LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENTLEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made on the 22nd day of January, 2013, by and befinreen
the CITY OF CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, P.O. Box 4748, Clearwater, Florida 34618, (the
"City") and the lobbying firm of Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc., 101 Constitution Avenue NW,
Suite 600 West, Washington, D.C. 20001 ("Consultant").
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, City issued a Request for Proposals to provide Legislative Consultant
Services, attached as Exhibit A; and
WHEREAS, Consultant agrees to provide Legislative Consultant Services to the
City as described in Consultant's Response to Request for Proposal 06-13, attached as
Exhibit B;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants
herein contained, the parties hereto do hereby agree as follows:
SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION TO PROCEED AS CONSULTANT. Consultant is
hereby authorized under the terms and conditions of this Agreement to provide Legislative
Consultant Services to City as described in Exhibits A and B.
SECTION 2. SCOPE OF SERVICES. Consultant shall keep City informed and
active in the federal legislative process by working with City staff to advocate the City's
position regarding issues before the Federal Legislature.
Consultant agrees to organize a lobbying team led by Doug Gregory and Greg
Burns, which shall include all the resources of the individual lobbyists of the consultant's
firm to assist and represent the City on issues which shall include, but are not limited to the
following:
A. Explore and recommend new areas of Federal advocacy.
B. Broaden business development efforts already initiated by the city to attract
and enhance major corporate presence in the City of Clearwater.
C. Provide research and timely written and oral information to the City.
D. Monitor existing and proposed laws and regulations that affect the interests
and priorities of the City.
E. Proactively recommend and develop legislative positions for proposed laws
and regulations that affect the interests and priorities of the City.
F. Propose and develop opportunities that will access funding at the policy
making IeveL
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G. Research and identify grant funding or other opportunities for funds.
H. Arrange meetings for City elected officials and personnel with Congressional
members and staff. Provide logistical support and attend those meetings when necessary.
I. Engage in advocacy to promote the City's position on priority issues,
including appropriate interest groups, the National Association of Counties, the U.S.
Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities.
J. Build long-term relationships and "brand" the City of Clearwater and its
officials in the eyes of Congress and Federal Agencies.
SECTION 3. LOBBYING TEAM. It is understood and agreed between the City
and Consultant that the responsibility for organization and leadership of the lobbying team
will fall upon Doug Gregory and Greg Burns, but the consultant team will include all of the
resources of the Consultant's individual lobbyists. The City reserves the right in its
absolute discretion to cancel this Agreement if either poug Gregory or Greg Burns are not
responsible for the organization and leadership of the lobbying team.
SECTION 4. TERM. The initial term of this Agreement shall be from January 22,
2013 through December 31, 2017. Thereafter, the City shall have the option to extend the
Agreement on an annual basis with thirty (30) days written notice to Consultant under the
same terms and conditions through December 31, 2018.
SECTION 5. PROFESSIONAL FEES FOR SERVICES. The City and Consultant
agree to a monthly fee of $7,500.00, with such payments due at the first of each month.
The City further agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses associated with pre-
approved long distance travel, not to exceed $5,000.00 per year. Travel and per diem
costs as well as automobile travel expenses shall not exceed that which is available to City
of Clearwater employees. The City represents and warrants that these payments shall not
be made with federally appropriated funds.
SECTION 6. INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE. Consultant agrees to
protect, defend, indemnify and hold the City and its officers, employees and agents free
and harmless from and against any and all losses, penalties, damages, settlements, costs,
charges, professional fees or other expenses or liabilities of every kind and character
arising out of or due to any negligent act or omission of Consultant or its employees in
connection with or arising directly or indirectly out of this Agreement and/or the
performance hereof. Without limiting its liability under this Agreement, Consultant shall
procure and maintain during the life of this Agreement professional liability insurance in a
minimum amount of one million dollars ($1,000,000.00). This provision shall survive the
termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 7. CONFLICT OF INTEREST. It is understood by the City and
Consultant that Consultant is not aware of any clients of the firm that currently present any
direct conflict between the interests of the City and other clients of Consultant. If any
potential conflict of interest arises during the time Consultant is representing the City,
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Consultant will promptly inform the City. In that event, Consultant and City shall agree
upon a lobbyist to represent the City on any issue in conflict and agree upon the
appropriate fee for said services, which shall be deducted from Consultant fee.
SECTION 8. CONSTRUCTION AND AMENDMENTS. This Agreement shall be
governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida. This
Agreement may be amended only by a writing duly entered into by the City and
Consultant.
SECTION 9. CANCELLATION OF AGREEMENT. Either party may cancel this
Agreement for any reason upon thirty (30) days advance written notice to the other party.
In the event of cancellation, Consultant shall immediately cease work hereunder and shall
be reimbursed for eligible and documented reimbursable expenses incurred prior to the
date of cancellation.
SECTION 10. ATTORNEYS FEES. In the event that either party seeks to enforce
this Agreement through attorneys at law, then the parties agree that each party shall bear
its own costs and that jurisdiction for such an action shall be in a court of competent
jurisdiction in Pinellas County, Florida.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the City and Consultant have executed this Agreement
as of the date first written above.
Countersigned:
-- c��r�e�C�e.��S
George N. Cretekos
Mayor
Approved to form:
amela K. kin
City Attorney
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VAN SCOYOC ASSOCIAT S, INC.
By: �
H. Stewart Van Scoyoc, Pre ' ent
CITY OF CLEARWATER, FLORIDA
By: � ��Q= ���..�
William B. Horne II
City Manager
Attest:
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Rosemarie Call
City Clerk
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CITY OF CLEARWATER
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 06-13
FOR
FEDERAL LOBBYING SERVICES
TO BE OPENED AT 4:00 P.M.
November 30, 2012
m
PURCHASING OFFICE
MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING
100 SOUTH MYRTLE AVENUE
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA 33756
Exhibit A
RFP for Federal Lobbying Services for the City of Clearwater
I. General Purpose and Introduction
The City of Clearwater (City) seeks an experienced, well-qualified person, firm, or
entity (Respondent) to help represent the City before Congress and the Executive
branch of the federal government. It is the City's intention to solicit responses from
potentially qualified respondents; to evaluate their responses; to require presentations
by finalists (if deemed necessary); to negotiate terms; including price; and to award a
contract for services upon successful negotiation of a reasonable contract.
The City of Clearwater has a Council-Manager form of government with a five-
member City Council whose members are elected at large. The terms of office are
staggered. The City Manager is appointed by the City Council to implement and
manage Council policy.
II. Scope of Services
The scope of services to be perFormed by a qualified Respondent include but are
not limited to the following:
A. The qualified Respondent shall be able to maintain a presence on behalf of the
City of Clearwater in the Washington D.C. area. The qualified Respondent is
required to have an office located in the Washington D.C. area.
B. The qualified Respondent shall be able to provide timely information,
assessments and reports on federal legislation, budgetary, and regulatory issues
affecting the City of Clearwater. The information provided shall include monthly
updates on city-related issues with emphasis on those issues specifically
affecting Clearwater.
C. The qualified Respondent shall be able to effectively communicate City Council
policy positions to Congress, the Administration, and federal agencies. This will
include scheduling meetings for the Mayor, members of the City Council, City
Manager or City legislative staff with members of Congress, the Administration,
and with federal agency representatives to discuss the City's concerns. The
Respondent will provide advice and counsel on the timing, necessity and subject
matter, including the key points needing to be discussed at any of these
meetings. Additionally, the Respondent will advise the City on the necessity to
write letters of support or opposition on pending legislation or federal policy
issues.
D. The qualified Respondent shall be able to provide timely information and advice
on federal funding opportunities to support City programs and services and
facilitate federal consideration of City applications. The City throughout the year
submits grant applications to seek funding for programs that compliment the
goals and objectives of the City Council. The Respondent should be prepared to
support these efforts by identifying appropriate federal funding opportunities,
including appropriations, authorized programs, competitive grant programs, and
possible agency discretionary grants applicable to City of Clearwater priorities.
E. The qualified Respondent shall be able to work in conjunction with the United
States Conference of Mayors in support or opposition of budget appropriations,
legislation and agency rules or regulations affecting cities.
F. The qualified Respondent shall be able to review and provide advice on
development of the City of Clearwater's Federal Legislative Program.
G. The qualified Respondent shall be able to travel to Clearwater as directed.
Occasionally, the Respondent may be asked to travel to Clearwater to report on
its activities in representing the City. Travel to Clearwater and on behalf of
Clearwater will be reimbursable (see Item V.E., below).
III. Calendar of Events
A. 10/29/12 Request for Proposal (RFP) Release date
B. 11/30/12 RFP Opening no sooner than 4:00 p.m. at 100 S. Myrtle Ave.,
Clearwater, FL 33756
C. 12/3/12 Evaluating Committee Review
D. 12/13/12 Candidate presentations/interviews with Evaluating Committee (if
deemed necessary)
E. 12/14/12 Evaluating Committee recommendation of finalists
F. 12/20/12 City Council reviews Evaluating Committee recommendation for
approval (Agenda Item)
G. 1/1/13 Commencement of Services
The above schedule may be changed solely at the City's discretion.
IV. Minimum Qualifications
A. Respondent must demonstrate experience and expertise in the federal legislative
process or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience.
B. Respondent must demonstrate the ability to represent local government clients to
Congress or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience.
C. Respondent must demonstrate ongoing relationships with members of the
Florida Congressional Delegation by including in their list of references, members
and a contact person in each of the offices who can discuss the Respondent's
work.
D. Respondent must demonstrate ongoing relationships with key members and
Congressional Committee staff, Executive branch agency staff, and describe how
these relationships may be of assistance to the City.
E. Respondent must demonstrate familiarity with Federal agencies and a record of
a successful working relationship with these agencies.
V. Response Format and Content
A. Respondent should submit documentation to substantiate compliance with
Minimum Qualifications as stated in this document.
B. Respondent's history and background including: 1) list and description of
outcomes of public sector projects and initiatives worked on in the past five
years, including key contacts for each of these projects; 2) experience with local
government(s) in the last five years; 3) a list of clients for whom similar services
were provided; 4) details of how project success was measured, 5) list of team
members who will be providing lobbying services for Clearwater and their
experience with local government; and 6) a list of 2011/12 clients.
C. A Work Plan indicating: 1) RespondenYs approach to provide the required scope
of services; 2) names of individual(s) responsible to provide the services and
resumes describing qualifications, credentials, relevant experience, and how long
individual(s) have been on the team; and 3) Respondent's membership and
participation in professional associations.
D. Respondent shall provide a Financial Statement Cost Summary.
E. Respondent shall supply total cost to perform services with a breakdown
providing hourly rate and total cost. Travel and out-of-pocket expenses shall
be listed separately and included in total cost. Respondent shall provide
payment terms and a schedule of payments.
VI. Proposal Submission
Proposals shall be delivered to the City Purchasing Manager, City of Clearwater,
100 South Myrtle Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33756, prior to the opening time of 4:00 p.m.
on November 30, 2012. Delivery of proposals to the City of Clearwater's Purchasing
Office prior to the specified date and time is solely and strictly the responsibility of the
Respondents. The City shall not, under any circumstances, be responsible for delays
caused by the United States Postal Service or any private delivery service, or for delays
caused by any other occurrence. All responses must be manually and duly signed by
an authorized corporate o�cer, principal, or partner with the authority to bind said
Respondent. All responses must be marked on the outside:
"Request to Provide Lobbying Services at the Federal Level
To the City of Clearwater:
To be Opened at 4:00 p.m. E.S.T., November 30, 2012."
The Respondent is solely responsible for reading and completely understanding
the requirements of his RFP. The opening time shall be and must be scrupulously
observed. Under no circumstances will qualification delivered after the specified
delivery time be considered. Late submissions shall be returned unopened to the
Respondent with the notation, "The qualifications were received after the delivery time
designated for receipt and opening of the proposals."
The Respondent shall submit six (6) copies of their proposals, and one (1) electronic
copy of their proposal in it's entirety.
All proposals shall be prepared and submitted in accordance with the provisions
of this RFP. However, the City may waive informalities, irregularities, or variances,
whether technical or substantial in nature or reject any and all qualifications at its
discretion. Any proposal may be withdrawn prior to the indicated time for opening of
proposals or authorized postponement thereof. No Respondent may withdraw
proposals within ninety (90) days after the actual date of the proposal's opening.
VII. Inquiries and Addenda
Each Respondent shall examine the RFP document and shall judge all
matters relating to the adequacy and accuracy of this document. Any inquiries,
suggestions, or requests concerning interpretation, clarification, or additional information
pertaining to the RFP shall be made through the City of Clearwater's Purchasing
Manager, Michael Murray at P.O. Box 4748, Clearwater, FL 33758; 100 S. Myrtle Ave.,
Clearwater, FL 33756; FAX 727/562-4635; or michael.murray_(a)_myclearwater.com. The
City shall not be responsible for oral interpretations given by any City employee,
representative, or others. The issuance of a written addendum is the only official
method whereby interpretation, clarification, or additional information can be given. If
any addenda are issued to this RFP, the City will attempt to notify all prospective
Respondents who have secured same. However, it shall be the responsibility of each
Respondent, prior to submitting the proposal, to contact the City of Clearwater's
Purchasing Manager (727/562-4633) to determine if addenda were issued and to make
such addenda a part of the proposal. The last date for inquiries is five (5) working days
prior to the due date.
VIII. Responder Preparation Expenses
Each responder preparing a proposal in response to this request shall bear all
expenses associated with their preparation. Responders shall prepare a response with
the understanding that no claims for reimbursement shall be submitted to the City for
the expense of preparation or presentation.
IX. Right to Protest
Any actual or prospective bidder who is aggrieved in connection with the
solicitation or award of a contract may seek resolution of his/her complaints by
contacting the Purchasing Manager.
X. No Corrections
Once competitive proposal is submitted, the City shall not accept any request by
any proposer to correct errors or omissions in any calculations or competitive price
submitted.
XI.Openness of Procurement Process
Written competitive proposals, other submissions, correspondence, and all
records made thereof, as well as negotiations conducted pursuant to this RFP, shall be
handled in compliance with Chapters 119 and 286 Florida Statutes. The City gives no
assurance as to the confidentiality of any portion of any proposal once submitted.
