305-490-3414
9155 S. Dadeland Blvd, Suite 1604, Miami, FL, 33156,
Subjects: All Subjects, Alcohol, Animals/Agriculture, Appropriations/Budgets, Ballot Measures/Campaign Finance/Elections, Business/Commerce, Cannabis/Drug Legalization, Children/Family/Women, City/County Government, Consumer Protection, Education, Energy/Utilities, Environment/Recycling, Finance/Banking, Food/Restaurants, Gaming, Housing/Real Estate/Development/Construction, Pharmaceuticals, Planning/Land Use/Zoning, Privacy/Internet, Professional/Vocational Licensing, Public Safety, Public Sector, Retail, RFP/Procurement, Taxes, Tobacco, Tourism/Hospitality, Transportation/Vehicles
Links:Website
What distinguishes The Southern Group from others is where we draw our lobbyists from. Our lobbyists are almost all exclusively former government regulators, legislators or high-level government staff. We know what moves the wheels of government because, at one point in our careers, we moved those wheels ourselves.
2) Altria Client Services LLC and its Affiliates
3) Apple Inc
4) Beer Industry of Florida, Inc
7) Caesars Enterprise Services, LLC
12) Florida Blue
13) Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers
14) Florida Petroleum Marketers Association, Inc.
15) Florida Sheriffs Association
17) Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower FL Keys, Inc.
24) Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Courts
25) Monroe County Sheriff's Office
26) NASCAR, LLC
27) Ocean Reef Club
28) Pearl Holding Group (Ocean Harbor)
29) Sunshine Gasoline Distributors, Inc
34) University of Florida Foundation, Inc.
35) Vestcor Companies, Inc., The
36) Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars
15-20 years
National Children's Alliance, Bud Cramer Award
Florida Bar, Family Law Section, Legislative Achievement
Kristi House Service, Former President Service Award
SSG has won numerous fundraising awards and recognitions
Managing Partner, Miami office, The Southern Group
Chairman, Republican Party of Miami-Dade County
Executive Board, Republican Party of Florida
Nelson D. Diaz concentrates his practice on government and community relations. Nelson has successfully represented local governments, businesses, trade associations and other corporate clients before the Florida legislative and executive branches of government. Nelson has become one of Florida's young rising stars since serving as Chief Legislative Aide to the Former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and now United States Senator, Marco Rubio.
In addition, Nelson has successfully represented corporate entities before the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, numerous Miami-Dade County agencies and departments, the City of Miami, the City of Hialeah, and several other municipal governments and authorities in Miami-Dade County. In addition to government relations, Nelson has successfully guided many corporate clients entering the South Florida market, providing community relations services. By advising new entrants to the market on who the key players are, which organizations to join, and how to navigate the local political waters, Nelson has assisted many clients successfully enter the South Florida and Miami markets.
Nelson began his political career as a volunteer in the 1996 Presidential campaign in Florida where he and many other young leaders, including now U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, State Senator Anitere Flores, Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera, and many other now-elected officials, worked hard to build a strong Republican Party base in South Florida. Since then, Nelson has worked on countless political campaigns in Florida from federal races for Presidential and U.S. Senate, to state races for Governor, Cabinet offices, Florida House of Representatives, and Florida Senate, as well as many local government campaigns for county commission, city councils, and mayor's races. Nelson has also been active in various business and civic organizations locally, and counts many legislators, party officials, and legislative leaders among his personal friends. As a result of Nelson's service with U.S. Senator Rubio and his involvement in many campaigns, Nelson has established an extensive network of key contacts in Miami-Dade County and within the Florida Legislature. In fact, Nelson currently serves as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County and serves on the executive board of the Republican Party of Florida.
Active in the local community, Nelson served on the City of Miami's Historical and Environmental Preservation Board, protecting the city's historical and environmental treasures, as well as the Miami-Dade County Community Council of West Kendall, a local land use and zoning board. Additionally, Nelson serves as the Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors for Kristi House, Miami-Dade County's child advocacy center for child victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking as well as the Board of Directors of the Good Government Initiative, a bi-partisan organization dedicated to cultivating leaders of excellence in South Florida. Recently, Florida Governor Rick Scott appointed Nelson to the statewide Children and Youth Cabinet for his service and advocacy on behalf of Florida's children.
Nelson attended Florida International University, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in International Relations, with a Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, as well as minors in Political Science and Geography. Nelson graduated from the University of Florida, College of Law, cum laude, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2004.
3) Altria Client Services LLC and its Affiliates
5) Aramark Sports and Entertainment Services, LLC
6) Aucilla Research Institute, Inc.
9) Caesars Enterprise Services, LLC
11) CGL Companies
12) Clay County Board of County Commissioners
14) Daytona State College Foundation, Inc
16) Dixie Board of Public Education/Dixie District School Board
19) Easterseals Northeast Central Florida
20) Easterseals Southwest Florida, Inc.
21) Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
23) Estuary LLC.
24) Fidelity National Financial, Inc
25) Flagler College
26) Florida Association of Broadcasters, Inc
27) Florida Blue
28) Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers
29) Florida Insurance Council, Inc.
30) Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority
31) Florida Prepaid College Foundation, Inc
33) iEnable, Inc.
