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.

Laura Boehmer brings a wide range of experience in local, state, and federal policy to Southern Strategy Group's Tampa Bay office. Having worked in and around government for over 16 years, Laura has assisted elected officials, community organizations, governments, and businesses in achieving their goals.

Prior to joining Southern Strategy Group, Laura served as the chief lobbyist for the City of St. Petersburg (City). Laura was responsible for all policy and appropriation issues. In that role, Laura directed the federal appropriations process for the City and succeeded in securing millions of dollars in federal grants and earmarks. In addition to her federal work for the City, Laura was also responsible for developing, strategizing, and advocating for the City's State Legislative Program and was also instrumental in the creation and implementation of the City's Sustainability Program.

In her role at the City, Laura served as staff for former Mayor Rick Baker in his roles as the Chairman of the Century Commission of a Sustainable Florida, Vice Chair of the Governor's Action Team on Energy and Climate Change, and Group Leader of Governor Crist's Transition Team. This experience gave Laura extensive exposure to numerous policy issues and the opportunity to build statewide relationships with political and business leaders.

Prior to working for the City, Laura served as legislative staff in the Florida House of Representatives. Laura also worked for a private lobbying firm representing clients on a wide variety of issues. Laura has staffed and volunteered on various campaigns and worked with a national corporation on nation-wide grass roots efforts to pass legislation. Having analyzed patterns of Congress and maintained PAC communications between a corporate government relations department and PAC members, Laura is well versed in the political efforts of both private and public sectors.

Edgar Castro's core business is government affairs, community relations, and lobbying in Miami-Dade County and Tallahassee, Florida. As an expert in the public policy process at the municipal, county, and state levels, Edgar assists his clients in navigating their way through the ever-increasing maze of legislative and regulatory challenges to achieve their goals and objectives.

Edgar has successfully advocated for issues addressing the needs of businesses, trade associations, municipalities, and the Florida Bar before Florida's executive and legislative branches, administrative and regulatory agencies, Miami-Dade County, and a number of the municipalities therein. Edgar's clients rely on him to develop and implement offensive and defensive political strategies to successfully negotiate legislative provisions on their behalf. Edgar has advocated for his clients on issues relating to transportation, family law, gaming, telecommunications, financial services, emergency management, intellectual property, and energy. Additionally, Edgar assists his clients with their relationships within the Hispanic community by developing a strategic plan of engagement, while also facilitating access to important elected leaders and stakeholders in the Hispanic community.

Edgar began his political career in Tallahassee, working in the Governor's Office as a Legislative Assistant, for the Florida House of Representatives. Edgar's experience in this role taught him the intricacies of the legislative processes and committee procedures, helping him build strong ties to staff and members of both chambers and parties. Throughout his career, Edgar has worked on numerous political campaigns in Florida, including candidates in the U.S. House and Senate, Florida House of Representatives and Senate, and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners.

In addition to his experiences in Tallahassee, Edgar worked in Washington, DC as a public policy consultant for a government relations and consulting company. There, Edgar was responsible for researching and analyzing Florida and federal legislative actions and making recommendations to help clients effectively respond to governmental opportunities while avoiding potential risks.