XII. No Collusion
By offering a submission to the RFP, the proposer certifies the proposer has not
divulged to, discussed or compared his/her competitive proposal with other proposers
and has not colluded with any other proposers or parties to this competitive proposal
whatsoever.
XIII. Informality Waiver/Rejection of Proposals
The City reserves the right to reject any or all responses and to waive any
irregularity, variance or informality whether technical or substantial in nature, in keeping
with the best interest of the City.
XIV. Appropriations Clause
The City, as an entity of government, is subject to the appropriation of funds by
its legislative body in an amount sufficient to allow continuation of its performance in
accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract for each and every fiscal year
following the fiscal year in which this contract shall remain in effect. Upon notice that
sufficient funds are not available in the subsequent fiscal years, the City shall thereafter
be released of all terms and other conditions.
XV. Evaluation Criteria � Ranking Process
A. Evaluation of the proposals shall be accomplished using the criteria described
in this section. Information and data included in the response shall be
considered in the evaluation process.
B. Selection Criteria and Weight (indicated in parenthesis)
1. Overall quality (5) (completeness, and thoroughness of the Work Plan)
2. Experience (4) (documented, successful, and relevant) with local
governments and/or organizations in providing lobbying services
3. Qualifications (3) (knowledge, education, and training)
4. Reports from references (3)
5. Cost for services (2)
C. References may be contacted regarding the satisfaction of services rendered by
the Respondent. References will be evaluated based on overall quality of work
and successful experience.
D. Negotiations
Following the ranking of the proposals, the Committee shall designate the top
ranked Respondent and enter into negotiations. The Committee shall notify the
Respondent in writing. Negotiations shall begin immediately with the Respondent
selected. If negotiations are successful, the Committee shall recommend the favorable
Respondent to the City Council. Thereafter, the City Council may issue a notice of
intent to enter into an agreement with the Respondent by certified mail. If the
negotiations are unsuccessful, the Committee shall begin negotiations with the second
ranked Respondent. The Committee reserves the right to terminate negotiations at any
time, with or without cause.
The Evaluation & Negotiation Committee reserves the right to negotiate whatever
schedule is convenient to it and which is in the best interest of the City.
E. Insurance, Safety � Contract Requirements
The successful bidder will procure and maintain, at bidder's expense, insurance
coverage as contained in Exhibit A attached hereto and made a part hereof as if fully
set forth herein, and will also comply with all supplemental provisions regarding
insurance, indemnification, safety, etc. contained therein.
XVI. Public Entity Crimes
Pursuant to Florida Statute 287-132-133, effective July 1, 1989, the City of
Clearwater, as a public entity, may not accept any proposal from, award any contract to,
or transact any business in excess of the threshold amount provided in Section
287.017, F.S., for Category Two (currently $35,000) with any person or affiliate on the
convicted vendor list for a period of 36 months from the date that person or affiliate was
placed on the convicted vendor list unless that person of a�liate has been removed
from the list pursuant to Section 287.133 (3)(fl, F.S. If you submit a proposal in
response to this request, you are certifying that Florida Statute 287.132 and 287.133
does not restrict your submission.
EXHIBIT A
CITY OF CLEARWATER
ADDITIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT/INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
FOR
AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS
INSURANCE
In addition to any other insurance required by the RFP, or bid documents, the
Respondent shall provide the following described insurance, and with insurers
acceptable to the City.
These insurance requirements shall not limit the liability of the Respondent. The City
does not represent these types or amounts of insurance to be sufficient or adequate to
protect the Respondent's interests or liabilities, but are merely minimums.
The Respondent's deductibles/self-insured retention shall be disclosed to the city and
may be disapproved by the City. They shall be reduced or eliminated at the option of
the City. The Respondent is responsible for the amount of any deductible or self-
insured retention.
INSURANCE OF THE RESPONDENT PRIMARY
Insurance required of the Respondent or any other insurance of the Respondent shall
be considered primary, and insurance of the City, where applicable, shall be considered
only as excess.
COMMERCIAL AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY
Commercial Automobile Liability insurance for any owned, non-owned, hired or
borrowed automobile is required in the minimum amount of $1,000,000 combined single
limit. The City of Clearwater shall be named as an additional insured on the policy.
PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY, MALPRACTICE AND/OR ERRORS OR OMMISSIONS
The Respondent shall purchase and maintain professional liability or malpractice or
errors or omissions insurance appropriate for the type of business engaged in by
Respondent with minimum limits of $500,000 per occurrence.
If a claims made form of coverage is provided, the retro-active date of coverage shall be
no later than the inception date of claims made coverage, unless prior policy was
extended indefinitely to cover prior acts.
Coverage shall be extended beyond the policy year either by a supplemental extended
reporting period (ERP) of as great duration as available, and with no less coverage and
with reinstated aggregate limits, or by requiring that nay new policy provide a retroactive
date no later than the inception date of claims made coverage.
WRITTEN AGREEMENT/CONTRACT
Any party providing services or products to the City will be expected to enter into
a written agreement, contract, or purchase order with the City that incorporates,
either in writing or by reference, all of the pertinent provisions relating to
insurance and insurance requirements as contained herein and in the RFP or
other bid documents. A failure to do so may, at the sole option of the City,
disqualify any Respondent, bidder, or proposer of services and/or products to the
City.
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VAN SCOYOC
A S S O C I A T E S
' H. STEWART VAN SCOYOC
President
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November 28, 2012
Mr. Michael Murray
City Purchasing Manager
City of Clearwater
100 South Myrtle Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33756
Dear Mr. Murray:
Van Scoyoc Associates Inc. (VSA) is honored to submit the attached response to the City of
Clearwater's request for qualifications to provide Federal Legislative Lobbyist Services. We
believe VSA can provide the City with a partnership that will yield significant and beneficial
results.
Van Scoyoc Associates is a full-service, bi-partisan lobbying firm that was founded in 1990 and
has grown to be one of the most successful independent firms in Washington, D.C. Our success
is due to our principals, each of whom has been hired by VSA because of the quality of his or her
knowledge, contacts, and skills.
We have put together a tear�i for the City of Clearwater with clecades of Federal experience that
combines an insider's knowledge of Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch with an excellent
record of representing Florida and other local governments in Washington, D.C. Our team has
excellent working relationships with the Florida Congressional Delegation, other relevant
Members of Congress, and Federal agencies, all of which will enable us quickly to identify
pertinent opportunities in Washington available to the City.
Building on the City's sophisticated understanding of Federal lobbying, we will cast a critical
eye on the City's strengths, weaknesses, and past lobbying effarts. We will then recommend
either overlooked avenues for success or different avenues to advance stalled initiatives.
' EXHIBiT
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101 CONSTITUTION AVENUE N.W. SUITE 600 WEST WASHINGTON, DC 20001
TELEPHONE 202-638-1950 FAX 202-638-7714 EMAIL STU�VSADC.COM
W W W. V SADC.COM
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Mr. Doug Gregory and Mr. Greg Burns will be the VSA team leaders for the City of Clearwater.
They can be contacted at:
Doug Gregory, Vice President
101 Constitution Avenue, NW
Suite 600 West
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 638-1950
(202) 638-7714 — fax
d�regory(cr�,vsadc.com
Greg Burns, Vice President
101 Constitution Avenue, NW
Suite 600 West
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 737-8162
(202) 638-7714 — fax
b� unls e,vsadc.com
Thank you very much for the opportunity to present this proposal. Please contact either poug or
Greg if you need additional information or have questions.
Sincerely,
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H. Stewart Van Sco oc �
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' Response to Request for Proposal 06-13
For Federal Lobbying Services for the City of Clearwater
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City Purchasing Manager
City of Clearwater
Municipal Services Building
100 South Myrtle Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33756
Submitted by
Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc.
101 Constitution Avenue, NW
Suite 600 West
Washington, DC 20001
' Van Scoyoc Associates Inc. I 101 Constitution Ave, NW I Washington, DC 20001
T: 202.638.1950 I F:202.638.7714 I www.vsADC.CO1v1
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Van Scoyoc Associates
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' Qua�ifications and Ex�
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ble of Contents
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` Scope of Services � �� � � `
,List of Clients
� List of 2011-12 C��lients
� Client Refexenee�s For ��in�lar Services Provided
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' Selected �VSA �lorida Congressional P�ints of Contact
Exa��Ies of Succ��,�����;��� c�f Other �o�v�rnment Entities
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Compe�sation Proposal
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Van Scoyoc Associates Overview
' Van Scoyoc Associates (VSA) is honored to present this proposal to represent the interests of the
City of Clearwater before the Legislative and Executive Branches of the Federal government.
VSA is the largest independent provider of Federal representation in Washington, D.C. and has a
' well established record of success supporting local government entities. With a client base of
nearly 50 government entities, VSA is well positioned to achieve success on Federal issues of
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importance to the City. VSA possesses the assets, resources, and expertise to address today's
challenges.
H. Stewart "Stu" Van Scoyoc established VSA in 1990 with "three employees, eight clients, a
five-pound cell phone, and the desire to compete." Today, VSA serves approximately 250
clients, including many city and county governments, water and flood control districts, public
transportation agencies, major research universities, defense contractors, hospitals, health care
and research consortia, economic development authorities, and Fortune 500 companies.
While our company is large — with about 30 principals and 50 support people — our core concepts
' and representational framewark enable us to provide highly personalized service tailored to each
client's needs and desires.
� Service: VSA provides the human touch of a small entrepreneurial firm by assigning specific
principals and staff to each client. We never charge hourly fees that might impede regular two-
way communication with clients. We want to encourage innovation and preserve as much
' freedom and flexibility as possible for both clients and staff, while at the same time ensuring
transparency, accountability, and results.
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Resources: VSA's successful track record, combined with our principals' extraardinary
Legislative and Executive Branch experience, make VSA a powerful and highly effective
advocate. Our personnel have worked side-by-side with senior elected and appointed leaders in
Congress, the White House and Cabinet, and with career staff throughout the various agencies
and departments, and have extensive experience with local government in the State of Florida.
VSA can summon the skill, expertise, and contacts of its entire staff on behalf of any client.
Balance: From its establishment, VSA has consciously maintained a bi-partisan balance, in both
staffing and political activity. This symmetry enables VSA to maintain exceedingly strong
relationships on both sides of the political aisle, and to develop and successfully promote
creative solutions to problems that others deem intractable.
Skill: Gone are the days when Washington representation meant simply shepherding a request
through the appropriations process. Building a case before the Federal government now calls for
action on a broader scale. VSA helps clients understand and navigate the federal process and to
optimize their activities through integrated, proactive engagement with every level of the
government. With a strong and successful track record of representing local governments, VSA
is well qualified to advocate for the City of Clearwater's needs at the Federal level.
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Integrity: Especially in today's volatile political atmosphere, a company offering Washington
' representation must be above reproach. VSA will always represent the City of Clearwater in a
dignified and ethical manner. We strictly abide by the provisions of the Honest Leadership and
Open Government Act of 2007, including prohibitions on gifts, meals, and travel for elected
' officials and staff, and adhere to the highest standards of ethics and integrity in our
representation.
, Philosophy: Our advocacy is premised on the fundamental reality that Members of Congress
and Administration officials are elected or appointed to serve the people in their district or state
and the nation. Recognizing this simple fact, we structure our advocacy in a way that puts our
, client in front of the Congressional Member or agency official.
' The value we add to your effort is discrete—often behind the scenes—helping you to develop
and implement a legislative engagement plan that presents your vision and promotes the
overlapping mterests of the taxpayer, Congress, and the Admmistration. A comprehensive,
multi-faceted strategy is the key to obtaining government financial support. It will require
' intimate knowledge of the City's critical needs and capabilities and an overall understanding of
how best to obtain available funding opportunities.
' Working as a seamless extension of the City of Clearwater, VSA will provide guidance
concerning emerging and existing government requirements, strategic partnerships, optimal
' approaches to generate support from elected representatives, and ways to compete successfully
for government action and financing. We offer our clients a broad range of vital services in the
Federal arena and provide each client with a customized work plan. Our team provides clients
, with timely information and counsel as well as direct representation before a myriad of Federal
officials.
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Qualifications and Experience
Through our representation of a variety of public entities, VSA represents more than 30 million
Americans in nearly every state in the country. Our clients have an array of needs and concerns,
are geographically and politically diverse, and run the spectrum from some of the largest local
governments to some of the smallest.
Many of our public entity clients have been with the firm for a decade or more, but others,
including several government entities, switched to V SA after using other advocacy firms for
many years. These clients wanted a fresh approach to their Washington representation,
particularly as times have changed and earmarks are no longer available, at least in the short
term. They have chosen VSA due to our breadth and depth of knowledge and experience, as
well as the results we continue to deliver for our clients, as outlined below. Some of these newly
signed clients include:
, • Charlotte County, Fla.; population nearly 160,000
• City of Coconut Creek, Fla.; population more than 50,000
• City of Long Beach, Calif.; population more than 450,000
' • El Paso County, Texas; population more than 800,000
• San Diego County, Calif.; population more than 3 million
, VSA Vice Presidents Doug Gregory and Greg Burns will lead the VSA team for the City of
Clearwater, along with George Bernier, Director, Government Relations, and Nate Potter,
Manager, Government Relations. The team will be managed by VSA President and CEO "Stu"
' Van Scoyoc. These team members have extensive experience working on Capitol Hill, in
Executive Branch agencies, and as Federal advocates on behalf of Florida government entities.
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The VSA team has extensive experience on Capitol Hill. For example, Doug Gregory served as
Chief of Staff to Rep. Bill Young and as a professional staff inember on the House Committee on
Appropriations for more than 36 years. In this capacity, Mr. Gregory worked on numerous
projects that benefitted the communities of Clearwater, Tampa, and St. Petersburg. Whether it
involved roads and bridges (infrastructure), beach renourishment (environment), military
construction projects (facilities) ar working hand in glove with many of the leading military
commands and leading defense contractors (defense), Mr. Gregory, a native of Pinellas County,
is well versed in the issues and priorities of the region. Few, if any, former congressional staff
can match Mr. Gregory's long-term friendships with Members of Congress and their respective
staff. Mr. Gregory personally handled Rep. Young's appropriations portfolio and was intimately
involved in his defense appropriations activities, particularly those activities of U.S. Special
Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, FL.
