Yesterday, former Speaker Designate Chris Dorworth announced that he was joining powerhouse lobbying firm Ballard Partners, while earlier this month former Speaker of the House Dean Cannon revealed his plans to hang out his own shingle and create his own lobbying firm.
In addition to the columnists and editorial boards disappointed with these moves, one has to wonder how happy uber lobbying firm GrayRobinson is with Cannon’s and Dorworth’s new jobs.
Before he was Speaker, Cannon was a GR man himself, working for the firm on land use issues and bid protests. Certainly, there had to be some expectation on GrayRobinson’s part that Cannon would come home to the firm after his time in the Legislature — bringing with him a long list of clients and contacts.
It’s been an open secret, long before it was reported on this blog and in traditional media, that Cannon intended to open his own firm. This begs the question why did he not return to GR? I’m told the firm did, in fact, make a run at Cannon, but that Cannon priced himself out of any prospective deal.
Cannon’s decision looks to already be paying off as he is said to be a signature away from inking a deal to rep the Florida Chamber. Look for the Chamber to be only the first of perhaps two dozen lucrative clients Cannon’s new firm signs.
Clients that should have gone GrayRobinson’s way?
The firm can’t be too happy about Dorworth’s plan to expand Ballard Partners’ presence in Orlando, which is GrayRobinson’s backyard. Too many foxes in the hen house, and all that.
Of course, none of the gentlemen and ladies at GrayRobinson will ever have a tart word to say about the two former members. Still, Cannon’s and Dorworth’s moves have to stick in the craw just a bit, right?
