from the very best lobbyists from business a number
of times and in a number of formats. That is why we have what has come to be known as the
most effective communications system in the nation.
No longer is lobbying simply standing in the rotunda and trying to nab Legislators as
they walk by. While this is still very important, and because an amendment can change an
entire bill from a positive to a negative or vice-versa on a moment's notice, we employ 16
of the finest lobbyists in Florida to circulate the halls and brief Legislators as to the
latest available information. But without a sophisticated communications system to reach
back into the districts and approach Legislators in a number of ways, an organization
cannot truly say that it has a real lobbying effort in today's environment.
Notwithstanding what many professional lobbyists will tell you, the most effective
lobbyist is someone from "back home in the district."
This magazine is simply one of the tools we use to reach Legislators and the public to
advise them of the business interests in Florida and to convince them that the business
interests are compatible with the interests of the people of Florida.
When the Legislative Session opens on March 3rd, we will have just completed our
Legislative Reception the night before, which is normally attended by around 5,000 people.
We will be geared up and ready to go at daylight to represent the true business interests
before the Legislature. I guess that is why Associated Industries has been known over the
years as "The Voice of Florida Business."
Jon L. Shebel is president & CEO of
Associated Industries of Florida and affiliated corporations.
March/April 1998 -- Florida Business Insight, PO Box 784,
Tallahassee, Fla 32302
(850)224-7173, insight@aif.com |