Greg began his career on Capitol Hill, serving on the legislative staff of a Member of Congress.
Since then, he has represented more than a dozen local governments in Florida, including seven
current Florida clients: Charlotte, Lee, Martin, St. Lucie, and Volusia counties, as well as the
City of Coconut Creek and the Captiva Erosion Prevention District. Several of Mr. Burns'
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Florida clients have been represented by him in Washington for a decade. He has excellent
relationships within the Florida Congressional Delegation on both sides of the aisle.
Mr. Bernier and Mr. Potter each bring extensive Legislative Branch experience to the team.
Each worked with senior Members of the U.S. Senate who were elected by their peers to Senate
leadership positions. Mr. Bernier served as a Senior Legislative Assistant and staffed a senior
Member of Congress on the Senate Committees on Armed Services and Finance, and then spent
more than four years in the National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Congressional,
Intergovernmental, and Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to joining VSA,
Mr. Potter represented a number of local governments, water districts, public utilities, and
transportation entities for five years for a previous employer. Additionally, Mr. Potter served as
an aide to a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
Our team has an excellent track record of successfully securing Federal funding for our clients
via both the appropriations and grant processes. Each of our team members have excellent
relationships with Congressional committees relevant to local governments, including the
Appropriations Committees, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee, the House and Senate Committees on Armed
Services, Senate Committee on Finance, and many others.
Many Clients Use VSA's Capitol Room for Events
Van Scoyoc Associates Inc. I 101 Constitution Ave, NW I Washington, DC 20001
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Scope of Services
We know the City of Clearwater has a sophisticated
understanding of Federal lobbying and has retained a
Federal lobbyist for a number of years. VSA will
proceed in the following manner if chosen:
• Critically examine, and then improve upon, the
City's past advocacy efforts.
• Explore and recommend new areas of Federal
advocacy not pursued in the past.
• Broaden business development efforts already
initiated by the City to attract and enhance major
corporate presence in the City of Clearwater.
VSA will immediately study and assess the City's
priorities and community assets, and examine which
needs and assets will create momentum and fit Federal
trends for the best chance of Congressional and
Executive Branch success. VSA will work with City
staff to evaluate how best to achieve the City's long-
term goals and examine several methods for securing
Federal support for policies and projects.
Below is a detailed description of the services and strategies VSA proposes. Based on our
experience, we know the most effective communication and advocacy strategies are developed
with honest input from all parties involved. For that reason, we work hard on being flexible to
the needs and concerns of the City and look forward to developing a specific strategy as our
relationship progresses that takes into account our extensive background representing local
governments and the City of Clearwater's Federal advocacy needs.
Provide research and timely written and oral information to the City.
Effective communication is critical to successful advocacy. The VSA — City of Clearwater team
will work diligently to keep the City informed and updated regarding Federal legislation,
initiatives, funding opportunities, and news through a variety of different sources. While team
leaders Doug Gregory and Greg Burns will always be available to the City, the team can arrange
scheduled phone calls and produce written updates to ensure ongoing communication is taking
place.
The VSA team will also prepare, with the assistance of City staff for technical guidance, many of
the following forms of research and information as deemed appropriate:
• Analyses of budget requests and forecasts for policies and programs of importance to the
City;
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• Reports of, and testimonies from, relevant committee hearings and markups;
• Memos on pertinent Federal initiatives or topics;
• Federal agency and departmental regulations, guidelines, directives, and other
instruments of administrative policy;
• Grants and other funding opportunities for proposed City projects;
• Technical reports and memoranda affecting City operations and fiscal conditions;
• Copies of proposed legislation and associated reports;
•"White papers" and materials geared toward elected officials and their staffs that justify
the City's objectives in simple and straightforward language, providing Congress and the
Executive Branch with the information they need to be successful on your behalf;
• Support or request letters for Congressional sponsors to use with relevant committees or
Federal agencies;
� Any necessary forms for appropriations or authorizations requests;
• A briefing book for pertinent members of Congress, House and Senate Committees, the
Executive Branch agencies, and their staffs, and
• Monthly itemized invoices for compensation related to services.
Monitor existing and proposed laws and regulations that affect the interests and priorities
of the City.
' VSA will closely monitor the progress of pertinent bills, relevant agency regulatory
developments, and significant budget discussions and legislation to ensure that the City's
' priorities are considered by the appropriate authorities at every opportunity. Success depends
upon timely input from Members of Congress and their staffs to the committees. Similarly,
careful coordination must be mamtamed with Federal agencies that admmister the programs to
' make sure the agency demonstrates its interest. VSA will ensure that conversations are made at
the right time, that timely correspondence is sent, and that agency officials communicate with
Capitol Hill.
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Proactively recommend and develop legislative positions for proposed laws and regulations
that affect the interests and priorities of the City.
Working with the City, and based on our knowledge of opportunities, VSA will develop a list of
current or predicted legislation to either oppose or support on behalf of the City, as well as
funding targets, and essential Federal programs that must be protected. We will work with City
staff to create a prioritized and action-oriented Federal Legislative Agenda for 2013, an agenda
that can be distributed to the City for approval. A sample Legislative Agenda has been provided
as an appendix to this proposal.
In addition to the formal legislative agenda, VSA team members will be available to discuss and
research pertinent legislation as it develops. We will constantly monitor the introduction and
progress of proposed laws and regulations and provide analysis on the potential effects the City
of Clearwater. We will assist the City in developing policy positions and contact the relevant
Members of Congress to ensure they are aware of the City's position on significant legislation.
Propose and develop opportunities that will access funding at the policy making level.
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' With our advance planning, the current earmark moratorium did not come as a shock, nor does it
create a crisis. While ideally we would like to work to secure earmarks for clients, our
immediate focus will remain on relevant policy issues, Federal agency programs and relationship
, development, and agency grant and programmatic funding, all of which can often have a bigger
effect on a community than a simple Federal earmark.
' For example, Mr. Burns recently worked with the City of Visalia, Calif., to secure a two-year
extension of the Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) rate far residents who have Federal flood insurance
' through the National Flood Insurance Program. With more than 12,000 residents in the flood
plain and PRP rates almost $1,000 lower than regular flood insurance rates, the City's residents
will save nearly $18 million in flood insurance premiums over two years.
, We also work to expand our clients' interactions with Federal agencies, whether through
traditional competitive grant programs or other initiatives. For example, Mr. Burns also recently
, worked with the City of Beaverton, Oregon, to engage the U.S. Export/Import Bank and the
Department of Commerce to set up a seminar for export businesses in the community. In this
way, the City and its local busmesses may gain the assistance of these Federal agencies as
, individual companies look to expand their exports or initiate exports to new markets. We also
engaged the U.S. Interagency Council on the Homeless to assist the City so it can better address
its challenges with youth homelessness. Finally, we worked with the Economic Development
, Administration to secure competitive grant funding for expanded programs at the City's Oregon
Technology Business Center.
' Research and identify grant funding or other opportunities for funds.
As congressionally directed spending is on hold for the near future, more discretionary funding is
' left at the agency level to be awarded through competitive grants. That is why securing
discretionary grant funding through Federal agencies and Executive Branch departments is
becoming more important than ever. VSA will help the City of Clearwater navigate the policy,
' budgetary, and legislative processes to select the appropriate grant programs and improve
chances to secure grant funding. VSA will provide due diligence, including discussing funding
requirements and qualifying the opportunity with the issuing agency. VSA is prepared to
' provide appropriate counsel and to engage in Congressional outreach such as working with
Congressional offices to submit letters of support for City's grant applications.
, VSA's continual contact and close working relationships with Federal agencies allow us to glean
intelligence in advance of public announcements. This knowledge will allow us to provide the
City with timely information on research and infrastructure funding opportunities. VSA will also
' provide support to the City on responses to Federal public announcements. VSA has extensive
experience supporting winning competitive grant proposals and often serves clients in enhancing
grant submissions. Depending on services required, we have the team in place to be able to help
' you improve your submission, realign it more competitively for the win, add team players, edit,
and submit.
' Arrange meetings for City elected officials and personnel with Congressional members and
staff. Provide logistical support and attend those meetings when necessary.
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Senior elected officials and professional staff with the City of Clearwater must meet with the
right members of Congress and it must deliver the right message. The proposed VSA — City of
Clearwater team has an excellent working relationship with the City's current Congressional
delegation. We are adept at creating positive relationships with new Members of Congress and
our ability to effectively engage the City's delegation, whomever it includes, will not be altered
based on their new members' politics or ideologies.
A member of the VSA team will accompany the City during all meetings with Congress, staff,
and agency officials to provide background information and assist as needed. We will work with
City staff in advance to ensure that those attending the meeting are knowledgeable on the topics
being discussed and equipped with documents to supplement the conversation. We understand
that financial limitations restrict City staff inembers and elected officials from traveling to
Washington as often as may be desired. In recognition of that, we will work to make sure that all
trips are structured to most effectively take advantage of your time here.
For the same reason, we will continue to engage in regular meetings with Congressional
leadership and staff on behalf of the City in your absence. VSA will stay in continuous contact
with these officials by phone and email. VSA will advance already existing political
relationships and establish new ones. We will assist in correspondence between your
Congressional delegation and other relevant members of Congress to ensure your viewpoint and
suggestions are heard regarding legislation that affects the interests of the City. VSA will focus
its collective efforts intensely on the Congressional leaders that will best enable us to accomplish
your goals.
In addition, VSA's centrally-located office on Capitol Hill is able to host officials from the City
of Clearwater on official business in Washington, D.C.
Engage in advocacy to promote the City's position on priority issues, including appropriate
interest groups, the National Association of Counties, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and
the National League of Cities.
VSA regularly and actively participates in meetings of Washington representatives coordinated
by the National Association of Counties, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities,
and the National Governors Association. We are prepared to play an intermediary role between
the City and relevant national organizations by articulating issues and viewpoints important to
the City of Clearwater and disseminating pertinent information and initiatives back to City staff.
City of Clearwater "Branding"
Some of our effort will be to build long-term relationships and to "brand" the City of Clearwater
and its ofiicials in the eyes Congress and Federal agencies. We encourage at least an annual trip
to Washington, D.C., where we would develop a comprehensive slate of ineetings with Members
of Congress, Congressional staff aides, and Federal agencies.
For example, we crafted a branding strategy for the City of Beaverton, Ore., that resulted in the
City being highlighted in a national sustainability initiative. Having discussed Beaverton's
emphasis on promoting sustainability, we set up a meeting between the Mayor and the
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' Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. That meeting led
to the City becoming the first small-city partner in the country, and the first of any size in
Oregon, in the Department's Better Buildings Challenge. The City committed to reduce the
' energy used across city-owned buildings by 20 percent or more by 2020, while showcasing
solutions as a model for others to follow. Since then, the Mayor was asked to explain the City's
engagement in that program at a Department of Energy conference in Denver. Other examples
' of the branding effort include the City of Beaverton becoming a City-State partner of the Export-
Import Bank and a known entity to other Federal agencies and Congressional staff.
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We will similarly help promote the City of Clearwater in a number of areas as appropriate and
will offer opportunities for City officials to engage with Federal officials on topics of interest.
Sequestration/Fiscal Cliff/Grand Bargain
, Last year, much attention in Congress and the White House was paid to the Federal debt ceiling
and proposals to reduce spending or increase revenue. Most of those discussions went nowhere,
with real action on these fiscal issues deferred until at least after the 2012 election, if not next
' year. This situation remains extremely fluid. Many unknown variables may affect the final
resolution, but here is a summary of what has occurred, what may happen, and how it could
affect the City.
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Large items that must be addressed during the lame duck session or early in 2013 include:
1) Sequestration
2) Debt ceiling increase (expected to be needed in February or March, 2013)
3) The extension of a number of tax proposals, including the Bush-era tax cuts, the
Alternative Minimum Tax, the estate tax, and other various tax extenders
4) Unemployment benefits extension
5) Payroll tax holiday
Sequestration: Sequestration is the result of the failure of the Deficit Reduction Committee, a
group of 12 members of the House and Senate that was unable to strike a deal to reduce spending
and/or increase revenue. The Deficit Reduction Committee was formed as part of the Budget
Control Act deal to avert a default on the Federal debt in August 2011.
Sequestration, if left untouched, will result in automatic spending cuts of $1.2 trillion over nine
' years (through Fiscal Year 2021), split equally between defense and non-defense spending. A bit
more than $200 billion of this reduction in spending will come from reduced debt service costs,
leaving a real cut of $984 billion, or roughly $109 billion per year. Of the $55 billion in cuts
' scheduled to be applied to non-defense spending, about $38 billion would come from
discretionary (not mandatory) spending.
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From the City's perspective, these cuts can be managed across the board as opposed to
eliminating whole programs, as other proposals have suggested in lieu of sequestration.
However, since Fiscal Year 2013 begins before sequestration will take place, cuts in 2013 will be
made by the individual agencies, leaving Federal furloughs as the most likely response to cost
cutting. Decisions on how to fund individual programs will be left up to the Congressional
Appropriations committees on an annual basis beginning with Fiscal Year 2014.
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' Few in Congress are pleased with the potential impacts of sequestration. In general, Democrats
are not pleased with the forced cuts and the lack of scheduled increases to spending.
Republicans are particularly frustrated over the effect the cuts may have on the Department of
' Defense, which will bear 50 percent of the spending reduction (because it accounts for more than
half of discretionary spending). The impact of the budget sequestration on defense companies
located in the City of Clearwater and Pinellas County would be devastating. VSA has and
' continues to be a major voice in articulating the goal of avoiding sequestration and preventing
catastrophic cuts from being imposed to discretionary and non-discretionary spending.
