As lobbyist for Gov. Jeb Bush in 1999, the governor's most successful year, Ken Plante saw a billion-dollar tax cut and dramatic education reforms to passage. Today, at 64, he is a founder and president of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists. A former senator from Orlando, he represents Tampa Bay Downs, Tampa Port Authority and Unisys Corp. Earlier this year he sat down with Times Associate Editor Lucy Morgan to talk about Tallahassee and the art of lobbying.
How did you get in the lobbying business?
Quite by accident. I went back home to run a family business and found my older brother and I didn't get along running a family business together and someone approached me to help them with a problem in the Legislature. I came up to see if I could help them and the rest is history. That was in 1979.
Was there a role model for you?
Probably Harry Landrum (a former insurance lobbyist who died last year). Harry was one of the old-timers and I always thought when he told you something, to the best of his knowledge it was the truth. I remember him coming back to tell me that something he had told me wasn't correct.
Does the public understand what you do?
No. I think there are a lot of misconceptions. TV shows, movies and articles depict a lobbyist as someone who lurks in the shadows and throws money out from behind trees at politicians and that's just not how it works.
What do you do?
You have to stay on top of what is happening in the Legislature and in the executive branch. You get all the various information you can, subscribe to one of the reporting services, see the bills that have been introduced and see what is happening in the executive branch. There is a tremendous amount of reading to stay on top. If you find out about a piece of legislation that might affect one of your clients, you set up a meeting to find out what they are trying to do and find a way that it won't affect your client in a negative way. Then if the piece of legislation is introduced you have to go talk to members of various committees and explain why you are in favor or against this particular piece of legislation. Many times you find yourself on the other side of an issue where you have a lobbyist who is a very good friend. We don't all agree and disagree on the same thing.
Is there any bill where you have thought, "That's my bill"?
No. My feeling on this and I believe this very strongly, is if you have a bill and you are trying to introduce it, once it's introduced, it's not mine any more, it belongs to the House or Senate, not to me or a member. I just try to make sure it stays in a semblance of the way it was introduced.
What's the most you ever spent to pass or defeat a bill?
I don't know, but it would have been the telephone deregulation bill in 1996. All sides were spending money on that. I was hired by Bell South, along with a lot of other lobbyists. That was one where they were hiring people on both sides to be sure the other side couldn't hire them. There was a considerable amount of money spent by cable, local telephone companies and long distance companies (that) were all drastically involved and there were millions at stake.
How many dinners would you estimate you've bought over the years?
Probably thousands, but I've had a lot of dinners bought for me by legislators too.
Do you ever not get your way?
Oh, sure. Sometimes you lose big one year and come back and get a victory the next year. The veto of tort reform by Gov. Chiles was a major defeat in 1998. The trial bar would say the reverse, but in 1999 when Bush signed a very similar bill, it was a major defeat for the trial bar.
How is Florida different from other states?
I think it is all pretty much basically the same. The laws dealing with lobbyists change from state to state. You can spend unlimited money to establish good will for your client in North Carolina, but South Carolina doesn't even let lobbyists suggest to a client who they can give a campaign contribution to nor can a lobbyist even attend a political fundraiser. A lot of lobbyists would like that.
Do lobbyists tend to be more one party than the other?
Not necessarily. I made a statement when the Republicans took over the Senate that I had been trying to convince the Democrats for years that when you become a lobbyist, you become neutered as far as parties go. You have some that are very strong Democrats or Republicans, but a majority of lobbyists look at the individuals. They may lean one way or the other, but understand you need a majority of the House and Senate and have to work with the majority and the minority.
Where do you draw the line between spending money on people and bribery?
Florida laws are pretty clear. Anything valued at more than $100 is illegal. I think last year on behalf of 7-Eleven we gave some large insulated mugs you can get at 7-Eleven stores. We pay about 79 cents for them. That was a pretty big gift for me to give. I don't spend a lot of money.
Does bribery take place?
I haven't heard a whisper of that. There might be occasions where we have people skirting close to the edge on the laws and I sometimes wonder whether legislators and lobbyists truly understand the laws. When we had our course on ethics I had quite a few lobbyists come up to me with an "Oh, my God" shock that they had not really understood the law in the past.
People tend to think of lobbyists as a blight on the legislative process, as the way that money gets legislators to do the wrong thing. Is this true?
No, I don't think so at all. Having been a member of the Legislature and served in the governor's office, when you are over there working, lobbyists on all sides of an issue bring you a tremendous amount of information you wouldn't have the time to find, read and understand. Lobbyists overall try not to mislead legislators. They try to be honest. I see lobbyists as a plus up here. They bring a great deal to the process.
Is the average person left out of the process?
Probably, but I know they would find they have a tremendous amount of influence if they would get involved by contacting legislators and going where a legislator is speaking. The greatest thing a lobbyist can have is constituents in a legislative district on their side. They pay more attention to constituents.
Is there any business you wouldn't lobby for?
Probably the trial bar. Because of the war that has gone on between the business community and the trial bar, you would find it difficult to represent the trial bar and then have business clients. We'd lose all of our other clients.
What does a lobbyist aspire to? Do state lobbyists dream of moving to Washington?
A small percent of them want to go to Washington. Most of them enjoy this. But like anything else, some people that I know have gotten into the lobbying business and found it was something they didn't really want. They moved on to the executive branch or went back to wherever they came from to get a job in the private sector. A few try to branch out to other states.
How do you picture the average legislator?
The average legislator is very bright and very caring in their job. I'm quite concerned about term limits because just like any other process, it takes time to learn it and truly understand what is going on and know how to function in this process. By the time they learn it they are about termed out.
Who's your favorite politician?
There were two: Everett Dirksen (former U.S. senator from Illinois) and Dempsey Barron (former state senator from Panama City). I think both had the ability to laugh at their mistakes. They were straightforward, you never had to question where Dempsey was going or him saying how he was going to vote. He knew how to pick his battles. He didn't get in a hundred fights during a session, he would get in a half-dozen battles and win them all.
Lobbyists spend a lot of money on lawmakers from campaign contributions to meals and small gifts. What do you get in return?
You probably do get some access and the ability to get meetings to sit down and tell the story on behalf of your client. Beyond that you don't really get anything. This is no different than any other job. You try to get to know the people and the job, getting to know them and socializing them helps you out. Campaigns are getting more and more expensive and yet we have reduced the amount an individual can give a candidate.
If these gifts and contributions aren't bribery, what would you call them?
You are trying to back people that have a basic philosophy along the lines that your client has. It doesn't mean they will always vote for you, but you wouldn't want to give money on behalf of a client to a person who will oppose you 99 percent of the time. Nor would you want to give to one that will introduce a bill every year to take away your livelihood.
Is there anything else you'd like people to know about your business?
I think there is a perception that being a legislator is a part-time job. Today in Florida, they spend considerably longer than the 60-day session in Tallahassee. There are committee meetings every month, meetings with staff and the demand for your time in your district is intense. If you turn down invitations and don't go out in public you aren't representing your constituents. On average most legislators spend more than half of their time dealing with legislative issues.
