Broward Politics: Former Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff Joins Major Fort Lauderdale Lobbying Firm
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Lobbyist Bernie Friedman has spent decades gobbling up more and more business at the Broward County Government Center and Tallahassee.
Now Friedman’s firm Becker Poliakoff is stretching its tentacles in a big way into Palm Beach County.
The latest addition to Friedman’s stable of roughly two dozen lobbyists is Ellyn Bogdanoff. She’s a former state House and state Senator from Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
Ellyn Bogdanoff
Bogdanoff will be beefing up the firm’s business in Palm Beach County, representing developers on land use and zoning and firms seeking to do business with government.
“Senator Bogdanoff’s treasure trove of relationships in Palm Beach, Broward and throughout Florida will add significant new muscle to our lobbying team and law firm in Palm Beach and Broward Counties, and in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. She has a tremendous reputation as an obsessively well-prepared lawyer and lobbyist with powerful connections to make great things happen for clients and the community. Many of the firm’s lobbying clients in Broward are also looking to do business in Palm Beach. With the addition of Senator Bogdanoff we will be able to provide that service to clients across the county line,” Friedman is quoted in a news release.
Bogdanoff is a Republican who was a Florida House member 2004-2010 and a state senator 2010-2012. She has been a lobbyist working with various clients since leaving the Legislature.
Her hiring was first reported by Jim Rosica at Floridapolitics.com.
Just a month ago, Friedman announced hiring Nick Matthews, former chief of staff for state Sen. Eleanor Sobel of Hollywood, a Democrat. Matthews worked for Sobel 2009-2012 and then as a lobbyist for Broward County government 2012-2015. He helped run a boutique-lobbying firm in Tallahassee since leaving Broward County.
Nicholas Matthews
Becker Poliakoff under Friedman is far from a boutique firm. The news release announcing Matthews’ hiring states that “the firm is registered for over 50 active clients including the developers of the Broward Convention Center Hotel, the contractors for the new runway, Terminal 4, the Broward County Courthouse, and the Broward Addiction Recovery Center (BARC).”
Frieman has long been a fixture in local politics since the days in 1976 when he handed out leaflets for his late father Charlie Frieman’s Democratic congressional campaign. A Hollywood dentist, Charlie Frieman lost to incumbent Republican U. S. Rep. J. Herbert Burke, but his race was one of the first to take on the entrenched GOP office holders who held control of Broward politics at the time.
Bernie Friedman has worked for Becker Poliakoff for decades after a stint as a congressional aide.
The firm’s founding partner is Alan Becker, who was a Democratic Broward state representative from 1972-78. Becker lost a bitter race for Congress in 1980 against Clay Shaw, a Republican who served from 1981-2007.
Bernie Friedman
XXXXX
October 5th, 2016 at 10:19 am
The Senator will be appointed by Gov. Scott to replace LaMarca’s once the dirty laundry comes out regarding Broward Health.
October 5th, 2016 at 11:59 am
Ellyn is Perfect for this! Bernie knows that with the Former Senator on his TEAM, things can only get better..
Congratulations Ellyn & Bernie..
Rico Petrocelli
Plantation Councilman 2005-2009
Broward State Committeeman
October 5th, 2016 at 2:11 pm
My eyesight isn’t good so correct but doesn’t this jaw centered photograph of Bernie.FRIEDMAN look so much like.similar photographs of Mayor J P Seller of Fort Lauderdale. I am curious.if I am the only one to notice,