1) Airbnb, Inc.
3) Alliance for Commercial Real Estate
4) Altria Client Services LLC and its Affiliates
5) American Property Casualty Insurance Association
7) Apple Inc
8) Aramark Sports and Entertainment Services, LLC
9) Association of Florida Colleges, Inc
10) AtkinsRealis
12) Beep, Inc.
13) Breakthru Beverage Florida
16) Cengage
17) City of Orlando
19) Copart, Inc
21) CVS Health
22) Darden, Inc.
25) Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County
27) Episcopal Children's Services, Inc.
30) Fidelity National Financial, Inc
31) Flagler College
32) Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association
33) Florida Blue
34) Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority
36) Florida Prepaid College Foundation, Inc
39) Florida State Alliance of YMCA
40) Florida Trucking Association
41) G.L. Homes of Florida Corporation
42) Gasparilla Island Conservation & Improvement Association, Inc
43) Gopher Resource
46) International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
47) International Ship Repair & Marine Services, Inc.
48) Jack and Nancy Dwyer Workforce Development Center, Inc.
51) Lake Nona Property Holdings, LLC
52) Leon County Board of County Commissioners
54) Museum of Science & History
55) NASCAR, LLC
58) Pearl Holding Group (Ocean Harbor)
60) Prometric LLC
61) RedSpeed USA
63) Tall Timbers Research, Inc.
65) TECO Energy, Inc
66) Tenet Healthcare Corporation
67) Tesla, Inc.
70) University of Florida Foundation, Inc.
71) Vestcor Companies, Inc., The
72) Viking Holding Company, LLC
73) Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, U.S.
74) 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.
1) AJM Conservation and Cattle LLC
2) Association of Florida Colleges, Inc
4) Beer Industry of Florida, Inc
10) City of Lakeland
14) Desoto County Board of Commissioners
15) Dex Imaging Inc.
16) DSM Technology Consultants
17) Employer Direct Healthcare
18) Florida Beer Wholesalers Association
19) Florida Crane Owners Association
20) Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association
21) Florida Turfgrass Association
23) GMF Construction, LLC dba GMF Steel Group
24) Gopher Resource
25) Harrell's, LLC
29) Lakeland Regional Health Systems
32) NCJ Investment Company, Inc.
33) Pasco County Board of County Commissioners
35) Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners
36) Polk County Clerk of Court
38) Sarasota County Government
39) South Central Florida Express, Inc
41) Southern Gardens Citrus Groves Corporation
42) Southern Gardens Citrus Holding Corporation
43) Southern Gardens Citrus Nursery Corporation
44) Tall Timbers Research, Inc.
45) Tax Collector's Office for Polk County
47) The Florida Conservation Group
49) The Lunz Group
50) The Mahaffey Apartment Company
52) United States Sugar Corporation
53) United Way of Central Florida
Seth McKeel recently concluded a long and distinguished career in public service that began in 2000 with his election to the Lakeland City Commission at the age of 24. Seth was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2006 and re-elected subsequently until the conclusion of his eight year term limit in November of 2014. A Tampa Bay area native, Seth's among the fifth generation in his family to call Florida home.
Early in his legislative career, Seth tackled tough issues including higher education reform as well as energy, agriculture, and natural resources policy. A strong commitment to fiscal responsibility earned Seth the trust of House Speaker Will Weatherford. In 2012 the Speaker tapped Seth to be the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee where he led the Florida House's efforts to balance the $77 billion budget of the third largest state in the Union. Under his leadership Florida maintained AAA bond rating and set aside more than $3 billion in healthy reserves.
As a former City Commissioner, Seth understands regional issues and excels at achieving local consensus. Legislative colleagues trusted Seth to chair the Polk County Legislative Delegation, Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation for two years in a row, and larger 9-county Bay Area Legislative Delegation.
A graduate of the University of Florida (UF), Seth recently was awarded the Presidential Medallion, one of the university's highest awards, for his contributions and service to UF and higher education in our state. Seth is a Graduate of Leadership Florida, Leadership Lakeland, and a member of Florida Blue Key -- "Florida's oldest and most prestigious Leadership Honorary since 1923."
Seth credits the YMCA's Youth in Government program for sparking his interest in public service and his respect for civic engagement. Seth has a knack for solving problems and excels at building relationships.
Seth proudly serves on the Board of Directors of the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida and is a member of Leadership Florida's West Central Florida Regional Council.
Seth and his wife Kim, who's also a Tampa Bay native, live in Lakeland with their two children Seth, III and Caroline.
2) Advantage Capital Management Corporation
3) Airbnb, Inc.
4) Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust
5) Altria Client Services LLC and its Affiliates
7) Aucilla Research Institute, Inc.
8) Bay County Board of County Commissioners
10) Caesars Enterprise Services, LLC
12) Citizens for Hillsborough County, LLC
15) Clay County District Schools
17) Curo Health Services, LLC dba Gentiva
18) Daytona State College Foundation, Inc
19) Desoto County Board of Commissioners
20) Dex Imaging Inc.
21) Dixie Board of Public Education/Dixie District School Board
23) Edmentum, Inc.
24) Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
25) Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.
27) Estuary LLC.
28) Florida Beer Wholesalers Association
29) Florida Polytechnic University Foundation, Inc
30) Florida Prepaid College Foundation, Inc
31) Florida SouthWestern State College Foundation
33) Gopher Resource
34) Harrell's, LLC
35) Hillsborough Community College Foundation, Inc.
36) I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless, Inc
37) iEnable, Inc.
38) IMG Academy LLC
40) Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc
41) Indian River State College Foundation, Inc.
43) Junior Achievement of Florida Foundation, Inc.
44) Lakeland Regional Health Systems
48) Museum of Science & History
49) Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine
52) Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners
53) Polk County Clerk of Court
54) Polk County Sheriff's Office
55) Putnam County
57) Rood Chartrand Partnership
58) Sarasota County Government
59) Second Harvest of the Big Bend
60) South Central Florida Express, Inc
62) Southern Gardens Citrus Groves Corporation
63) Southern Gardens Citrus Holding Corporation
64) Southern Gardens Citrus Nursery Corporation
66) TECO Energy, Inc
70) Town of Belleair
71) United States Sugar Corporation
72) University of Florida Foundation, Inc.
73) Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, U.S.
75) Workday, Inc.
Sydney Ridley brings years of legislative and political experience to Southern Strategy Group's Tampa Bay office. Sydney spent the past four years as the Chief Legislative Aide to House Majority Leader Dana Young, where she directed all priority policy and budget initiatives. Sydney's time as staff was at the highest level of the Florida House of Representatives, and she brings unmatched relationships with legislative staff, agency heads, and elected officials.
A political pro in Tampa Bay with extensive campaign management experience, Sydney guided Senator Dana Young to successive electoral victories in the Florida House and spearheaded her subsequent election to the Florida Senate. Sydney's political expertise, particularly in the Tampa Bay area, serves as a great strategic asset to our clients. In addition to her work with Senator Young, Sydney has served as both a political director and a field director on various Congressional and State Senate campaigns.
Born and raised in Tampa, Sydney is a third-generation Floridian, a graduate of the University of Virginia, a Florida Gator at heart, and a lover of history, golf, music, and football.