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Tax Issues: The Bush-era tax cuts as well as the mare recent payroll tax holiday are also
scheduled to expire at the end of 2012. The Bush-era tax cuts include lower personal income
rates, lower capital gains and dividend rates, marriage penalty relief, and lower estate taxes,
among other things. The expiration of these tax rates offers a rare opportunity to generate
signiiicant amounts of new revenue while not having to do anything. If they are not extended
legislatively, the tax cuts will simply end and the tax structure in place before the cuts (prior to
2002) will return. At the same time, the payroll tax holiday that originated during the Obama
Administration will also expire.
"Fiscal Cliff': Many are concerned about the potential economic impact of large spending cuts
via sequestration coming at about the same time as tax increases if the Bush-era tax cuts and the
payroll tax holiday are not at least partially extended. If Congress does nothing, taxes will rise
and spending will fall, potentially sending the economy back into recession, as Federal Reserve
Chairtnan Ben Bernanke predicted when he coined the phrase "fiscal cliff." According to the
Congressional Budget Office, under current law (meaning sequestration spending cuts and tax
increases) the growth of GDP would drop by roughly four percent.
, "Grand Bargain ": Given the unpleasant impacts of sequestration, the scheduled expiration of
the Bush-era tax cuts, the payroll tax holiday, other fiscal issues, and the specter of another debt
ceiling showdown, many believe that now is the time to resurrect another "Grand Bargain" on
� spending and revenue reform. The best known of these proposals is known as Simpson-Bowles,
written by a commission appointed at the request of the Obama Administration in December
2010. It proposed big-picture ideas to tax and entitlement reform as well as some spending cuts
' (which are not fully specific). The proposal would significantly change Social Security, our tax
structure, and the Federal workforce. It is a balanced plan, however, in that it would both reduce
spending and increase revenue.
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For the City of Clearwater, some of the proposed spending reduction ideas are concerning
because the City likely has benefited or may benefit from each of these:
• Drop communities from the Community Development Block Grant program
• Reduce funding for Department of Homeland Security grant programs
• Reduce funding for Department of Justice grant programs
• Eliminate the Economic Development Administration
• Reduce land acquisition under the Land and Water Conservation Fund
What Will Happen: Congress and the White House have a number of options, some reasonable,
others not.
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' • If nothin is done, the economic im act over the next ear or more could be si nificant.
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However, the Federal deficit, which some in the House and Senate have worried about so
' much during the past two years, would drop sharply. With the economy already fragile,
this is an unlikely scenario.
' • Taking the opposite approach, Congress could extend tax and spending rules so that
nothing changes for some agreed on period.
• Finally, a bargain of some sort, "Grand" or not, on these issues could be enacted,
, extending some of the Bush-era tax cuts, reforming the tax code, making some changes to
entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, and reducing some spending.
' The second option is becoming more plausible as many think Congress will just continue to kick
the can down the road. Some form of the latter scenario is also possible, but probably not before
Congress and the White House have engaged in another round of political theater and
' brinksmanship.
Impact to the Ciry of Clearwater: Although these issues are national, the decisions made in
' Washington will significantly affect the City. Whether because of significant changes to Federal
programs on which the City or its citizens rely, it is critical that the City know what is happening
and exactly how it will impact your community, current operations, and plans for the future.
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List of Clients
Van Scoyoc Associates currently represents approximately 250 clients, including roughly 50
government entity clients. We are happy to provide contact information for any of them upon
request. Roughly 30 Vice Presidents and 50 other staff members service our clients. A more
complete list of our clients can be found at: www.vsadc.com/clients.
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Alabama State Port Authority
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, California
Baldwin County Commission, Alabama
Charlotte County, Florida
City of Akron, Ohio
City of Baltimore, Maryland
City of Beaverton, Oregon
City of Cathedral City, California
City of Coconut Creek, Florida
City of Dana Point, California
City of Elk Grove, California
City of Gadsden, Alabama
City of Galt, California
City of Glendale, Arizona
City of Gulf Shores, Alabama
City of Iola, Kansas
City of Long Beach, California
City of Manteca, California
City of Newport Beach, California
City of Norwalk, California
City of Orange Beach, Alabama
City of Palo Alto, California
City of Pismo Beach, California
City of Portsmouth, Virginia
City of Rocklin, California
City of Santa Maria, California
City of Stockton, California
City of Visalia, California
City of Westminster, California
Clark County Public Transportation, Washington
Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Texas
Del Norte County, California
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Eastern Municipal Water District, California
Galveston County, Texas
Lee County, Florida
Martin County, Florida
Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, Tennessee
Merced County Association of Governments, California
Mission Springs Water District, California
Mobile County Commission, Alabama
Mobile Regional Airport Authority, Alabama
Orange County Fire Authority, California
Sacramento County Airport System, California
San Bernardino Associated Governments, California
San Diego County, California
San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency, California
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, California
Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, Michigan
St. Clair County Commission, Alabama
St. Lucie County, Florida
Tualatin Basin Water Supply Partners, Oregon
Volusia County, Florida
Washington County, Oregon
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List of 2011-12 Clients
Greg Burns, Vice President
List of Clients 2011-2012
City of Beaverton, OR
Captiva Erosion Protection District, FL
Charlotte County, FL
City of Coconut Creek, FL
Del Norte County, CA
El Paso County, TX
Galveston County, TX
Lee County, FL
City of Manteca, CA
Martin County, FL
City of Pismo Beach, CA
City of Santa Maria, CA
St. Lucie County, FL
City of Visalia, CA
Volusia County, FL
Doug Gregory, Vice President
List of Clients 2011-2012
AeroVironment
Austal USA
Bay Defense Alliance
DRS Defense Solutions
DRS Technologies
Global Technical Solutions
Health Integrated
IBM
Lockheed Martin
MacAndrews & Forbes
Marine Group Boat Works
Metal Shark, LLC
Total Military Management
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Client References For Similar Services Provided
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Lee County, Florida
' Holly Schwartz, Assistant County Manager
2115 Second Street
� Fort Myers, FL 33901
Phone: (239) 533-2221
Email: schwartz(a�leegov.com
� St. Lucie County, Florida
Michael Brillhart, Business & Concurrency Manager
� 2300 Virginia Avenue
Fort Pierce, FL 34982
Phone: (772) 462-6406
1 Email: brillhartm(c�stlucieco.org
City of Visalia, California
1 Nancy Loliva, Community Relations Director
425 E. Oak Ave.
Visalia, CA 93291
� Phone: (559) 713-4535
Email: NLoliva(a�ci.visalia.ca.us
� City of Santa Maria, California
Rick Sweet, Director of Utilities
2065 E. Main Street
� Santa Maria, CA 93454
Phone: (805) 925-0951
Email: rsweet(a�ci.santa-maria.ca.us
, City of Pismo Beach, California
Kevin Rice, City Manager
� 760 Mattie Road
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone: (805) 773-7907
� Email: krice(c�pismobeach.org
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Selected VSA points of contact in Florida Congressional Delegation
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Rep. Bill Young
Rep. Gus Bilirakis
Rep. Kathy Castor
Rep. Jeff Miller
Rep. Steve Southerland
Rep. Ander Crenshaw
Rep. John Mica
Rep. Vern Buchanan
Rep. Tom Rooney
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Rep. Wasserman Schultz
Rep. Alcee Hastings
Sen. Bill Nelson
Sen. Marco Rubio
Staff Point of Contact
Mr. Harry Glenn, Chief of Staff, 202-225-5961
Mr. Dave Peluso, Chief of Staff, 202-225-5755
Mr. Clay Phillips, Chief of Staff, 202-225-3376
Mr. Dan McFaul, Chief of Staff, 202-225-4136
Mr. Tom Stallings, Chief of Staff, 202-225-5235
Ms. Erica Striebel, Legislative Director, 202-225-2501
Mr. Wiley Deck, Chief of Staff, 202-225-4035
Mr. Shane Lieberman, Legislative Director, 202-225-5015
Mr. Brian Crawford, Chief of Staff, 202-225-5792
Mr. Joshua Salpeter, Legislative Director, 202-225-3931
Mr. Coby Dolan, Legislative Director, 202-225-7931
Mr. Jason Harris, Legislative Director, 202-225-1313
Ms. Suzie Perez Quinn, Legislative Director, 202-224-5274
Mr. Brian Walsh, Deputy Legislative Director, 202-224-3041
Freedom Statue, U.S. Capitol
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Examples of Success on Behalf of Other Government Entities
To give the City of Clearwater a better understanding of the full range of services we have
provided for many of our government entity clients, following is a small sample of some of our
other accomplishments organized by issue area. To reflect the current climate in Washington,
you will notice that outside of the Corps of Engineers section, very few of the examples are
related directly to earmarked appropriations and instead involve grant or policy advocacy.
Transportation and Infrastructure. The broad array of transportation and infrastructure
clients we represent means that VSA principals and associates are well-versed in the
appropriations and authorizing bills, as well as Executive Branch grants and regulations that will
impact the City of Clearwater's transportation efforts. The VSA team has extensive experience
advocating to the Congress and the DOT modal agencies, including FHWA, Federal Transit
Administration (FTA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and FAA, on behalf of
transportation agencies around the Nation. VSA has helped to secure federal funding and
policies that have helped highway, transit, and airport development.
During consideration of the most recent surface transportation authorization bill, MAP-21, VSA
successfully advocated on issues including higher funding levels for highways and transit;
standards for highway preservation; expanding the authority for states to assume environmental
clearance authority from the federal government; continuation of the Projects of National and
Regional Significance program; preventing the elimination of dedicated transit funding;
maintaining a broad eligibility for bus rapid transit; allowing States and local governments to
receive higher federal shares when using innovative technologies; and providing dedicated
deployment funding for asphalt and concrete technologies to assist States in implementing these
cost-sa�ing innovations.
The VSA team works closely with the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Committee, and the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on authorization and policy
issues. VSA can be a powerful champion on transportation issues important to the City and can
emphasize the importance of funding opportunities for transit, passenger rail, aviation, and
highway development and safety programs.
A diversified approach to transportation policy is critical. Our advocacy not only includes
helping our clients understand how a proposed Federal policy or regulatory proposal directly
affects a specific project, but how to secure funds for that project. Examples of projects that we
have advocated on include:
� Client: Galveston County, Texas [Mark Henry, County Judge, Phone: (409) 766-2244]
Services performed/Strategies employed: VSA worked with the entire Texas Delegation to
highlight the importance of this bridge reconstruction project and the unique pot of Federal
� funding from which it could draw as a Coast Guard-identified Truman-Hobbs bridge (meaning
that the bridge was identified as an impediment to navigation). After securing earmarked
appropriations for the bridge for a number of years, the stimulus bill provided additional funding
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to the program and VSA worked directly with the Coast Guard to ensure the bridge was among
its highest priorities. The project is currently under construction.
Examples of specific result achieved: $49 million over several years for the reconstruction of
the Galveston Causeway Railroad Bridge.
Dates work was performed: 2006-2009
Team Member: Greg Burns
Client: City of Visalia, California [Nancy Loliva, Community Relations Director, Phone: (559)
713-4535]
Services performed/Strategies employed: VSA secured strong Congressional support for the
� City's efforts to purchase new, more fuel efiicient buses for their transit program to take people
to Sequoia National Park.
Examples of specific result achieved: $3,187,200 in grant funding for the purchase of hybrid
� buses and CNG trolleys from a Federal Transit Administration Clean Fuels grant.
Dates work was performed: 2010
Team Member: Greg Burns
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Clients: City of Manteca, Calif., St. Lucie County, Fla., Volusia County, Fla., and Martin
County, Fla. [Representative client: Martin County; Don Donaldson, Engineering Department
Director, Phone: (772) 288-5920]
Services performed/Strategies employed: VSA worked directly with Congress and the Census
Bureau to highlight a problem with Census Bureau proposed urban area agglomerations.
Examples of specific result achieved: Successfully fought a Census Bureau urban area
agglomeration effort after the 2010 Census that would have negatively affected a number of
clients by resulting in a loss of the ability to use Federal transit funding for operating expenses.
Dates work was performed: 2010
Team Member: Greg Burns
Public Safety, Emergency Response, and Disaster Recovery. Our team has extensive
experience working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help local
governments respond to critical emergencies. VSA represents a number of coastal communities
susceptible to natural (and man-made) disasters, both on the East and Gulf Coasts. For example,
Greg Burns has helped St. Lucie and Martin Counties recover from Hurricanes Frances and
Jeanne, Lee County as it recovered from Hurricane Charley, and Galveston County, Texas, as it
still recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Ike.
We have expedited tens of millions of dollars in disaster recovery reimbursements to local
� governments after significant storms. For example, we worked to secure the reimbursement of
$7 million to a county for the repair of a major thoroughfare after a hurricane by working with
both the Federal Highway Administration in both Washington and the state. We also helped a
Iclient secure reimbursement of over $5 million for the rebuilding of a civic center, during which
we worked closely with FEMA in both Washington and the state.
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during these times of deep budget cuts, if not improve them. VSA has helped our government
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entity clients obtain public safety funding through the Department of Justice and other Federal
agencies for a number of initiatives.
These successes include $400,000 to the City of Lompoc, California, far its Gang Assistance
Surveillance Program, which allowed for the purchase of a mobile surveillance command vehicle
and the installation of closed circuit video in specific areas of the City; $200,000 to the City of
Pismo Beach, California, for the installation of radio repeater towers throughout this long,
mountainous community that removed dead spots faced by public safety officers throughout the
City; $100,000 to Jefferson County, Texas, for law enforcement interoperability improvements,
and $390,100 to the City of Flagler Beach, Florida, for emergency personnel technology
improvements to improve the response to future hurricane events.
We have demonstrated creative ways to secure funding for government entity crime prevention
� efforts by targeting education and recreation funding. These include $500,000 to the City of
South Salt Lake, Utah, to improve after-school programs targeted at those who are susceptible to
the allure of gangs; $476,000 to a California non-profit that provides free after school tutoring
� and recreation programs for at-risk students, and $100,000 to the City of South Salt lake, Utah, to
establish a new community center at a low-income, heavily minority population housing
complex for job training and English as a second language classes.
