Senate Candidate: Lobbyist Dad A Big Liability
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Lauren Book, a child abuse prevention advocate and daughter of a veteran Tallahassee lobbyist, will officially launch her campaign for state Senate on Tuesday.
Ms. Book told Browardbeat.com that she will file her papers in the state Capital.
Her father, lobbyist Ron Book, may be her biggest liability, Ms. Book conceded.
“People will want to talk about the fact my dad is a lobbyist,” she said. “They will question whether I can stand up to my dad. Anybody who has been in a room with us for two minutes know I can stand up to him. I have my own opinions. We disagree regularly.”
Although she is a heavy favorite to win and currently has no opponent, Ms. Book vowed to campaign hard.
“I want to be the walking candidate. My goal is to go to every door in the district. I know that’s ambitious, but I hope to learn from people what their issues are, what they are concerned about,” she said.
A 30-year-old former victim of child abuse by her nanny, Ms. Book (and her father) several years ago formed Lauren’s Kids. The group is a non-profit which educates the public on sex crimes against children.
Lauren’s Kids has generated worldwide publicity, putting Ms. Book’s face in the media from Florida to South Africa and Europe.
Despite her decade-long work on the sole issue of child abuse prevention, Ms. Book said she would not be a one-issue senator. She said she spent “the better part of a year” studying everything from K-12 school funding to health care and water conservation.
About her lack of political and government experience, Ms. Book said:
“I have been advocating an issue around the (legislative) process for a decade. And while I’ve not been elected, I’ve been around the (legislative) process all my life. I’ve done all I can from the outside up to this point. That’s one of the reasons I want to run and be on the inside to affect change not just on that issue, but on a range of issues.”
Sobel’s safely Democratic Senate District 33 touches Hollywood, Davie, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Cooper City Dania Beach, Plantation, Hallandale Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
An open Senate seat in Broward would usually be expected to draw several candidates, but the political prowess and money of Ms. Book’s father has scared everybody out of the race so far.
Ron Book’s clients have already poured tens of thousands into Ms. Book’s political committee Leadership For Broward, which formed last September. The group raised $663,450 through the end of July.
In 2013, Ron Book was the third largest lobbyist in terms of revenue in Tallahassee. Clients such as AutoNation, the Miami Dolphins, FPL and Magic City Casino paid his firm more than $5 million. That figure doesn’t include representation of clients at the local government level in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.
In addition to helping Ms. Book’s political career, Ron Book’s clients have poured money into Lauren’s Kids. The non-profit was also given $3.8 million by the state Legislature to fight child sex abuse. The Sun-Sentinel termed the amount “outsized.”
The advocacy group will be operated by an executive director and other staff while Ms. Book’s campaigns.
“This is not going to change anything. We are going to continue as in the past,” she said about her group.
Ms. Book quietly married Blair Byrnes in July. Byrnes is an account manager at a technology company, according to his Linkedin page.
August 31st, 2015 at 5:55 pm
Translation: And so, with literally no political experience whatsoever, I’d like to start out at the top with a nice Senate seat! As I walk through the district, keep in mind that if I get elected, I’ll listen to the lobbyists (My Dad & His Friends) and the money they have, which far, far outweighs anything any constituent(s) might have to say! In short, you’d be a complete idiot to even think about giving me your vote… and that’s what I’m counting on! Gee, didn’t you just get through re-electing a judge who literally rammed her car into the jailhouse gate and got arrested for it – on TV – right before the election? SUCKERS!!!!!!
August 31st, 2015 at 6:48 pm
Well, where to begin…I have never met Lauren Book, but I know she has spent 30 years with a Father who has lived and breathed the political process, first from the inside as a staffer, and now from the outside as an advocate. In that she has been privileged to have a front row seat, chances are she is as prepared as any freshman senator ever has been. Her ability to learn, understand and care about a variety of issues facing us should not be underestimated or dismissed. Yes, her Father casts a large shadow, but if ever there were a woman destined to walk into the sunlight she is it. How about we all give her a chance to show us what she is made of?
August 31st, 2015 at 9:32 pm
The rap on this woman is that she might be too much like her extremely hard working, very in demand, super intelligent, never-give-up Father? Perish the thought…
September 1st, 2015 at 8:52 am
I’d like to see her give back all the political donations to her father’s friends.