34) IMG Academy LLC
36) Indian River State College Foundation, Inc.
37) Indigov
40) JAX Chamber
42) Key West International Airport
43) LEO Technologies
44) Martin County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller
45) Metro Development Group, LLC
47) NASCAR, LLC
49) Pearl Holding Group (Ocean Harbor)
52) Putnam County
54) Rood Chartrand Partnership
56) Second Harvest of the Big Bend
59) TECO Energy, Inc
60) The Arc of Putnam County, Inc.
64) Timberline Real Estate Partners
65) TrueHaul LLC
66) Two Roads Development, LLC
67) United States Sugar Corporation
68) Universal Protection Service, LLC
69) University of Florida Foundation, Inc.
70) Vestcor Companies, Inc., The
71) Volusia County
72) Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, U.S.
73) Workday, Inc.
David Browning is one of Florida's top political campaign operatives. David has worked with Florida's most powerful elected officials and brings a new dimension to Southern Strategy Group's team of lobbyists in Tallahassee. David was instrumental in raising millions of dollars for campaign war chests in the 2010 election cycle for Governor Rick Scott. David also worked for Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and set fundraising records for those campaigns. Fundraiser, strategist, and confidante, David is among a handful of insiders who help guide candidates to victory in Florida.
David has been equally busy helping the legislative branch. David served as the chief fundraiser for Speaker Dean Cannon. David's responsibilities included raising money for Speaker Cannon's personal campaign, as well as working with House leadership to raise money for the House Republican Caucus. Through these efforts, the Florida House returned 81 republican members giving them a supermajority.
In the Florida Senate David represented Senate President Mike Haridopolos and Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner. David worked with Senator John Thrasher who was elected in a highly contested special election. David brings his unique expertise to the Tallahassee team and offers our clients unprecedented insight into the workings of state government.
David is a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in Political Science.
1) Airbnb, Inc.
3) Altria Client Services LLC and its Affiliates
4) American Property Casualty Insurance Association
6) Apple Inc
7) Aramark Sports and Entertainment Services, LLC
8) Association of Florida Colleges, Inc
10) AtkinsRealis
12) Beep, Inc.
14) Breakthru Beverage Florida
17) Cengage
18) City of Orlando
20) Copart, Inc
22) CVS Health
23) Darden, Inc.
25) Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County
26) EcoLandCo, LLC
30) Fidelity National Financial, Inc
31) Flagler College
32) Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association
33) Florida Blue
34) Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority
38) Florida Sheriffs Association
39) Florida State Alliance of YMCA
40) Florida State College at Jacksonville Foundation
41) Florida Trucking Association
42) Friends of Florida Iron & Steel
43) G.L. Homes of Florida Corporation
44) Gopher Resource
47) International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
48) Jack and Nancy Dwyer Workforce Development Center, Inc.
51) Lake Nona Property Holdings, LLC
53) Museum of Science & History
54) NASCAR, LLC
57) Pearl Holding Group (Ocean Harbor)
59) RedSpeed USA
61) Smart Horizons Career Online Education
62) Tall Timbers Research, Inc.
64) TECO Energy, Inc
65) Tenet Healthcare Corporation
66) Tesla, Inc.
69) University of Florida Foundation, Inc.
70) Vestcor Companies, Inc., The
71) Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, U.S.
72) Wells Fargo
Chris joined the firm in November of 2000 after serving seven years in Florida government. During this time, Chris served as the Assistant to the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief of Staff to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Prior to serving in Governor Bush's administration, Chris served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Legislative Director, and Special Assistant to former Florida Education Commissioner and former Florida Lt. Governor Frank T. Brogan. Chris also served as a legislative aide in the Florida House of Representatives. Throughout the years, Chris has worked on various state and local campaigns, including the 1998 and 2002 Bush/Brogan gubernatorial campaigns.
A devoted community activist, Chris was a finalist for Volunteer of the Year in 2007. Chris has served on the Board of Directors for the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, where he served for two years as Chairman, the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Big Bend, and the Board of Directors for the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. Chris is currently the Chairman of the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, a not-for-profit statewide association representing agencies which serve homeless, runaway, and troubled youth. Chris also serves on the local advisory board for Hancock Bank and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Maclay School. Chris was recently appointed by Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum to the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority, an entity created by the Florida Legislature to promote the business and hospitality interests of downtown Tallahassee.
A native of Fort Myers, Florida, Chris Dudley graduated from the University of South Florida in 1993 with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. Chris, his wife Susanne, and their two sons live in Tallahassee.
(850) 671-4401
P.O. Box 10570, Tallahassee, FL, 32302,
1) Bay County Board of County Commissioners
4) Cengage
11) Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe (FIRM)
13) Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority
14) Florida Petroleum Marketers Association, Inc.
16) Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower FL Keys, Inc.
19) HISTORIC TOURS OF AMERICA, INC
20) Key West International Airport
22) Monroe County School District
23) Monroe County Sheriff's Office
25) Ocean Reef Club
26) Ocean Reef Community Association
27) Pearl Holding Group (Ocean Harbor)
32) The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, Inc.
(850) 671-4401
Po Box 10570, Tallahassee, FL, 32302-2570,