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VSA works closely with the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services, the
Byrne Local Law Enfarcement Assistance Program, the Juvenile Justice Grant program, and the
Justice Assistance Grant program, all of which help in securing discretionary grant funds to
reinforce safer neighborhoods. We also work closely with many of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency grant programs, including those such as the Assistance to Firefighters
Grants and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants. If selected, VSA
would provide expert guidance to the City of Clearwater to ensure that you are taking full
advantage of Federal public safety programs that protect your citizens.
Client: Galveston County, Texas [Mark Henry, County Judge, Phone: (409) 766-2244]
Services performed/Strategies employed: VSA worked closely with the office of Sen. Bill
Nelson and the Texas Senate offices to ensure that they understood the vital need to extend the
ability of local social service entities to access Social Services Block Grant funding provided to a
number of states after several disasters in 2008. Given Sen. Nelson's role on the Senate Finance
Committee, which had jurisdiction over the issue, we were able to resolve the problem and
secure the extension in the Senate only days after it had passed the House. This was a huge
victory that kept hundreds of millions of dollars from reverting back to the Treasury and kept it
available to help recovery of the affected communities.
Examples of specific result achieved: Secured a one-year extension of Social Services Block
Grant funding provided to a number of states, including Texas and Florida, to allow those
jurisdictions to recover from the 2008 hurricane season.
Dates work was performed: 2010
Team Member: Greg Burns
Client: St. Lucie County, Fla. [Chris Craft, former County Commissioner, now Tax Collector,
Phone: (772) 979-1225]
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Services performed/Strategies employed: VSA applied targeted pressure and provided clear,
accurate information to the right FEMA staff, including the head of the Public Assistance
Division at FEMA headquarters, when St. Lucie County was getting little to no response from
the state recovery office in Lake Mary regarding its need for reimbursement for a Clerk of the
Courts reconstruction. That timely interaction with FEMA headquarters led to their intervention
with the State office that ultimately led to the quick and positive resolution for the County.
Examples of specific result achieved: Secured approval from FEMA to reconstruct a Clerk of
Courts building that was heavily damaged by storms, a project which will cost more than $6
million.
Dates work was performed: 2010
Team Member: Greg Burns
Economic and Community Development. The proposed VSA team for the City of Clearwater
has been successful in securing community and economic development funds for our clients,
including $300,000 for the City of San Clemente, California, to help construct the City's Coastal
Rail Trail; $380,000 for the City of South Salt Lake, Utah, for streetscaping along two main
arterials, both increasing City beautification efforts and improving pedestrian safety; $150,000
far the City of Santa Maria, California, to assist with the construction of a new City library;
$53.8 million for the construction of a new Federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida, which
serves as an economic catalyst for the City while also addressing the growing needs of the
judicial system in South Florida, and $1.1 million for the City of Pismo Beach, California, to
complete the last phase of their beach front Promenade.
We work closely with the Economic Development Administration, the Department of
Agriculture, the U.S. Export/Import Bank, and other Federal agencies in an effort not only to get
funding, but also to create new opportunities for our clients' communities.
Client: Lee County, Fla. [Tammy Hall, County Commissioner, Phone: (239) 533-2226]
Services performed/Strategies employed: Assisted the client by setting up meetings for the
client with the EDA in Atlanta and Washington, helping to draft their grant request, working
closely with the agency to fine-tune the application, and securing Congressional support for the
County's initiative.
Examples of specific result achieved: $551,000 in grant funding from the Economic
Development Administration to support the preliminary design, modeling, and permitting of
wastewater and infrastructure improvements to serve the region's Renewable Energy and
Research Diamond incubator.
Dates work was performed: 2011
Team Member: Greg Burns
Client: City of Visalia, California [Nancy Loliva, Community Relations Director, Phone: (559}
713-4535]
Services performed/Strategies employed: VSA introduced the City to its regional
representative from the Economic Development Administration (EDA), set up key meetings witY�
EDA staff in Washington for the City during slr�n �°�anaCongressio al support for t e1Tity's
grant request to EDA, and ultimately secured g
application.
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� Grants. With fewer Congressional projects, or earmarks, the Federal agencies retain more
money to distribute via competitive grants and competitions. This also means, though, that there
is more competition for Federal grant money than ever. VSA has the msights and experience in
� the agencies to help the City of Clearwater produce competitive and compelling grant
applications in almost every subject area.
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VSA works closely with our client's grants management staff to provide early warning of
impending grant competitions where clients have natural advantages or can satisfy particular
needs. We also can explore and navigate the political complications that sometimes underlie
"objective" grant competitions. VSA then provides an experienced, outside critique and close
reading of grant applications to make them as successful as possible. To ensure that our clients
have the most recent and relevant information regarding funding opportunities for local
government, VSA has entered into an exclusive partnership with The Fundbook, an innovative
online guide to finding and winning Federal grants, www.fundbook.or�.
Many of the specific examples discussed above were related to winning grant funds for our
clients. Following is one more selected success:
Client: City of Beaverton, Ore. [Denny Doyle, Mayor, Phone: (503) 526-2481]
Services performed/Strategies employed: Worked closely with the Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) when they initiated the Sustainable Communities programs after
Congress provided the programs with funding. Informed the City of Beaverton of the
opportunity and put City officials in front of the appropriate HUD officials to describe their plans
and goals. Finally, helped the City fine-tune their application and successfully engaged their
Congressional delegation in support of the City's effort.
Examples of specific result achieved: $1 million from the Department of Housing and Urban
Development's Sustainable Communities Grant to help develop the Beaverton Creekside District
Master Plan. The plan will accelerate planning and implementation for the Creekside District
project and produce a development program that integrates suitable and affordable housing with
efficient transportation, green infrastructure, and local amenities.
Dates work was performed: 2011
Team Member: Greg Burns
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Experience and Staffing
As a matter of policy, VSA makes the resources of a1180 principals and legislative staff available
to you as needed, but we also assign specific team members as points of contact to ensure
accountability and efficient communication. VSA does not engage in personnel substitutions.
The people proposed are the same individuals the City of Clearwater would work with on a daily
basis. They will be available for the duration of all projects.
VSA Vice Presidents Doug Gregory and Gregory Burns will serve as the City of Clearwater's
team leaders and principal contacts. They will be the day-to-day contact for your community
and would be available both during normal office hours and after hours via electronic
communication to ensure that the City's needs in Washington are met. They are supported by
George Bernier and Nate Potter. Each would devote the time necessary to maximize the City of
Clearwater's opportunities for success and assist its officials.
Our team has a thorough understanding of working with the Federal government and the
, dynamics of Congressional oversight and funding. Over the years, Mr. Gregory and Mr. Burns
have farged many contacts with the Federal Agencies and Congressional Leadership. They have
' experience building successful coalitions with House and Senate Members and Leadership from
both parties, working with formal and informal caucuses and teams, and collaborating with
Members to advance policy issues and legislation.
, H. Stewart "Stu" Van Scoyoc, President
� "Stu" Van Scoyoc is the President and Chief Executive Officer
of the Van Scoyoc Companies. He has built his companies into
one of Washington's largest lobbying and consulting
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lobbying revenue among Washington companies.
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Along the way, Mr. Van Scoyoc and his companies earned a
reputation for results-oriented, innovative, and ethical behavior.
For example, The National Journal noted that "colleagues
consider Van Scoyoc a brainy Washington insider who sweats
the details."
Mr. Van Scoyoc is regularly interviewed by leading publications
for his insights into politics, Congressional activities, and
lobbying. Journalists have come to value his candor and ability to communicate complex ideas
simply.
The Hill newspaper had this to say about Mr. Van Scoyoc in a March 2009 proiile:
"He believes success can come to those who do not have a hard edge. But the absence of that
sharp edge doesn't mean he lacks business sense. Van Scoyoc has a practice of never hiring
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former Members of Congress; he only hires former Congressional and Administration
professional staff inembers who are experts in specific areas. Most importantly, he and his
lobbyists direct laser-beam attention on their clients."
The Washington Post has regularly recognized Mr. Van Scoyoc and his firm among the most
influential lobbyists its annual "Post 200" report on Washington businesses.
, Mr. Van Scoyoc's business formula is built on "hiring smart, entrepreneurial people with plenty
of energy, and then getting out of their way," he said. His staffls professional development tends
to parallel his own evolution, starting with mastery of one technical field, and then expanding
� from there.
Mr. Van Scoyoc earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University
, in 1969, where he also received the Alpha Phi Omega Award for Leadership and Outstanding
Service to the University. For several years, he worked as an engineer for the DuPont Company,
while earning a law degree at night from the University of Maryland.
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Mr. Van Scoyoc came to Washington and joined DuPont's government affairs office handling
legislative and regulatory issues. He then spent eight years as Vice President at Charles Walker
Associates, a well-known lobbying company, where he focused on tax, energy, insurance, and
environment. Striking out on his own, he became a founder of the Winburn, Van Scoyoc &
Hooper government relations firm.
In 1990, Mr. Van Scoyoc created Van Scoyoc Associates Inc., with a focus on Congressional
appropriations and taxation. That company quickly developed more than 20 practice areas,
ranging from health-care and research funding, to agriculture, biotechnology, defense and
foreign affairs, and education, to financial services, energy, homeland security, transportation,
and telecommunications.
In 2000, Mr. Van Scoyoc created Capitol Decisions Inc., a boutique lobbying firm providing
government relations and public affairs counsel in health care, community development, energy,
and grassroots advocacy. Recognizing the need for a company that could provide professional
non-lobbying services to organizations, Mr. Van Scoyoc established The Implementation Group
Inc. in 1994, which was expanded and renamed VSConsulting in 2010.
Separate from the government affairs firms, he formed the law firm of Van Scoyoc Kelly &
Roberts PLLC in 2004 to provide counsel for military and civilian government contractors and
innovative legal solutions to acquisition, procurement, and regulatory issues. He is a member of
the Delaware, District of Columbia, and U.S. Supreme Court Bars.
Mr. Van Scoyoc is active with a number of community and service organizations, including the
Partner for Surgery, Armed Forces Foundation, Kidsave, Lehigh University, N Street Village,
Our Military Kids, Project Hope, Redeemer Lutheran Church of McLean, Va., and the U.S.
Capitol Historical Society.
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, Doug Gregory, Vice President
' When Doug Gregory joined Van Scoyoc Associates in 2007, he
brought with him 36 years of experience working with Members
and staff of the House of Representatives, including many years
� with the powerful House Appropriations Committee and its
Defense Subcommittee.
, Few people have deeper relationships in Congress or a truer
sense of the United States' Legislative Branch than Mr. Gregory.
, "The best thing I bring to the table for a client is knowledge of
how Congress really works. Basically I've spent most of my
adult life working there," Mr. Gregory said.
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Mr. Gregory first came to Washington after graduating from Florida State University in 1970 to
become the youngest Chief of Staff in the House of Representatives. When he left Congress to
become a Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates, he'd spent the last 36 years in increasingly
powerful roles on the Hill.
He first served on the Congressional staff of Rep. Bill Young, and then as the Congressman
moved up in seniority and eventually became Chairman of the vital Appropriations Committee,
Mr. Gregory migrated to the staff of the Appropriations Committee and its Defense
Subcommittee, where he worked in various senior positions.
For his final 12 years on the Hill, Mr. Gregory was the principal professional staff inember
responsible for appropriations for the Special Operations Command, drug interdiction and
counter-drug activities, and procurement of equipment for the National Guard and Reserve.
Some of the U.S. military's most important classified projects were entrusted to Mr. Gregory.
His signature service in military affairs has been repeatedly recognized. The Commander of
Special Operations presented him with the United States Special Operations Command Medal;
the Secretary of the Navy awarded him the Distinguished Public Service Award, and the
Comptroller of the Department of Defense named him recipient of the Under Secretary of
Defense Award for Excellence.
Since arriving at Van Scoyoc Associates, Mr. Gregory has continued his efforts in military
affairs, representing large companies in the aerospace, ship building, and unmanned air vehicles
industries, as well as smaller defense contractors with technological niches. His practice has
expanded into related areas as well.
A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., Mr. Gregory attended St. Petersburg College before earning his
Bachelor's in Business Administration from FSU.
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Greg Burns, Vice President
Mr. Burns is a Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates with an
extensive background in lobbying and politics, experience in a
wide range of issues, an insider's view of the legislative process,
and contacts throughout Washington.
Representing local and regional government entities and non-
profits is a particular interest of Mr. Burns, and it fits well with
his emphasis on forging personal connections with his clients
and people in government.
"I like to spend a lot of time during the initial phases of a
relationship, learning about my clients and their specific
challenges. I need to know a community or non-profit well
before representing it," he said.
That attention to detail pays off in many ways. "I value the personal ties with my clients that
' develop over time and generally become very strong," Mr. Burns said.
Mr. Burns lobbies Congress and the Executive Branch on issues such as Federal funding, water
, resources, transportation, economic development, public safety, and not-for-profit issues. His
clients come from states as diverse as California, Florida, Oregon, and Texas.
, Mr. Burns believes that policy or programmatic victories can often have a bigger impact on a
community than a simple Federal earmark. And over the last few years, as earmarks have fallen
out of favor, Mr. Burns' approach has been validated.
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For example, he worked with one client to secure a two-year extension of the Preferred Risk
Policy (PRP) rate for residents who must purchase new Federal flood insurance. With more than
8,000 new residences in the flood plain and PRP rates at least $1,000 lower than regular flood
insurance rates, the community may save nearly $16 million in collective flood insurance
premiums over two years. As another client said, their "successes with the Federal Government
can be directly attributable to the efforts of Mr. Burns."
In the House of Representatives, Mr. Burns served on the legislative staff of former Rep. Darlene
Hooley of Oregon, where he was responsible for telecommunications, health care, campaign
finance reform, judiciary, and science. He also worked in the fields of financial services,
transportation, foreign affairs, defense, and the environment during his time on the Hill.
Outside of Congress, Mr. Burns implemented and executed a lobbying agenda for the U.S.
Public Interest Research Group in Washington, D.C. Before joining Van Scoyoc Associates, Mr.
Burns was a lobbyist with Marlowe & Company, also in Washington, helping that company
grow substantially.
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Mr. Burns graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and
English, where he mixed his interest in campaign finance reform with a love of literature.
