d. qualifications and experienceProvide a brief discussion of the firm’s understanding and approach to the work described herein.
Gomez Barker Associates, Inc. offers to the City of South Miami the continued team
of highly experienced and successful executive and legislative lobbyists with significant knowledge of handling funding and policy initiatives.
Gomez Barker Associates, Inc. is a statewide
government relations and public affairs consulting firm that provides services to state and local governments, international and domestic businesses and organizations, and social, educational,
and economic promotion entities. Activities include legislative and agency advocacy, research and analysis, resource development, and strategic communications. Incorporated in 1990,
the firm has been successfully serving the government relations needs of a diverse client base since 1987.
The firm has an outstanding record of results, from securing hundreds of
millions of dollars to garnering approval of important policy goals. Currently Gomez Barker Associates represents over thirty (30) clients who engage it as either primary lobbyist or
as an integral part of a lobbying team. The range of issues covered include appropriations, taxation, education, economic development, health care, insurance, telecommunications, energy,
solid waste, storm water and wastewater, growth management, transportation, professional regulation, criminal justice, building code, culture, historic preservation, banking and finance,
developmental services, tourism and hospitality, parks and recreation, environmental protection, security, and technology.
Gomez Barker Associates is skilled at representing clients
before all levels of government. With offices in Miami and Tallahassee, the firm delivers a broad reach while retaining its traditional brand of highly personalized service. The President
of Gomez Barker Associates, Fausto B. Gomez, is recognized as one of Florida’s most effective government relations and public affairs counselors and his experience is the cornerstone
of the firm’s success. Florida Trend magazine called him “a leading lobbyist, polite and intellectual, who analyzes strategy and picks his spots carefully.” The Orlando Sentinel described
him as one of the “top” lobbyists in Florida and Miami Today ranked him among the best lobbyists in Miami-Dade County. Two newspapers that circulate primarily among Hispanics, Diario
Las Americas and Exito, have identified him as among Miami’s most effective public affairs representatives. And the Miami Herald labeled Mr. Gomez as one of the “most influential” lobbyists
working in the state and has selected him to serve on their panel to review and evaluate the Florida Legislature.
Mr. Gomez founded Gomez Barker Associates in 1987 after successfully
serving as Director of Legislative Relations for Florida International University and as Administrative Assistant to then City of Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre. Similarly, the entire staff
of Gomez Barker Associates also served in support positions to elected officials at either the state or local
level. That history, coupled with extensive lobbying experience, allows the firm to possess an appreciation and understanding of legislative and agency processes, including the particular
needs and culture of local governments. The unique lobbying philosophy of Gomez Barker Associates is born of this. The firm believes in a team method of lobbying, incorporating City
of South Miami officials and others who may be engaged in support of the City’s legislative program, and it is pro-active in its approach - it identifies opportunities and acts on them
while concurrently anticipating problems and preemptively addressing them - within the context of a series of interrelated elements and these constitute its lobbying approach:
Intelligence
and Communication. Fundamental to the ability to impact state policy is a basic knowledge of the law and administrative rules; the ability to learn of the existence and content of proposals
to change said laws and rules; and the competency to evaluate the effect of those changes on the interests of the clients of the firm. There are two keys to garnering effective intelligence:
experience and access, both of which the Team enjoys. The firm's staff meets with legislators, legislative staff, and agency personnel on a regular basis to determine what issues are
of concern to them; anticipate initiatives and plans; and develop an appreciation of the opportunities for securing resources or favorable changes to law. Prior to the legislative session,
the Team would “trial balloon” the legislative program of the City of South Miami in order to obtain first-hand knowledge of how decision-makers will receive it and what modifications
may need to occur. Paramount is an understanding of the context in which the proposal(s) are going to be considered. Communication with the City of South Miami will be through written
materials, oral interaction, and meetings. The information conveyed will be focused, accurate, and reflective of its importance to the success of the City's initiatives.
Preparation.
The legislative program of the City of South Miami should be reflective of the needs of the City and the information obtained by the Team through the process described above. In order
to maintain credibility in the legislative environment, every item must be specific, measurable, achievable, and reasonable. The Team will work with the City of South Miami officials
to develop strategy, prepare a legislative program; provide guidance with the drafting of legislation, budget requests, and presentation materials; and advise in the legislative agenda
process. It is important to note that the Team would be the City of South Miami’s legislative agent, and therefore, the Mayor, Commission, Manager, and staff of the City solely determine
what is ultimately included in the final program.
