Ultimate CEO – Marty Fiorentino, The Fiorentino Group

When Marty Fiorentino graduated from the Mercer Law School he figured he would go into private practice. Then one Sunday afternoon he got a whim and decided to call Prime F. Osborn III, former-CEO of what today is CSX and one of the most powerful people in Jacksonville at the time. […]

Q&A: Local transportation expert talks USDOT, deepening the St. Johns

Martin Fiorentino Jr., President of The Fiorentino Group, recently completed a two and a half month appointment as a senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao. […]

Mayor Curry announces finance team for sales-tax campaign that includes frequent critic

The political action committee backing Mayor Lenny Curry’s push for a half-cent pension sales tax will have a bipartisan finance team that includes a City Councilman who has clashed early and often with the Republican mayor.

Curry, who chairs the political committee, Yes for Jacksonville, announced on Thursday […]

With decisive Senate vote, Jacksonville pension bill heads to governor

TALLAHASSEE | After a decisive vote in the Florida Senate, the Jacksonville pension bill is ready for submission to Gov. Rick Scott.

Thirty-five senators voted for House Bill 1297, which allows Jacksonville residents to decide whether to create a half-cent sales tax to pay down pension debt. Only one senator voted “no.” […]

Marty Fiorentino on Lenny Curry money machine: “We stuck together”

“There are two things that are important in politics,”  Mark Hanna, the late GOP U.S. senator from Ohio, once said. “The first is money, and I can’t remember what the second one is.”

Most political observers across the state agree Lenny Curry beat Alvin Brown in the recent Jacksonville mayor’s race for several reasons. Topping the list, though, was Curry’s impressive fundraising effort. […]

Florida Legislature prepares to return for special session

Lawmakers walked out of Tallahassee three days early — but now they’re coming back.

The state House and Senate will go into a special session on June 1 to try to pass a budget and come to terms on health care funding.

After abruptly adjourning three days early, the Florida House and Senate have tentatively agreed to a special session from June 1 to June 20 to hash out lingering budget issues. […]

Winners, losers emerge from Jacksonville’s elections

Lawmakers walked out of Tallahassee three days early — but now they’re coming back.

With the Mayor’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, and eight city council seats up for grabs on Tuesday evening, there’s no shortage of winners and losers emerging from Jacksonville’s elections. In some cases, they’re pretty obvious; in other cases, they bear explanation.

Winners: […]

Nancy Watkins will not run for the Tampa HD 60 seat

Nancy Watkins, the South Tampa CPA who has served as campaign treasurer for hundreds of local and national Republicans, will not run for the Florida House District 60 seat being vacated this fall by Dana Young.

Watkins, who has never run for public office before, had been rumored to be seriously considering running for the seat, which encompasses South Tampa, northwest Hillsborough County, and a slice of South Hillsborough. […]

Curry transformed from minor player in GOP politics to formidable Brown challenger

In 2007, Lenny Curry was a burgeoning Jacksonville businessman who was little more than a minor player in the city’s cloistered circles of Republican politics.

And even during his abrupt rise to become chairman of the Republican Party of Florida in late 2011, he never quite generated the same media attention or curiosity as his GOP colleagues. […]

Half ballots in election will be cast early

The increasing number of people voting before election day is changing the dynamics of political campaigning, requiring candidates to spend more money to target voters over a longer period of time.

In the past, candidates designed campaigns to “peak” on election day. In the final days leading to the election, campaigns unleashed advertising blitzes and made a final push to get voters to the polls. […]

40 Under 40: Joe Mobley

Hometown: Hinesville, Ga.

Education: I have a bachelor’s in political science from Florida State University.

Why did you go into your field?: I started out interning in the Florida Legislature when I was attending Florida State. I just did it for credit, but I ended up liking it and haven’t left. […]

Jacksonville-based firms The Fiorentino Group and Rogers Towers ink “strategic alliance”

Jacksonville-based firms the Fiorentino Group and Rogers Towers announced Tuesday they are forming a “strategic alliance.”

The Fiorentino Group, headed by Marty Fiorentino, is a known entity in state lobbying circles. It made between $100,000-$249,000 lobbying lawmakers on behalf of 30 paying clients last quarter, records show. […]

Intuition Ale Works first craft brewery to hire Tallahassee lobbyist 

Tallahassee | As issues related to Florida’s craft breweries become more prominent, Jacksonville’s Intuition Ale House is taking a rare step for a craft brewery: hiring a Tallahassee lobbyist.

“For us to be effective and taken seriously, we have to be involved,” said Ben Davis, Intuition’s owner. “We want to be known as more than a neat little up-and-coming industry.” […]

Fiorentino Group lobbyist to join Lenny Curry’s staff

Mark Pinto, a lobbyist with Jacksonville-based firm The Fiorentino Group, has accepted a position with the Republican Party of Florida.

Pinto will serve as special assistant to Chairman Lenny Curry.

Before joining the firm in 2010, Pinto was a legislative aide to state Rep. Bill Galvano, R – Bradenton. […]

New members named to Clay County Development Authority

The Clay County Development Authority installed new board members at its recent annual banquet.

Installed as officers were Tom Morris, Clay County Utility Authority, as the new chair; Matt Welch, Elkins Constructors Inc., as vice chairman; Joe Mobley, The Fiorentino Group, as secretary; and Pam Gibson, Idea Staffing, as treasurer, according to a news release. […]

Lobbyist changing with the time

“You never know what will happen. You just have to go with it,” said Marty Fiorentino last week a few days after the new sign with his company’s new name, The Fiorentino Group, was installed at his offices at The Carling.

Following the departure of his former partner, Shannon Hewitt, for a job in the mayor’s office, Fiorentino made a slight course change. […]

Chairman led port through calm and storm

TALLEYRAND — Looking over the bustling Talleyrand Marine Terminal from the roof of the Jacksonville Port Authority administration building, Marty Fiorentino takes pride in knowing he played a key role in steering the organization through an unsettling time of transition and toward a promising future.

Fiorentino chaired the board that oversaw the breakup of the old port authority that included maritime and aviation operations, and the one that oversaw the creation of a smaller, maritime-only port authority that has experienced 12 percent growth in revenue and tonnage since its inception and has successfully joined the cruise ship industry. […]