George Bernier, Director, Government Relations
George Bernier joined VSA as a Director, Government
Relations, after more than four years at the U.S. Department of
Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. There, Mr.
Bernier served in the Ofiice of Congressional,
Intergovernmental, and Public Affairs, and specialized in issues
within the Office of Defense Programs, Office of Defense
Nuclear Nonproliferation, and the Office of Defense Nuclear
Security.
Prior to his Executive Branch service, Mr. Bernier spent 13
years on Capitol Hill as a Senior Legislative Assistant to U.S.
Sen. Rick Santorum, specializing in the policy areas of defense,
intelligence, veterans' affairs, and trade policy. While with Sen.
Santorum, Mr. Bernier was the Senator's Military Legislative
Assistant, his representative to the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and he participated in
seven National Defense Authorization Act committee markups. Mr. Bernier also handled Sen.
Santorum's trade portfolio on the Senate Committee on Finance.
Before coming to VSA, Mr. Bernier was Assistant to the Distinguished Visiting Professor from
the NNSA at the National Defense University's College of International Security Affairs.
After receiving his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classical Civilization from Denison University,
Mr. Bernier went on to the University of Pittsburgh where he earned his Master's Degree in
Public and International Affairs.
Nate Potter, Manager, Government Relations
Mr. Potter serves as Manager, Government Relations, for Van
Scoyoc Associates, where he assists clients on such issues as
appropriations funding, public infrastructure, transportation,
public transit, energy, defense, and water resources.
Mr. Potter has more than a decade of bi-partisan experience in
public policy, both at the national and local levels. Before
joining VSA, Nate represented a number of local governments,
water districts, public utilities, and transportation entities for iive
years for the Washington, D.C., lobbying firm of Gordon
Thomas Honeywell — Government Affairs.
Mr. Potter's history in our nation's capital began in 1989 when
he served as a page in the House of Representatives for former
Van Scoyoc Associates Inc. I 101 Constitution Ave, NW I Washington, DC 20001
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Congressman A1 Swift from the state of Washington. o and raised in the Sea e ar ,
' Potter received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington. He went on to earn
a master's degree in public administration from the Daniel J. Evans' School of Public Affairs at
the University of Washington, with a focus on transportation, urban plamm�g, and housing.
' After working on Rep. Jay Inslee's successful 1998 campaign, Mr. Potter returned to
Washington, D.C., to work as a Legislative Aide for both Rep. Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray,
� both Washington State Democrats. However, Mr. Potter has also proven his ability to work
effectively across party lines. For example, he served as an aide to a conservative member of the
San Diego County Board of Supervisors after graduate school handling such diverse issues as
' Indian affairs and community revitalization.
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Compensation Proposal
Van Scoyoc Associates structures its relationships with our clients in a way that ensures
complete and open communication. We charge a flat fee for services on a monthly retainer
basis. We do not charge by the hour, so that communications are open and not hindered, and our
client knows exactly what our services are going to cost.
For the City of Clearwater, VSA proposes full and complete Federal governmental affairs and
lobbying services for a monthly retainer of $7,500.00. This fee includes all day-to-day expenses.
We also propose up to $5,000.00 annually to cover all pre-approved long distance travel.
Therefore, a not-to-exceed amount for this proposal equals $95,000.00. All legislative advocacy
services/activities outlined in the proposal are included in the monthly retainer.
Payments are due monthly and generally in advance. Sums owed by the City to VSA shall
accrue interest at a rate of 1.5 percent per month if unpaid after ninety (90) days. The City will
understand that these payments shall not be made with federally appropriated funds. The City
will understand that VSA may be required to register for work performed on behalf of the City
under the terms of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, as amended (2 USC § 1601 et seq.) and
any subsequent laws or regulations.
vaN scoYO c
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Van Scoyoc Associates Inc. I 101 Constitution Ave, NW I Washington, DC 20001
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Appendix
' 2012 St. Lucie County, FL Federal Agenda
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A P.f ���tS �C � I. A T B B
Prepared by Van Scoyoc Associates for
St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners
Commissioner Chris Craft Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky
Commissioner Frannie Hutchinson Commissioner Paula Lewis
Commissioner Tod Mowery
Faye W. Outlaw, MPA, County Administrator
Questions regarding the information in this book may be directed to:
Greg Burns Michael Brillhart Richard Bouchard
(202) 737-8162 (772) 462-6406 (772) 462-1710
February 2012
Copyright 2012 Van Scoyoc Associates Inc.
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Water Resources
1) St. Lucie County Feasibility Study and Fort Pierce Beach Project
2) Water Resources Development Act
3) Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
4) Fort Pierce Inlet Maintenance Dredging; Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund
5) Water Quality -- Numeric Nutrient Criteria and Total Maximum Daily Loads
Transportation
� Transportation Authorization; Termination of Smaller MPO's; Bike/Ped Programs
7) St. Lucie County Community Transit
8) Federal Aviation Administration
9) Florida East Coast Railway
Local Government Finance
10) Tax-Exempt Bonds
11) Sales-Tax Legislation
12) Transient Occupancy Taxes
Economic Development & Social Services
13) Economic Development Administration
14) Community Services Block Grants & Low Income Home Energy Program Funding
15) Department of Housing and Urban Development Formula Programs
EnerQV & Sustainabilitv
16) Property Assessed Clean Energy Legislation
17) Offshore Energy Exploration
General Government Issues
18) Public Pension Reform
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St. Lucie County
2012 Federal Legislative Agenda
St. Lucie County Feasibility Study and Fort Pierce Beach Project
SuppoK adequate annual funding for the Corps of Engineers Investigations and Construction accounts,
including additional funding specifically for "shore protection" projects not identified in the annual
Administration budget. Support the Corps' funding of the St. Lucie County feasibility study in Fiscal
Year 2013 and the renourishment of the Fort Pierce, FL Federal shore protection project in future fiscal
years. Monitor the search for additional offshore sand by the Corps of Engineers for future southeast
Florida nourishment projects.
Water Resources Development Act
Support passage of a Water Resources Development Act, including:
• Provide a$850,000 credit to the County for costs incurred by the County for the General and
Limited Reevaluation Reports of the Fort Pierce, FL Federal beach project
• Allow for the Fort Pierce, FL General Reevaluation Report to be considered suitable for a new
50-year project authorization, thereby allowing for the future construction of structural
alternatives and potential inlet sand bypassing south of the Fort Pierce Federal Inlet in order to
help reduce the frequency of future beach nourishment cycles
• Legislative language to provide a process for the reauthorization of Federal participation in beach
restoration projects that are approaching the end of their 50-year cost sharing period
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
Support the continuing implementation of all facets of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan,
including:
• Continued Federal and State action on the Ten-Mile Creek project in St. Lucie County
• The State purchase of the remaining 1300 acres of land needed for the G24 Reservoir and storm
water treatment area so the Corps of Engineers can proceed with construction of the G23 and C-
24 Reservoirs and storm water treatment areas project, which is part of the original Indian River
Lagoon-South project
• Full Federal funding for the restoration of the Herbert Hoover Dike
• Full Federal funding for the construction of the C-44 Reservoir and associated storm water
treatment areas
• Full Federal funding and an authorization increase for the completion of the Kissimmee River
restoration project
Fort Pierce Inlet Maintenance Dredging; Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund
Support adequate annual funding for the Corps of Engineers Operations & Maintenance account,
including additional funding for dredging not identified in the annual Administration budget. Support
additional funding specifically provided for "Small, Remote, or Subsistence Navigation" dredging
activities. Support H.R. 104 and S. 412, both of which would require the expenditure of funds for O&M
activities equal to the level of receipts plus interest credited to the HMTF for that fiscal year.
Water Quality -- Numeric Nutrient Criteria and Total Maximum Daily Loads
Monitor activities surrounding the proposed "numeric water quality criteria" for lakes, flowing waters,
and canals.
Van Scoyoc Associates Inc. I 101 Constitution Ave., NW I Suite 600 West I Washington, DC 20001
T: 202.638.1950 I F: 202.638.7714 I www.vsadc.com I Page 2
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Transportation Authorization; Termination of Smaller MPO's; Bike/Ped Programs
Support passage of a 5 or 6-year robustly funded highway authorization. Oppose Senate language that
would terminate MPO's that are in UZA's with fewer than 200,000 people.
St. Lucie County Community Transit
Support H.R. 3545 and other legislation that allows smaller transit systems to use up to 50 percent of
their Federal Section 5307 funding for operating expenses regardless of population.
Federal Aviation Administration
Support $3.35 billion in annual appropriations for the Airport Improvement Program Support any St.
Lucie County Airport grant proposals through the Airport Improvement Program Oppose efforts to
institute a per flight fee on general aviation aircraft that use controlled airspace. Oppose the elimination
of Federal funding to FAA contract towers served exclusively by general aviation.
Florida East Coast Railway
Support efforts to reinstate passenger service on the Florida East Coast railroad corridor, including a
station in Fort Pierce.
Taz-Ezempt Bonds
Oppose legislation that would threaten the tax exemption on state and local bonds.
Sales-Tax Legislation
Support S. 1832 and H.R. 3179 in order to allow for the lawful collection of sales taxes on online and
catalog purchases.
Transient Occupancy Tazes
Oppose legislation that would exempt Internet travel brokers from paying taxes on the full room rate paid
by the consumer, thereby costing St. Lucie County and its political subdivisions the opportunity to collect
the appropriate Transient Occupancy Taxes from visitors to the region.
Economic Development Administration
Support continued funding of the Economic Development Administration. Support St. Lucie County
grant applications through the program.
Community Services Block Grants & Low Income Home Energy Program Funding
Support adequate funding for both the Community Services Block Grant and the Low Income Home
Energy Program.
Department of Housing and Urban Development Formula Programs
Support adequate funding for both the HOME Investment Partnerships and the Community Development
Block Grant programs because of their critical role in the County's overall efforts to support those that are
least fortunate.
Property Assessed Clean Energy Legislation
' Support H.R. 2599 and any companion legislation in the Senate to support the creation of PACE-style
programs in St. Lucie County.
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Offshore Energy Exploration
Monitor the potential expansion of offshore energy exploration in Florida's Federal waters.
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' Public Pension Reform
Monitor all Federal legislative proposals related to public pensions, including H.R. 567 and S. 347, the
' Public Employee Pension Transparency Act, all of which could significantly impact the Florida
Retirement System
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FEDERAL ISSUE: St. Lucie County Feasibility Study and Fort Pierce Beach Project
BACKGROUND• HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COiJNTY: The Federal government and St.
Lucie County have long partnered on the Fort Pierce shore protection project and the St. Lucie County
shoreline feasibility study, which is evaluating erosion along the southern shoreline of the County.
To fund beach nourishment projects and studies that are not often budgeted for by the Administration due
to the difficult competition for funds from the Army Corps of Engineers, Congress has adjusted their
funding strategy in the age of no-earmarks to add additional funding for what Congress terms "Additional
Funding for Ongoing Work." Among these amounts, Congress in Fiscal Year 2012 provided $39.544
million in additional funding to the Corps for "shore protection" construction activity as well as $3
million for "shore protection" investigations (studies). These will likely be the funding sources from
which the Fort Pierce beach project and the St. Lucie County feasibility study must compete in the future.
' RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support adequate annual funding for the Corps of Engineers
Investigations and Construction accounts, including additional funding speciiically for "shore protection"
projects not identified in the annual Administration budget. Support the Corps' funding of the St. Lucie
' County feasibility study in Fiscal Year 2013 and the renourishment of the Fort Pierce, FL Federal shore
protection project in future fiscal years. Monitor the search for additional offshore sand by the Corps of
Engineers for future southeast Florida nourishment projects.
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Water Resources Development Act
BACKGROiJND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: The Water Resources Development
Act authorizes the Corps of Engineers to participate in Federal water resource projects such as the Fort
Pierce shore protection project. The legislation also modiiies Corps' activities on particular projects and
sets guidelines for how the Corps operates.
Over the years, the County has taken the lead on advancing Federal studies and initiatives on some of its
water resource projects in order to expedite their completion. This includes efforts on the Fort Pierce
shore protection project related to slowing the rate of erosion south of the Fort Pierce Inlet and also
improving the FederaUlocal cost share of the project due to the impact of the Federal Inlet.
Also, the Federal authorization of the Fort Pierce beach project is set to expire in 2020. One of the goals
of the County's language will be to ensure a new 50-year lifespan of the project without having to restart
the Federal process of studies and authorizations from scratch.
RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support passage of a Water Resources Development Act, including:
' • Provide a$850,000 credit to the County for costs incurred by the County for the General and
Limited Reevaluation Reports of the Fort Pierce, FL Federal beach project
• Allow for the Fort Pierce, FL General Reevaluation Report to be considered suitable for a new
' S0-year project authorization, thereby allowing for the future construction of structural
alternatives and potential inlet sand bypassing south of the Fort Pierce Federal Inlet in order to
help reduce the frequency of future beach nourishment cycles
' • Legislative language to provide a process for the reauthorization of Federal participation in beach
restoration projects that are approaching the end of their 50-year cost sharing period
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
BACKGROUND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COiJNTY: The Federal government and the
State of Florida have long partnered on projects to help restore the Everglades, maintain flood protection,
and provide a reliable water supply for Floridians. Among the many projects being implemented are
several that impact St. Lucie County.
One of these is the Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area. This project was designed to be an above
ground reservoir capable of storing up to 6,000 acre feet of water with an associated stormwater treatment
area which was intended to improve the health of the St. Lucie Estuary. Unforlunately, the project has
never function as it was designed and has been operating instead passively. Currently, the Corps is
performing temporary operational testing in order to assist the Corps and the South Florida Water
Management District in determining a path forward for the project. The South Florida Water
Management District has generally been reluctant to agree to cost-share any needed fixes to the project to
make it fully functional again.
