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Which telecom companies are pulling the strings in your state government? Find out which telecommunications companies are spending the most on lobbying and campaign contributions. Learn about your public utility boards, where they are located and how to file a complaint. Also, view the personal financial disclosure statements of board members and learn how much they earn.

Florida Public Service Commission
2540 Shumard Oak Blvd.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0850
(800) 342-3552

How to file a complaint
Toll Free: (800) 342-3552
Online

Jurisdiction: Electric, Natural Gas, Telecommunications, Water and Wastewater
Funding: Regulatory assessment fees (RAF) paid by the regulated entities
Commissioners: 5
  Appointed by: Governor, from nominees selected by the Public Service Commission Nominating Council
  Term: 4 years
  Annual Salary: $124,348
Chairperson: Elected by Commissioners
  Term: 2 years
  Annual Salary: $124,348
Commissioners

Braulio Baez (Chair)
Term: 2000-2006
Financial Disclosure:  2001  2002  2003  2004 

Terry Deason
Term: 1991-2007
Financial Disclosure:  2001  2002  2003  2004 

Rudolph Bradley
Term: 2002-2006
Financial Disclosure:  2002  2003  2004 

Lisa Polak Edgar
Term: 2005-2009

Florida Receives F for Disclosure of Utility Commissioner Outside Ties
Florida ranked 35th in the nation for making basic information on state legislators' income, assets and potential conflicts of interest available to the public. Florida received 51.5 out of a possible 100 points.
See Report Card

Florida Conflict-of-Interest Provision: "A commissioner may not have any financial interest, other than shares in a mutual fund, in any public utility regulated by the commission, in any business entity which, either directly or indirectly, owns or controls any public utility regulated by the commission, or in any business entity which, either directly or indirectly, is an affiliate or subsidiary of any public utility regulated by the commission." (Florida Statutes ยง 350.041(c))


Telecommunications Industry

State Campaign Donations

Telecommunications industry donations, including legislative and statewide, throughout three election cycles, 1999-2000, 2001-2002 and 2003-2004. Click on total to see how this state stacks up:
Cycle Amount
2003-2004 $1,642,841
2001-2002 $2,838,270
1999-2000 $2,600,081
Total $7,081,192

Telecommunications interests donating $10,000 or more to state races, including legislative and statewide, throughout six years, from 1999 to 2004:
Name Total
AT&T Corp. $1,701,356
BellSouth Corp. $1,463,603
Sprint Corp. $1,272,608
National Cable and Telecom. Assn. and state orgs. $1,004,499
Verizon Communications Inc. $863,788
Jorge Mas / MasTec $206,000
MCI (formerly WorldCom Inc.) $77,850
Motorola Inc. $69,068
Convergys Corp. $42,000
Cingular Wirless LLC $37,250

Source: Institute on Money in State Politics, with analysis by Center for Public Integrity

State Lobby Spending

Totals in this state DO NOT include lobbyist salaries/compensation. Legislative and executive branch lobbyists register with different offices.

State-level lobbying by telecommunications companies in 2003 and 2004. Click on the total to see how the states stack up:
Year Amount
2003 $233,201
2004 $241,122
Total $474,323

Major telecommunications interests lobbying government in this state in 2003 and 2004:
Name Total
BellSouth Corp. $227,229
Sprint Corp. $72,577
Verizon Communications Inc. $66,744
AT&T Corp. $58,849
National Cable and Telecom. Assn. and state orgs $33,236
MCI (formerly WorldCom Inc.) $7,340
Cingular Wireless $7,111
Nextel Communications $1,037
AT&T Wireless $200

Source: Source: Center for Public Integrity analysis of state records