Presentation and Monitoring. The Team will present the City of South Miami’s legislative program to the appropriate substantive and
appropriations committees as well as meet individually with key legislators. This is to explain the program and respond to any questions they may have. The Team will testify on behalf
of the City and articulate the City of South Miami’s position during the drafting and deliberation process. Monitoring occurs through day-to-day participation in all legislative sessions,
pertinent committee meetings,
discussions with individual legislators and staff, and through a legislative data service. The Team subscribes to a legislative information system that provides us with the most comprehensive
monitoring capability currently available.
Involvement and Coordination. Officials of the City of South Miami will be encouraged to communicate with key policy-makers about the goals
and objectives of the legislative program and to visit Tallahassee during specific times of the legislative year. In order to be most effective, these communications would be planned
and coordinated with the staff of the Team who will schedule meetings, review correspondence, and brief City officials prior to any meeting.
Collateral Support. The Team will identify
other organizations or governments that share common legislative goals and coordinate lobbying strategy with them. This is in order to broaden the reach and legislative base of support
for the City of South Miami. It will also review the plans of other entities to identify issues that the City can support or may have to oppose.
Action and Perseverance. The Team will
lobby and provide year-round representation at both the legislative and executive agency level. The same effort will be expended on behalf of the City's intergovernmental efforts.
Public
Affairs. The Team will promote to the legislators, legislative staff, and executive officials an understanding of the mission, role, and scope of the City of South Miami in order to
facilitate legislative requests. This is particularly important with members outside of the City of South Miami Legislative Delegation.
Each member of the lobby team will be involved
in every task described above and will be conversant with all aspects of the City’s legislative priorities. Specific lead assignments would be generated based on areas of expertise.
For
twenty-three years Gomez Barker Associates has successfully provided services similar to those requested in the RFP to an impressive array of local governments and private sector organizations.
The firm will call upon that experience and assist the City of South Miami by: 1) Conducting research and maintaining City officials informed of pertinent initiatives and plans related
to funding or policy through meetings, written materials, and/or oral communications; 2) Monitoring legislation and agency actions which may impact on the City’s fiscal and programmatic
interests and articulate the position of City officials during the drafting and deliberation process; 3) Supporting City officials in the preparation and presentation of the City’s legislative
agenda(s) and proposal(s); 4) Assisting City officials develop legislative strategy in order to advance the City’s goals and/or amend or defeat proposals adverse to them; 5) Reviewing
the plans of other entities to identify issues that the City can support or may need to oppose; 6) Scheduling meetings and visits with
legislators, administration officials, and staff in order to strengthen relationships and thereby facilitate the City’s requests; 7) Providing year round representation and support at
all levels of government, with offices and staff available in both Tallahassee and Miami-Dade County; and, 8) Furnishing to City officials an understanding and analysis of the context
in which decisions affecting the City will be made.
The executives and staff of Gomez Barker Associates know that they can provide effective representation of the City of South Miami.
The firm offers a range of skills and contacts without peer and has extensive involvement in the civic, political, and economic life of the State and South Florida. The firm would
be honored to continue representing the City of South Miami and assist it in continuing to obtain the fiscal and programmatic resources that it requires and has enjoyed during our representation.
A resume of the individual(s)/firm; who will work on City matters and a statement identifying the individual(s) who will attend meetings and have primary responsibility for City matters
and whether the individual(s) represents other municipalities.
The workload of the City of South Miami will be handled with the current staff and resources of Gomez Barker Associates.
The firm is solely focused on legislative and agency representation - it has no outside interests such as law, marketing, or public relations - and is singularly dedicated to effectively
representing clients as lobbyists and public affairs counselors. And because of its existing representation of other municipalities, the additional obligations of representing the City
of South Miami can be incorporated within the knowledge base of the firm. Training is not required.
Fausto Gomez will serve as the designated contact for the City of South Miami.
Joining him in this assignment would be Manny Reyes and Evan Power. These gentlemen will perform the hands on tasks of advancing the legislative agenda for the City of South Miami.
Their qualifications are detailed below and their resumes are included under Tab 7 of this document.
Fausto B. Gomez founded Gomez Barker Associates in 1987 after successfully serving
as Director of Legislative Relations for Florida International University and as Administrative Assistant to then City of Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre. Similarly, the entire staff of Gomez
Barker Associates also worked in government at either the state or local level and the knowledge gained there, coupled with extensive lobbying experience, allows the firm to possess
an appreciation and understanding of legislative and agency process, including the particular needs and culture of local governments.