RECOMMENDED POSTTION: Support the continuing implementation of all facets of the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, including:
• Continued Federal and State action on the Ten-Mile Creek project in St. Lucie County
• The State purchase of the remaining 1300 acres of land needed for the G24 Reservoir and storm
water treatment area so the Corps of Engineers can proceed with construction of the C-23 and C-
24 Reservoirs and storm water treatment areas project, which is part of the original Indian River
Lagoon-South project
• Full Federal funding for the restoration of the Herbert Hoover Dike
Full Federal funding for the construction of the C-44 Reservoir and associated storm water
treatment areas
Full Federal funding and an authorization increase for the completion of the Kissimmee River
restoration project
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Fort Pierce Inlet Maintenance Dredging; Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund
' BACKGROUND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COiJNTY: The Fort Pierce harbor was last
dredged by the Corps of Engineers in 1998. The inlet channel and interior turning basin are authorized
' for a depth of 28 feet, but are currently operating at depths as shallow as 18 and 20 feet, which limits the
amount of traffic that can use the harbor.
� Currently, the harbor cannot handle the traffic that may like to use the facilities for shipping. According
to the Indian River Terminal, ships are turned away because of the low access depths. The port now
regularly turns away trade by ships that require 22-25 feet of draft. That means the port loses, under
current conditions, $2 to 3 million in trade per year due to the lack of maintenance dredging of the
� channel. Recent proposals to import aggregates that meet new standards for construction materials set by
State and Federal agencies cannot be accommodated by the port because the larger vessels needed for
efficient transportation of products require up to 25 feet of draft. At least half a dozen prospects have
� inquired to use Fort Pierce for this purpose. It is estimated that local service businesses lose $300,000 to
$450,000, and special transport and commodity providers such as cranes, heavy duty trucks, and the
railroad lose as much as $3 to $4.5 million per year in business. The shipping customers also face losses
� because other ports impose greater costs and less efficiency than the Fort Pierce harbor.
To fund dredging projects that are not generally budgeted for by the Administration due to the difficult
' competition for funds from the Army Corps of Engineers, Congress has adjusted their funding strategy in
the age of no-earmarks to add additional funding for what Congress terms "Additional Funding for
Ongoing Work." Among these amounts, Congress in Fiscal Year 2012 provided $30 million in additional
funding to the Corps for "Small, Remote, or Subsistence Navigation" operations & maintenance (O&M)
� activity. This will likely be the funding from which the Fort Pierce Inlet must compete in the future to
maintain the channel.
� On another front, in an effort to alleviate the annual shortage of funding for O&M activities throughout
the United States, some have advocated that disbursements from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund
(HMTF) be increased dramatically. The Harbor Maintenance Tax, which funds the HMTF, is levied on
' importers and domestic shippers using coastal or Great Lakes ports and is assessed at a rate of $1.25 per
$1,000 in cargo value. When O&M funding is provided for a Corps dredging project, it comes from the
HMTF.
' At the end of 2011, the HMTF was expected to have a balance of more than $6 billion. Interest on
collections has been over $100 million alone in recent fiscal years. However, because the HMTF is not a
' separate, or "off-budget," account within the Federal budget, the "surplus" in the HMTF has in effect
already been spent elsewhere on other general government activities.
Expenditures by Congress out of the HMTF to pay for routine O&M expenses have remained relatively
, stagnant for decades. In essence, Congress has decided to provide less funding for Corps O&M activities
than would be provided if there were a legislative mandate to spend all funding provided annually via the
HMTF. Over the past 15 years, HMTF expenditures by Congess have consistently been less than the
, collections and interest into the HMTF. The difference between what is collected and what is spent has
fluctuated, from a low of roughly $50 million in Fiscal Year 2002 to a high of roughly $500 million in
Fiscal Year 2009.
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` To recrify this situation, some in Congress have called for increasing disbursements from the trust fund.
Two bills in particular, H.R. 104 and S. 412, would require the expenditure of funds for O&M activities
, equal to the level of receipts plus interest credited to the HMTF for that fiscal year. This type of
legislation is ideally suited for inclusion in a Water Resources Development Act.
' Representative Hasrings is a co-sponsor of the House version of the legislation, as are 173 of his
colleagues. Both Senators Nelson and Rubio are co-sponsors of the Senate version of the bill, as are 32 of
their colleagues.
� RECOMMENDED POSTTION: Support adequate annual funding for the Corps of Engineers Operations
& Maintenance account, including additional funding for dredging not identified in the annual
Administration budget. SuppoM additional funding specifically provided for "Small, Remote, or
� Subsistence Navigation" dredging activities. Support H.R. 104 and S. 412, both of which would require
the expenditure of funds for O&M activities equal to the level of receipts plus interest credited to the
HMTF for that fiscal year.
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FEDERAL ISSLTE: Water Quality — Numeric Nutrient Criteria and Total Maximum Daily Loads
BACKGROUND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COiJNTY: Pursuant to a January 2009 Clean
Water Act determination and a consent decree with Florida Wildlife Federation to settle a 20081awsuit,
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed numeric nutrient water quality standards for lakes
and flowing waters in Florida in January 2010, and established final standards in November 2010. The
final standards set numeric limits, or criteria, on the amount of nutrient pollution allowed in Florida's
lakes, rivers, streams and springs. This action seeks to improve water quality, protect public health,
aquatic life and the long term recreational uses of Florida's waters which are a critical part of the State,
and St. Lucie County's economy. However, these standards also may come at a considerable cost to local
governments, utilities, and others.
In response, the House passed H.R. 2018 and other items of legislation to amend the Federal Water
Pollution Act to grant states the authority to mandate their own water quality standards (including nutrient
criteria) instead of the EPA enforcing a Federal standard. While this legislation is supported by Richard
Budell, Director of the Office of Agricultural Policy for the Florida Deparhnent of Agriculture and
Consumer Services, the Administration has signaled that they would veto H.R. 2018 if it were to pass the
Senate, which is unlikely in the 112�' Congress.
Most recently, EPA has agreed to let Florida promulgate its own to numeric nutrient criteria, which it has
, recently done. The State Legislature approved the fmal rule in February 2012. EPA will need to approve
the final rule once it is signed by the Governor. Some stakeholders have already opposed the State's new
proposed rule in court.
1 RECOMMENDED POSITION: Monitor activities surrounding the proposed "numeric water quality
criteria" for lakes, flowing waters, and canals.
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FEDERAL ISSLTE: Transportation Authorization; Termination of Smaller MPO's; Bike/Ped Programs
BACKGROIJND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COiJNTY: Long-term authorization of Federal
surface transportation programs would ideally have occurred before the end of Fiscal Year 2009, but
Congress failed to meet that deadline. Since then, Congress has continued transportation programs via
short-term authorizations.
One of the most difficult issues to be considered during authorization will be how to finance our
transportation infrastructure. Fuel taxes, which provide most of the money for surface transportation, do
not provide enough funding to maintain even current spending levels for transportation, even if Congress
were to raise them modestly. The choice then becomes fmding new sources of income for an expanded
program, or alternately, to settle for a smaller program that might look very different than the one
currently in place. Less Federal funding via a transportation authorization bill would mean significantly
less funding available to the Florida Department of Transportation, and ultimately St. Lucie County, to
support both surface transportation and transit projects and programs.
The House has proposed a 5-year, $260 billion authorization (H.R. 7) that would keep surface
transportation funding stable (but declining in real terms if inflation rises). However, the plan to pay for
the additional spending is controversial and dependent on the resolution of other legislative issues,
including tapping revenue from increased offshore energy exploration and requiring larger retirement
contributions from Federal employees.
The legislation proposes that all trust fund revenues would be spent solely on highways, meaning that
transit would lose its dedicated funding. Transit would be funded with a one-time $40 billion payment
(mostly from Federal retirees). This would not impact transit funding over the next several years, but
following the depletion of the $40 billion payment, transit would no longer have a dedicated source of
revenue and would be forced to compete against all other government programs far funding.
The Senate has introduced S. 1813, a 2-year authorization that would provide inflation-adjusted rises in
transportation funding, but is seen as less than ideal given its short duration. An area of significant
concern in S. 1813 is a proposal to terminate Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) that contain
urbanized areas (iIZA) with a population of fewer than 200,000. In St. Lucie and Martin counties, the
UZA supports two MPO's, making one vulnerable to elimination if this provision were to become law.
This language is seen as an effort by the U.S. Department of Transportation to work with fewer MPO's,
many of whom have varied levels of transportation planning sophistication.
With regard to bike and pedestrian programs funded via Federal transportation programs, under current
law, projects can currently be funded through three programs:
1) Recreational Trails (RT)
2) Transportation Enhancements (TE)
3) Safe Routes to School (SRS)
The House version of the bill proposes to maintain the RT program, significantly alters the funding for
1 the TE program, and eliminates the SRS program On the other hand, the Senate bill eliminates both the
RT and SRS programs and does not provide dedicated funding for TE activities. Instead, TE's will have
to be funded out of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program funds, which also include a number
' of other uses. Bike and pedestrian advocates fear that projects they favor will not survive like they have
under this scenario without dedicated funding.
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RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support passage of a 5 or 6-year robustly funded highway
authorization. Oppose Senate language that would terminate MPO's that are in UZA's with fewer than
200,000 people.
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FEDERAL ISSIIE: St. Lucie County Community Transit
BACKGROLTND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: Under various recent transportation
authorizations, grant funding for capital and operating expenses for transit agencies is provided via the
Urbanized Area Formula Grants Program, also known as Secrion 5307 funding. Urbanized areas (UZA's)
are places designated by the Census Bureau as having populations of 50,000 people or more. Under
current Federal law, in UZA's of fewer than 200,000 people, transit agencies are allowed to use 50
percent of their funding from the program for operating expenses, with the remainder to be spent on
capital expenses. In UZA's of more than 200,000 people, transit agencies must generally use their entire
grant allocation on capital expenses, regardless of the size of their transit agencies and their ability to be
self-sufficient.
The Port St. Lucie (PSL) UZA, which encompasses much of urban St. Lucie and Martin County, passed
the 200,000 person threshold after the 2000 Census because the two former UZA's were agglomerated
into one by the Census Bureau. Since then, Congress has provided temporary waivers to the PSL UZA
and others like it who broke that threshold in 2000 and still need the flexibility to use up to 50 percent of
their 5307 funding for operating expenses. Those waivers are unlikely to exist in perpetuity. Instead,
legislation is necessary to allow smaller transit systems, regardless of overall population which they may
serve, to retain flexibility in their use of their 5307 funding.
In the 112`� Congress, the House (H.R. 7) and Senate (S. 1813) have each introduced transportation
authorization measures that contain language that will allow for that type of critical flexibility. Also,
stand-alone legislation has been introduced in the House (H.R. 3545) that enjoys the support of both
Representatives Hastings and Rooney.
"(2) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary may make grants under this section to finance the
operating cost of equipment and facilities for use in public transportation, excluding rail fixed
guideway, in an urbanized area with a population of not fewer than 200, 000 individuals, as
determined by the Bureau of the Census—
``(A) for public transportation systems that operate 75 or fewer buses during peak service hours,
in an amount not to exceed SO percent of the share of the apportionment which is attributable to
such systems within the urbanized area, as measured by revenue vehicle-hours; and
"(B) for public transportation systems that operate a minimum of 76 buses and a maximum of
100 buses during peak service hours, in an amount not to exceed 25 percent of the share of the
apportionment which is attributable to such systems within the urbanized area, as measured by
revenue vehicle-hours.
RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support H.R. 3545 and other legislation that allows smaller transit
systems to use up to 50 percent of their Federal Section 5307 funding for operating expenses regardless of
population.
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FEDERAL ISSLJE: Federal Aviation Administration
BACKGROiJND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: Congress passed a final
reauthorization of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in early February that extends the program
through Fiscal Year 2015.
Among other things, the legislation authorizes $3.35 billion annually for the Airport Improvement
Program (AIP). AIP is a Federal grant program that provides funds to public airports to improve safety
and efficiency. The program is funded through taxes on airplane tickets and aviation fuel. This funding
stream is critical to improvements at the St. Lucie County Airport and is subject to annual appropriations
by Congress.
In the Fiscal Year 2013 Administration budget, there are also expected to be two proposals that could
significantly impact general aviation. These include instituting a"user fee" tax and eliminating the
Federal Contract Tower program at general aviation airports. Specifically, a$100 per flight fee on
aircraft that use controlled airspace may be proposed, which would hamper aeronautical and other
businesses that depend on general aviation yet may not have a customer base onto which to pass the fee.
Additionally, the budget may request the elimination of Federal funding to FAA contract towers served
exclusively by general aviation.
RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support $3.35 billion in annual appropriations for the Airport
Improvement Progam. Support any St. Lucie County Airport grant proposals through the Airport
Improvement Program. Oppose efforts to institute a per flight fee on general aviation aircraft that use
controlled airspace. Oppose the elimination of Federal funding to FAA contract towers served
exclusively by general aviation.
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Florida East Coast Railway
BACKGROUND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: The reintroduction of passenger
service along the Florida East Coast Railway is an initiative of the Florida Department of Transportation
and the Federal government (Amtrak). Spec�cally, this would include regular passenger service along
an existing freight line between Jacksonville and Miami and would include a new station in Fort Pierce.
RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support efforts to reinstate passenger service on the Florida East Coast
raikoad corridor, including a station in Fort Pierce.
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Tax-Exempt Bonds
BACKGROiJND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: Although municipal bonds have
been tax-exempt for almost 100 years, a number of Federal proposals are being discussed which target the
tax exemption of tax-exempt bonds. With local governments facing severe budget difiiculties, any
proposal to limit the tax exemption would put more pressure on local fmances by reducing demand for
tax-exempt bonds and increase borrowing costs for state and local governments, ultimately leading to
higher taxes or reduced services. Specifically:
• The Administration proposed as part of a jobs and deficit reduction plan to limit the benefit of
itemized deductions and certain exclusions to 28 percent for higher income taxpayers.
• The Administration also proposed a new debt reduction trigger which could further limit the
exclusion for tax-exempt bond interest income below 28 percent. The new trigger could limit the
tax savings from tax-exempt bonds every year, increasing the risk and the cost of all tax-exempt
bonds.
• The Administration's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, also called
Simpson-Bowles, recommended a tax reform plan which would end the tax exemption for newly-
issued state and local bonds.
