Johnson & Blanton, one of the premier Florida lobby houses to specialize in health-care advocacy, is one of the members of the elite million-dollar club in reported earnings for the first quarter of 2014 — with more than $1.4 million in fees.
With a roster of four heavyweight lobbyists — principals Travis Blanton and Jon Johnson, along with Amy Christian and Melanie Brown — Johnson & Blanton brought in reported maximums of $879,955 in legislative and $529,956 in executive fees, for a total of up to $1,409,911.
Blanton had served as chief of staff for the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the agency responsible for administering Florida’s $20 billion Medicaid program and the regulation of health care facilities throughout the state.
As expected in a firm that concentrates on healthcare advocacy, the largest on the list of 51 legislative and 51 executive clients include some of the largest Florida hospital chains.
Both Florida Hospital and the Florida Hospital Association, joined by the American Federation for Children, paid Johnson & Blanton a maximum of $49,999 in Q1 legislative fees.
Next on the list is BayCare Health System, Inc, which also provided up to $39,999.
Not content with just healthcare, the Johnson & Blanton client list at the maximum of $29,999 level include a diverse range of industry leaders:
- Florida Engineering Society, representing Florida’s second-largest employment industry
- Florida Retail Federation
- Correctional mental health service provider GEO Care, Inc
- Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc
- Sacred Heart Health System
- Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare
As for executive advocacy, the biggest payday was from FCCI insurance Group, which gave up to $29,999 in Q1 2014.
In the maximum $19,999 category, Johnson & Blanton’s executive client list is equally wide-ranging:
- Student loan giant Sallie Mae, Inc (Sallie Mae)
- Jupiter Medical Center
- Technology company Hewlett Packard Company
- Halifax Health
- GEO Care, Inc.
- Florida Society of Anesthesiologists
- Florida Power & Light Company