During his term at FIU, Mr. Gomez was responsible
to the President for the development, implementation, and overall leadership of the governmental relations program of the University. He helped secure an increase of 132% in legislatively
appropriated funds; obtained legislative approval for upgrading the University to a four-year comprehensive institution with an increased range of masters and doctoral programs; launched
the $160 million Comprehensive University Plan; garnered state resources for constructing five (5) major campus facilities; and obtained more academic program approvals than all other
public universities in Florida combined. Subsequently, Mr. Gomez has represented a number of different interests before the Florida Legislature, executive agencies, local governments
in South Florida, and federal authorities.
Mr. Gomez is recognized as one of Florida's most effective government relations and public affairs counselors and his experience is the cornerstone
of the firm's success. Florida Trend magazine called him “a leading lobbyist, polite and intellectual, who analyzes strategy and picks his spots carefully.” The Orlando Sentinel and
the St. Petersburg Times both described him as one of the “top” lobbyists in Florida and Miami Today ranked him among the best
lobbyists in Miami-Dade County. A newspaper that circulates primarily among Hispanic's, Diario Las Americas, has identified him as among Miami's most effective public affairs representatives.
And the Miami Herald labeled Mr. Gomez as one of the “most influential” lobbyists working in the state and has selected him to serve on their panel to review and evaluate the Florida
Legislature. Mr. Gomez is the principal submitting this Proposal.
Manuel “Manny” Reyes has been with Gomez Barker Associates for over thirteen (13) years. Prior to joining the Gomez
Barker firm Mr. Reyes served on the campaign staff to various public officials, including now Congressmen Kendrick Meek, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro.
He has ties to local and state politics, education, and various community service and humanitarian organizations. In addition to his profession Mr. Reyes has volunteered and served
on the Boards of City Year, Best Buddies International, Habitat for Humanity, La Liga Contra el Cancer (The League Against Cancer), Next In Line, as well as numerous other philanthropic
organizations that serve the Miami community. The St Petersburg Times publicly recognized him as the best young lobbyist working in Tallahassee.
Mr. Reyes works at both the Miami
and Tallahassee offices of Gomez Barker, engaging in lobbying and communications with officials at all levels in the Legislature and executive agencies. In addition to lobbying, research,
and political analysis, Mr. Reyes has supervisory responsibilities in the firm. In the absence of Mr. Gomez, he is authorized to represent Gomez Barker Associates in all aspects relating
to the firm's representation(s). Mr. Reyes attended the University of Florida and Florida International University, where his studies focused on Urban Politics, Political Economics,
and American Foreign Policy.
Evan Power is the most recent addition to the Gomez Barker firm, joining the firm in 2006. Mr. Power graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor
degree in finance and a Master’s Degree in Political Science. Evan started work with the Legislature in 2003 when he served as an Intern for the House Majority Office. After the 2003
session he was hired to work in the Speaker's Communications office. In December of 2003 Speaker Designate Marco Rubio asked him to join his staff where he served until March of 2006
as his Legislative Analyst. Mr. Power is permanently housed in the Tallahassee office. He engages in lobbying, research and analysis. He replaces Mr. Derek Whitis, who was with the
firm for seven (7) years, and is now the lead lobbyist for Florida Citrus Mutual, the umbrella organization for all citrus producers and processors of Florida.
A list of any individual(s) or firm with whom the Respondent has a contractual relationship or other business affiliation.
As detailed in the prior question, Fausto B. Gomez, Manny
Reyes & Evan Power are the only lobbyist in the Gomez Barker firm. However, a contractual relationship exists with the firms of Rutledge, Ecenia & Purnell, P.A.; Lawrence J. Smith P.A.;
and Becker & Poliakoff as part of our participation in teams representing other clients.
A disclosure of the following:
(a) any relationships between the individual(s) of the firm and any Commission member, his/her spouse, or family:
There is no relationship between any
member of the Gomez Barker firm and any Commission member, his/her spouse or family.
(b) any relationship between any individual(s) of the firm and any business or entity owned by a
Commission member of their family has or had an interest;
There is no relationship between any member of the Gomez Barker firm and any business or entity owned by a Commission member
of their family or in which a Commission member or their family has or had an interest.
(c) any other information concerning any relationships between the individual(s) of the firm and
any Commission member which the Respondent deems might be relevant to the Commission’s consideration;
There is no relationship between any member of the Gomez Barker firm or and any
Commission member which would be deemed necessary to disclose under this subsection.
(d) such other governmental or quasi-governmental entities which are represented by the individual(s)/firm,
and the nature of the representation in such matters; and
Following is a list of governmental or quasi-governmental entities which are represented by Gomez Barker Associates. The nature
of representation is for lobbying and government consultant services before the State Legislature and Executive Administration.