• The Bipartisan Policy Center has proposed a tax reform plan, also known as Domenici-Rivlin,
which would end the tax exemption for all new private-purpose bonds.
• Senators Wyden and Coats have introduced the Bipartisan Tax Fairness and 5implification Act of
2011 which would replace tax-exempt bonds with taxable bonds and a tax credit.
• The Congressional Budget Off'ice has released a report on revenue-raising opportunities that
includes a proposal to replace the tax exemption of municipal bonds with a direct subsidy for
issuers.
A St. Lucie County financial advisor has estimated that the difference in the rate of earnings that local
� governments would need to offer prospective buyers of their taxable bonds would depend on the market,
but may be roughly 1.35 percent more for those offerings. On $10 million borrowed, this would likely
cost $1,660,000 over a 20 year term, a cost that would be borne by local taxpayers.
! RECOMMENDED POSITION: Oppose legislation that would threaten the tax exemption on state and
local bonds.
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Sales-Tax Legislation
BACKGROUND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: Currently, retailers are only required
to collect sales tax in states where they have brick-and-mortar stores. The burden then falls to consumers
who are required to report to state tax departments any sales taxes they owe for online purchases. Often,
consumers do not report those purchases when completing their tax returns. As a result, local retailers
who employ local residents are at a competitive disadvantage because they must collect sales taxes while
out-of-state retailers, including many large online and catalog retailers, in effect give their customers a
discount by collecting no state or local sales taxes. And, consumers are left with the confusing, yet legal
responsibility to report the sales taxes owed on online purchases on their tax returns.
The current sales tax system is perceived as being unfair to brick-and-mortar retailers that employ local
residents, including local stores as well as national chains like Best Buy or Home Depot. It is also a drain
on local government revenues. In 2012, uncollected sales tax is estimated to cost local governments $23
billion nationwide.
To correct this inequity, S. 1832 has been introduced in the Senate during the 112�' Congress and is seen
1 as having the best chance of becoming law. The bi-partisan legislation is currently co-sponsored by 11
Senators, and for the first time has the backing of some major online retailers such as Amazon.com. In
the House, H.R. 3179 is a similar, bi-partisan bill that also has gained traction. To protect small, online
, retailers, both pieces of legislation exempt sellers who make less than $500,000 in total remote sales to
qualify for an exemption and not be required to collect the tax.
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Local, state, and national business groups, such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated
Industries of Florida, Florida TaxWatch, Florida Retail Federation, and Amazon.com have all recently
spoken out in favor of this legislation. Two Florida Republicans and one Democrat in the House are also
co-sponsors of the legislation.
RECOMMENDED POSTI'ION: Support S. 1832 and H.R. 3179 in order to allow for the lawful
collection of sales taxes on online and catalog purchases.
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Transient Occupancy Taxes
BACKGROiJND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: In the 111`� Congress, attempts were
made by senior Senators to insert language into various pieces of legislation that would have exempted
online travel brokers (Expedia, Travelocity, etc.) from remitting the full bed tax rate collected from
consumers to the appropriate local government. For instance, if Expedia or a similar purveyor were to
pay $60 for a room in St. Lucie County and then sell that room to a consumer for $100, they would be
able to, under the proposal, only remit $6 dollars to the local government instead of $10 (using a 10
percent bed tax for illustrative purposes).
In late 2009, 17 Florida counties filed an action against a number of online travel companies alleging that
the companies have failed to collect and/or pay taxes under the respective tourist development tax
ordinances.
1 In 2011, St. Lucie County collected $2.4 million in transient occupancy taxes, which is used to support
the tourism industry in our region. This level of funding underscores the importance of this revenue
source and the need to ensure it is not constrained by detrimental legislation.
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RECOMMENDED POSTTION: Oppose legislation that would exempt Internet travel brokers from
paying taxes on the full room rate paid by the consumer, thereby costing St. Lucie County and its political
subdivisions the opportunity to collect the appropriate Transient Occupancy Taxes from visitors to the
region.
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FEDERAL ISSLTE: Economic Development Administration
BACKGROUND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: The Economic Development
Administration (EDA) is primarily a granting agency that funds economic development projects
throughout the country. Successful projects usually leverage roughly 200 new jobs and $24 million in
private investment for every $1 million of EDA investment.
St. Lucie County has secured these funds in the past for economic development projects. More recently,
in December 2010, St. Lucie County submitted a grant application to the EDA to help fund an
infrastructure project at the Treasure Coast Research Park. The County requested $1,009,890 in Federal
funds and is offering a cash match of $2,596,860. EDA initially approved the grant, but later rescinded
the applicarion due to challenges related to securing private sector commitments of job creation.
The President's Deiicit Commission, as well as more recent Congressional proposals, has proposed the
elimination of EDA, as its mission is seen as duplicative by some. In mid-2011, the Senate failed to pass
S. 782, the "Economic Development Revitalization Act of 2011," which would have reauthorized the
Economic Development Administration (EDA) through 2015. EDA's authorization expired in September
2008, but funding via the appropriations process has kept it functioning without an authorization. In
addition to reauthorizing EDA, the Senate legislation would increase the authorized funding for the
program from $300 to $500 million annually. Despite the failure to pass the legislation, the EDA will
continue to operate through the annual appropriations process if provided sufficient funding by Congess.
In Fiscal Year 2011, Congress provided $283 million for the EDA. In Fiscal Year 2012, after the
Administration proposed $324 million, Con�ess ultimately provided $257 million in funding.
RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support continued funding of the Economic Development
Administration. Support St. Lucie County grant applications through the program
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Community Services Block Grants & Low Income Home Energy Program Funding
BACKGROLJND: HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COiJNTY: The Community Services Block
Crrant (CSBG) program allocates Federal funding to alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in
communities. The funds provide for a range of services and activities to assist the needs of low-income
individuals including those addressing employment, education, better use of available income, housing,
nutrition, emergency services and/or health.
In St. Lucie County, the Community Services Division administers CSBG funding, which is the most
flexible funding source the County has for addressing self-sufficiency initiatives. The program has
income requirements, yet is not an entitlement program, thereby allowing the County to work with clients
that are highly motivated to reduce their dependence on public benefits.
In Fiscal Year 2010, funding for CSBG was $700 million, from which the County received $166,461,
plus an additional $468,878 from additional funding provided via the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act. In Fiscal Year 2011, Congress provided $678.64 million for the progam, from which
the County received $157,579. In Fiscal Year 2012, Congress provided the program with the same
amount as in 2011.
The Low Income Home Energy Program (LIHEAP) provides heating assistance to low-income
households. Also administered in St. Lucie County, LIHEAP is the only lifeline for some of the most
impoverished families and seniors in the community. While LIHEAP is often thought of as being a
program benefitting northern states, it is equally important in Florida due to the expense of cooling a
residence during summer months of excessive heat.
In Fiscal Year 2010, Congress provided $5.1 billion for LIHEAP. St. Lucie County residents should have
been eligible for $1.79 million from the program during the year. In Fiscal Year 2011, Congress provided
$4.7 billion for LIHEAP. For Fiscal Year 2012, Congress provided the LIHEAP program with $3.48
billion, a significant reduction in funding which will mean relatively fewer funds for St. Lucie County's
program.
RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support adequate funding for both the Community Services Block
Grant and the Low Income Home Energy Program.
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FEDERAL ISSLJE: Department of Housing and Urban Development Formula Programs
BACKGROUND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: St. Lucie County and its two largest
cities receive direct allocations of funding from two Department of Housing and Urban Development
(H[TD) formula programs: the HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) and Community Development
Block Grants (CDBG).
HOME funds are designed to create affordable housing for low-income households and are awarded
annually as formula grants to participating jurisdictions, including St. Lucie County (in partnership with
Martin and Indian River counties). HUD establishes HOME Investment Trust Funds for each grantee,
providing a line of credit that the jurisdiction may draw upon as needed The program allows local
governments to use HOME funds for grants, direct loans, loan guarantees or other forms of credit
enhancement, or rental assistance or security deposits.
CDBG is a flexible grant program that provides communities with Federal funding to address a wide
range of unique community development needs. The CDBG program provides annual grants on a
formula basis to units of local government and states, including the cities of Fort Pierce and Port St.
Lucie.
In Fiscal Year 2012, HOME was reduced by 38 percent, from $1.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2011 to $1
billion in 2012. In Fiscal Year 2011, St. Lucie County and its partners received $627,909 in HOME
funding, while in Fiscal Year 2012, the counties received $468,982.
Similarly, CDBG funding was cut by nearly 12 percent, from $3.3 billion in Fiscal Year 2011 to $2.948
, billion in Fiscal Year 2012. In Fiscal Year 2011, the County's cities received a total of $1,254,845, while
in Fiscal Year 2012, they received $1,241,475. The seemingly low reduction in funding masks the fact
that Fort Pierce faced a 22 percent reduction, while Port St. Lucie's allocation actually grew by 20
1 percent. HUD explains that this is due to changing demographics in each community as well as changes
to the type of data they use to make their funding decisions.
, Since Fiscal Year 2010, HOME funding has been cut by 48 percent and CDBG funding has been cut by
25 percent.
' RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support adequate funding for both the HOME Investment Partnerships
and the Community Development Block Grant programs because of their critical role in the County's
overall efforts to support those that are least foriunate.
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Properiy Assessed Clean Energy Legislation
BACKGROLJND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COiJNTY: Property Assessed Clean Energy
(PACE) programs aim to support energy efficiency and clean energy investments by homeowners,
eliminate the upfront cost barriers of those investments, and ensure that current and future homeowners
fairly share the costs and benefits of the improvements.
PACE is a financing tool that allows a homeowner to receive low-interest financing for energy efficiency
and renewable energy improvements, thereby saving that homeowner money on their utility bills. PACE
financing is repaid through a voluntary long-term assessment on a homeowner's property taxes over a 15-
20 year time period. If a homeowner sells their property, the repayment obligation, as well as the benefits
of the energy improvements, transfers to the next homeowner.
In 2010, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac chose to stop underwriting mortgages with PACE assessments.
' Because they underwrite nearly ninety percent of new mortgages, this has brought very successful PACE
programs to a halt. H.R. 2599, the PACE Assessment Protection Act of 2011 would restore the right of
local governments to establish PACE programs and would require that local governments follow prudent
' standards to ensure that homeowners can afford any PACE assessments. The legislation also protects
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from potential losses.
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Partially initiated by grant funding from the Department of Energy, the Solar and Energy Loan Fund is a
Community Development Financial Institution that offers financing for homeowners to make energy-
efficiency enhancements and investments in renewable energy.
H.R. 2599 has more than 50 co-sponsors, including both Democrats and Republicans in Florida such as
Representatives Hastings and Rooney. In the Senate, Senator Boxer (CA) introduced S. 3642 in the 111`"
Congress. While she has yet to reintroduce the bill in the 112� Congress, she is expected to do shortly.
RECOMMENDED POSITION: Support H.R. 2599 and any companion legislation in the Senate to
support the creation of PACE-style programs in St. Lucie County.
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Offshore Energy Exploration
BACKGROiJND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: Active energy drilling currently
occurs in both the western and central Gulf of Mexico. However, nearly the entire eastern Gulf is
protected from drilling until 2022 by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA).
Drilling does not yet occur in off of the Atlantic coast of Florida. State waters in the Atlantic extend 3
miles from shore. The Federal government controls waters beyond that point.
In the 112�' Congress, the House of Representatives voted to dramatically expand offshore oil drilling in
an effort to lower gas prices and increase domestic revenue. Specifically, the House passed three pieces
of legislation that would reverse all current oil moratoriums (H.R. 1229), require the Department of
Interior to revisit oil projects that were rejected after the Deepwater Horizon spill (H.R. 1230), and make
acreage of the Outer Continental Shelf that is currently unavailable to lease available for drilling,
including the Atlantic Coast (H.R. 1231). Similar legislation (S. 953) was introduced in the Senate, but it
failed to receive the necessary votes to be considered
The House has also recently proposed to link additional spending on surface transportation to increased
revenues from additional offshore energy exploration.
Late last year, the Administration proposed its Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing
Program for 2012-2017. Within the program, the Administration does not propose to lease any areas in
the Atlantic for oil and gas drilling. They do, however, indicate that there is "ongoing seismic analysis to
determine resource potential" in the Atlantic.
In response to the plan, 180 members of Congress from both political parties sent a letter to the
Administration asking that they open up more areas of the OCS to drilling, including areas off the
Atlantic coast of Virginia. Four members of the Florida House delegation signed the letter.
If Congress and the White House experience a political shift due to the 2012 elections, the chances of
increased energy exploration in areas that have been protected in the past may significantly increase.
RECOMMENDED POSITION: Monitor the potential expansion of offshore energy exploration in
Florida's Federal waters.
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FEDERAL ISSUE: Public Pension Reform
BACKGROUND; HOW IT MAY AFFECT ST. LUCIE COUNTY: The sponsors of H.R. 567 (Nunes,
CA) and S. 347 (Burr, NC), the Public Employee Transparency Acts, believe that public pensions are
significantly underfunded and are aiming to ensure what they believe will be more realistic asset
projections compared with promised liabilities.
Specifically, the legislation would require additional reporting of assets and liabilities and more
significantly, require that assets in a public plan such as the Florida Retirement System are projected to
grow at the rate of Treasury securities instead of rosier projections tied to historic stock market indices,
thereby greatly increasing plan liabilities. This might require projected growth rates of less than 1 percent
annually instead of growth rates between 6 and 8 percent, which is a common projection in many states.
The legislation would also disallow any future Federal bailout of public pension plans. Ultimately, the
legislation would likely make pension plans more expensive to participate in for local governments, yet
would also aim to make them more secure.
More recently, Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT), the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, released a
, report saying that public pension debt "threatens America" and that "deiined benefit pension plans are
inappropriate for state and local governments." He concluded his report by stating his intention to
introduce a legislative solution in the near future.
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RECOMMENDED POSTTION: Monitor all Federal legislative proposals related to public pensions,
including H.R. 567 and S. 347, the Public Employee Pension Transparency Act, all of which could
significantly impact the Florida Retirement System.
NOTES:
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