Until then she’s nothing but a puppet for SFL cronyism.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:38 pm
the only thing she is missing in her arsenal is a law degree andlicense and I am real surprised she didn’t pursue that. and anyone who sat at the dinner table growing up night after night listening to the experience, wisdom, tall tales, lessons, etc. from parents in lobbying or legal professions is light years ahead of the neophytes.
she has played her hand well.
I won’t vote for her but that won’t matter.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:36 pm
As a regular working class guy who lives, by a couple of blocks, just inside Ms. Book’s future district, this whole process is disturbing. I might not have a fancy diploma but I ain’t stupid and neither are all my buddies. We know the game is rigged. We also know that there is nothing we can do about it. What is deeply disturbing then is when the politicians and their lobbyist best friends not only don’t bother to hide it but like in the case of this senate seat , grab us by the neck and rub our faces in it.
September 2nd, 2015 at 5:06 am
Daddy wants to buy his girl a seat in the legislature. Are South Floridians so stupid they’ll allow this to happen?
September 2nd, 2015 at 8:52 am
Waldina Flores Current Release Date: 09/04/2023
Tallahassee lobbyist Ron Book has become one the legislature’s favorite charities, raking in nearly $7 million in taxpayer funds.
One must ask:
“Did Waldina enter the United States legally?”
What role did the grate (sic) lobbyist extraordinaire Ron Book play in Waldina’s IN$ $tatu$?
Did Ron Book’s [human resource dept] vet Waldina?
Ron Book ensured that Mike $atz’$ did his bidding in securing a lengthy term of incarnation and deportation upon release.
Why must the taxpayer be on the hook to fund Ron Book’s guilt?
Vote NO
September 2nd, 2015 at 3:17 pm
Well Buddy you where right little miss sunshine is running for State Senate. First good luck to her. Second her father is her biggest supporter and also her biggest asset. Third do not shy away from your “lauren Kids” its your claim to fame so to speak. Forth when you are spending that almost 700g instead of posters, bumper stickers, pens etc how about readers, yes readers 2.00 Lauren(you’ll get there). When speaking top the residents show them how you can make their lives better, never inconvience them and never let them see you sweat. Get endorsement from Sobel. Do all this and your in..(PS tell your Dad he caved in to Sarnoff to soon)….
September 3rd, 2015 at 8:19 pm
To quote Daniel Patrick Moynihan, “everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” It has been well and often reported that the Book family, in need of a nanny for its children, sought the services of a reputable, licensed employment agency. To imply that Ron Book was in any way involved in some back-handed operation to bring Ms. Flores to this country illegally, or that he did not, when hiring her, do absolutely everything in his power to ensure that his children would be cared for in the best manner possible, is simply disgusting.
September 8th, 2015 at 1:26 pm
I like Lauren Book, she is smart, funny and she has been in the legal scene for several years. so her daddy is a high powered, multi-million dollar fund raiser/lobbyist. SO WHAT. Lets remember folks that we did vote in our fearless Governor Scott. Did his millions win him the election? We know it wasn’t his experience or winning personality. So, back to Ms. Book, the only complaint I have about her s that she talks way too much about her childhood experience on the campaign trail, AND she might consider going to a toastmasters or two to project her teeny tiny voice to the crowd. she falters and seems to be nervous when talking about something other than her childhood tragedy. But, Ron is a controlling and manipulative guy with agendas lining his pockets so that’s too bad for her. Hopefully as she stated she IS ABLE to stand up to daddy warbucks.
September 8th, 2015 at 8:25 pm
I imagine it is nearly impossible not to speak of your childhood when you have dedicated yourself professionally to saving others from the tragedy you experienced in yours. That said, I have no doubt that, as the campaign unfolds, you will hear Ms.Book speak from the heart on a number of subjects; no one gets to her age, especially in a family where giving back was ingrained at an early age, without learning and caring about a wide variety of issues. As for her Father, he may well be seen as controlling by some but, chances are, not by his own children. Lauren herself has said that they often disagree, and I have no reason to disbelieve her.