Florida International University
Miami Dade County
Miami-Dade
Expressway Authority
The City of Coral Gables
The City of Miami
The City of Miami Beach
The City of West Miami
The Town of Cutler Bay
The Town of Lake Park
The Town of North Bay Village
The Town of Surfside
The Village of Key Biscayne
(e) a “conflict list” if same is maintained by the individual(s) or the firm.
Upon a thorough review of the clients represented by
the Gomez Barker firm, a conflict is not anticipated.
The individual(s)/firm shall be expected to provide the following minimum legislative services including, but not limited to, the following:
Upon the City’s request, attendance at any
and all meetings of the City Commission, including special and emergency meetings, and all committee, agency, and board meetings;
Preparation of any and all necessary lobbying-related
documentation;
Preparation of any and all reports detailing, explaining and assessing any and all proposed, new or modified laws;
Provision of expert advice on any and all applicable
Federal, State and local legislation;
Advice on any and all general questions concerning lobbying-related matters; and
Gomez Barker Associates will provide the minimum legislative services
detailed above. Under Tab 9 you will find samples of the services listed above that have already been provided to the City of South Miami during the period of our legislative representation
for the City.
Provision of three (3) commitments the individual(s)/firm performed involving services similar to those detailed herein. Provision of a schedule, cost and scope of work. Provision
of references to the City of South Miami.
Gomez Barker Associates has represented many types of clients in Tallahassee including local governments, industry trade organizations, private
and public corporations, and non-profit organizations. The firm has been successful in achieving their clients’ goals whether it be passing new legislation, amending existing law, stopping
proposed legislation, securing appropriations, government grants, matching money, or earmarked programs. The members of the firm have been especially effective at navigating the complex
appropriations process to acquire millions of dollars in government funds for clients. Their legislative track record is based on three fundamental principles, what Fausto Gomez calls
the three “P’s”: Preparation, Presentation, and Perseverance.
As a professional government relations firm Gomez Barker Associates has been equally successful under both Republican
and Democratic administrations and maintains effective relationships with individuals of both parties, in the Executive, Legislative, Cabinet and the administration as well. For example,
when Gomez Barker Associates was established, Florida government was under Democratic Party rule. It controlled the Governorship, all Cabinet seats, and both chambers. Today, the reverse
is true. Republicans hold the Governorship, all Cabinet seats, and enjoy broad margins in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Gomez Barker Associates’ record of successes
of which a sample is detailed within this section, with regard to legislative and executive lobbying are testimony to the effective utilization of bipartisan contacts and the ability
to advance the interests of the firm’s clients under any political structure.
Following are three (3) commitments Gomez Barker Associates has performed involving services similar
to those required of in this RFP:
City of Miami Beach - The Bert J. Harris Act legislation would have revised the Bert J. Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act. The changes
would shorten the time frame for local governments to make settlement offers and lengthen the time for property owners to bring Harris Act claims. The bills also provided for a waiver
of sovereign immunity for liability and for prospective application. Finally, they provided that a moratorium that is in effect for longer than one year is not a temporary impact to
real property and can become an “inordinate burden” giving rise to a cause of action under the act. No action was forthcoming on these bills until late in the session. Upon learning
that HB881 was to be heard in committee, we met with the House sponsor along with representatives of the League of Cities and the Association of Counties. At that meeting we proposed
a series of amendments and indicated that we would have to work against the bill as currently drafted. After much discussion, a number of amendments were agreed upon and these were
presented by Rep. Jack Seiler on the floor of the House. The amended bill passed the House
on the next to last day of session as we met with Rep. David Rivera, then Rules Chairman, and had asked him to delay its consideration as long as possible. It died on Messages to the
Senate. On the Senate side, we knew that this legislation was a priority for Senate President Ken Pruitt since he had previously sponsored Bert Harris changes. Our strategy was therefore
to delay it as long as possible and the Chairs of the first two Committees of reference agreed. The strategy worked and the bill died.
