TALLAHASSEE - When the Florida Legislature is in session, parties seem to break out on every corner in the state capital.
More often than not, lobbyists pick up the tab.
Last week, Florida cattlemen with big Stetson hats rolled into town and threw a party for lawmakers at the Florida Restaurant Association headquarters a block from the Capitol. The crowd, which included Gov. Jeb Bush, snacked on beef and pasta.
Around the corner, a thousand Realtors in their best suits rubbed elbows with legislators as they sipped drinks and strolled on a balcony overlooking the downtown streets.
Far from the Capitol, at nightspots like the Silver Slipper and Georgio's Restaurant, small groups of legislators and lobbyists gathered for quieter chats over expensive fare.
It's all part of the cost of peddling influence. But the price has gone up considerably over the years.
In 1970, when lobbyists were first required to report their expenditures, the total price tag was $76,152 - about $456 per legislator. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $2,152 in today's dollars.
Last year, lobbyists reported spending almost $8-million, or about $50,000 per legislator.
"That's twice what we make," noted Sen. Rod Smith, D-Gainesville, when told of the figure.
The reports lobbyists file every six months do not identify the lawmakers who attended parties or ate expensive dinners. They don't even detail how much each event cost.
Gene Adams, former lobbyist for the Realtors, said the group spends about $35,000 a year for its annual legislative gathering. It's the one time each year when Realtors from every corner of the state can get together with lawmakers, Adams said.
Some lawmakers say it isn't fair to report the total spent on legislators when a lot of the money is spent on clients, like the thousand Realtors in town to see lawmakers. At big gatherings like that, lawmakers can get lost in the crowd.
"There were seven different receptions yesterday," Sen. Steve Geller, D-Hallandale, complained recently. "I didn't go to any of them because I was busy, but when they turn in the expense form they will show they spent it on us."
The reporting system for lobbyists is two-tiered. If they spend more than $25 on a lawmaker they also have to file quarterly reports detailing how the money was spent and which legislator received it. Only a few lobbyists file the quarterly reports. Most ignore the detailed report or collect part of the cost from the lawmaker being entertained.
Many lobbyists and legislators believe the gift law does not apply to food and drink, but state ethics officials say the law clearly includes wining and dining.
"There is no reason in the world they shouldn't know what to do," said Bonnie Williams, executive director of the Florida Ethics Commission.
The law forbids public officials from accepting gifts valued at more than $100.
Yet very few lobbyists itemize their expenditures, a review of reports filed since 1997 shows. BellSouth and Disney lobbyists were among the few who did, reporting gifts such as tickets to Disney World, sporting events and concerts with a long list of legislators named in the reports.
All lobbyists file the twice-a-year reports that include the total amount spent on food, beverage and entertainment, but there is little uniformity in what they report. Some say they tend to overreport just to be sure they include everything.
Some lobbyists, like BlueCross BlueShield's Mike Hightower, include advertising and communication expenses as well as the amounts they spend on food and drink for lawmakers.
Hightower spent $5.9-million since 1997, more than any other lobbyist. His 2003 report shows he spent $193,326 on "communication," advertising and letters to lawmakers and an additional $25,766 wining and dining lawmakers.
"The irony is that a lot of it is grass roots stuff," Hightower said last week. He said Blue Cross visits editorial boards and helped with letter-writing campaigns in the fight for medical malpractice reform last year. "Some of it is wining and dining - we do it all year long, traveling the state."
Others, like AARP, spend money on powder-blue T-shirts worn by volunteers who are bused to Tallahassee to lobby in groups. AARP lobbyist Lyn Bodiford said the group doesn't spend any money on food and drink. Since 1997, AARP spent $294,139 to influence lawmakers.
NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer doesn't take lawmakers to dinner, either. She spent $292,528 in the past six years on newsletters and maintaining a system that can send thousands of letters and e-mails to lawmakers about bills the NRA opposes. Hammer also gives each lawmaker an NRA coffee mug, a dated collectible to remind legislators the organization is out there.
Why do lobbyists spend so much to entertain legislators?
Term limits are one factor, said Billy Rubin, one of the big-spending lobbyists.
"It gives us a chance to get to know members on a personal level," said Rubin, who spent about $150,000 since 1997 wining and dining lawmakers for clients that include the University of Miami medical school, Flo-Sun and Hollywood Greyhound Track. "With term limits, it may be the best and only opportunity to know them outside of the Capitol."
The Florida Association of Community Colleges spends most of its money on publications to educate lawmakers, but does hold legislative dinners, said lobbyist Harry Albertson.
"It gives you a chance to talk about your issue," Albertson explained.
Most of the money BellSouth spends goes to food and beverages for special events like the posh Christmas party lobbyist Mike Raynor has at his Tallahassee home every year. Raynor and his team of lobbyists spent about $1-million wining and dining lawmakers since 1997.
The quiet dinners at Tallahassee restaurants rarely include a discussion of legislative business, says entertainment lobbyist Jim Tillman, a lawmaker in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His clients include Orlando Jai-Alai and the Florida Hotel and Motel Association.
"When I was in the House and went to dinner with a lobbyist who started lobbying me on a bill, I hated that," Tillman recalled. "And it was about the last time I'd go out with him."
For many lobbyists buying a legislator's dinner offers a chance to give clients time with the lawmaker. "Clients will come to town and they won't feel they had a quality meeting without an opportunity to break bread with a member," says lobbyist Jon E. Johnson.
Lobbyist Ronnie Book, a veteran big spender, puts most of his money into luncheons for various legislative delegations. And he supplies a lot of gourmet chocolates to lawmakers and staff from Confection Connection, his own chocolate shop in Miami.
Some lobbyists have found a way to avoid an embarrassing situation for lawmakers who don't want to be identified by the company they keep.
Debra Zappi-Henley, lobbyist for the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, says her group offers to let lawmakers pay for their own meals if the cost is over $25 and reminds them it has to be reported.
"Some actually reimburse us for the meal," says Zappi-Henley. "We try to do it by the book."