City of Coral Gables – The Tower Cranes and
Tower Crane Operators Certification legislation would have required all tower cranes and tower crane operators in the state be certified by the American National Standards Institute/American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ANSI/ASME) or the applicable standards of the Power Crane and Shovel Association (PCSA). These bills would have simply codified the current operating
practices of the crane companies and preempted local governments, including Broward County, from imposing tougher wind tolerance standards, third party inspections, and building code
enforcement. The genesis for these bills was that Miami-Dade County developed a tower crane ordinance imposing standards and inspection guidelines. A representative of the crane industry
who participated in the development of said ordinance, and who was not pleased at the final product, then attempted to pre-empt local governments through Tallahassee. We attempted to
work with Representative Evers, the House sponsor, throughout the session proposing an amendment that would exempt Miami-Dade and Broward Counties since both of these are defined as
“high wind velocity” areas in the Florida Building Code along with having the highest level of construction activity and, as such, are at increased safety risk. At various times in
the session the Representative would agree to the amendment only to subsequently reverse his position. Finally, Representative Juan Carlos Zapata presented the amendment at the Policy
and Budget Council and on the floor of the House of Representatives. House leadership became involved in helping pass the bill and it was approved by the House but procedurally died
on messages to the Senate because we had blocked the Senate bill from being heard in its first committee of reference. As an insurance policy, House leadership amended the crane language
to HB697 relating to Building Standards by Rep. Gary Aubuchon. It too passed the House but the amendment was stricken in the Senate. Senator Lee Constantine (from Altamonte Springs),
the Senate sponsor of SB560 (the companion to HB697) agreed with our position and he quickly informed Rep. Aubuchon that he would not accept any crane language. When the House bill
was taken up on the Senate floor, Sen. Constantine struck anything relating to cranes and Rep. Aubuchon (from Cape Coral) concurred with the Senate position on the floor of the House
on the last day of session, despite House leadership pushing for the language on behalf of the crane industry.
Village of Key Biscayne – Gomez Barker Associates represents the Village
of Key Biscayne before the Florida Legislature and state executive bodies. The firm was retained as general legislative consultant but with the specific task of obtaining state funding
for the re-construction of Crandon Boulevard, the main traffic artery of the Village. Since Crandon
Boulevard is a local road, state policy does not allow for funding from the Florida Transportation Trust Fund and thus an innovative argument needed to be crafted. Crandon Boulevard
is the only means of access to Bill Baggs State Park, the second most visited state park in the Florida system and only one of two recreational facilities that shows a monetary profit
to the state. The firm’s staff researched state policy with regard to similar situations and found that Florida had provided support to local governmental entities when a municipal
road was the only means of ingress and egress to correctional facilities in North Florida. Armed with that knowledge and precedent, Gomez Barker Associates arranged for City officials
to approach the local legislative delegation as well as the Secretary of Transportation to secure financial support for Crandon Boulevard. The Department of Transportation unfortunately
balked, leaving no choice but for legislators to place a $1 million line item in the budget. The funding was taken from DOT’s operating account and thus DOT representatives approached
the Chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to delete said funding. In the interim, we had briefed the respective Chairs and they were fully supportive of the Crandon
project, arguing that the state should not do more for prisoners than it was willing to do for law-abiding citizens. Recognizing that they were about to lose their funding, DOT then
offered to direct XU funds at a level of $1 million for the Crandon project and to certify Key Biscayne to receive the funding directly through LAP certification. In turn, the Village
requested $2 million and the Department agreed while subsequently the legislature, through additional lobbying efforts, secured an additional $1 million for the project. Gomez Barker
Associates was therefore able to have the state contribute $3 million for the life and safety improvements of a local road. Chip Iglesias, Village Manager, was the principal contact
and his telephone number is (305) 365-5514.
County and Municipal references for Gomez Barker Associates
Coral Gables, City of
Since 2001
Professional fee $75,000
Pat Salerno, City
Manager
(305) 460-5201
Key Biscayne, Village of
Since 2002
Professional fee $54,000
Genaro “Chip” Iglesias, Village Manager
(305) 365-5514
Miami, City of
Since 2010
Professional fee $24,000
Kirk Menendez, Intergovernmental Affairs
(305) 250-5474
Miami Beach, City of
Since 1998
Professional fee $90,000
Kevin Crowder, Director,
Economic Development
(305) 673-7193
Miami-Dade County
Since 1996
Professional fee $52,000
Joe Rasco, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
(305) 375-5611
West Miami, City of
Since
1989
Professional fee $36,000
Yolanda Aguilar, City Manager
(305) 266-1122
Cutler Bay, Town of
Since 2007
Professional fee $60,000
Steven Alexander, City Manager
(305) 234-4262
North
Bay Village, Town of
Since 2006
Professional fee $40,000
Robert Pushkin, Interim Town Manager
(305) 756-7171
Lake Park, Town of
Since 2008
Professional fee $32,000
Maria Davis, Town
Manager
(561) 881-3300
Surfside, Town of
Since 2006
Professional fee $40,000
Roger Carlton, Town Manager
(305) 993-1052
A comprehensive list of clients for Gomez Barker Associates is located under Tab 10.
Provide resumes of staff that will be performing work.
The resumes for Fausto B. Gomez, Manny Reyes & Evan Power are included in Tab 7