NOTE: The following information is based on the City of Miami Code Article VI and Miami-Dade County Code Section 2-11.1(s) (Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance).
"Lobbyist" means all persons, firms, entities, or corporations that are employed, designated, or retained by a principal, with or without compensation, or that contract with a third-party for economic consideration to perform lobbying activities on behalf of a principal. "Lobbyist" includes the principal that lobbies, as well as any employee that has been designated by the principal to perform lobbying activities on behalf of the principal.
"Lobbyist" specifically includes the principal as well as any employee whose normal scope of employment includes lobbying activities. However, if a principal of any corporation, partnership or other entity who appears as a lobbyist on behalf of that entity, without special compensation or reimbursement for the appearance, whether direct, indirect or contingent, to express support of or opposition to any item, shall register with the Office of the City Clerk and complete the required ethics training, but shall not be required to pay any registration fees.
"Lobbyist" also pertains to a person(s) who, pursuant to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, has been designated and is so recognized by the City as a representative of a collective bargaining unit composed of City employees. However, while the aforementioned person(s) are required to register and take the ethics course, they are exempt from paying the registration fees.
For additional information pertaining to who is considered a lobbyist, please refer to Miami-Dade County Code Section 2-11.1(s) (Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance).
Within five (5) business days of being retained as a lobbyist or before engaging in any lobbying activities, whichever comes first, every person required to register as a lobbyist shall register in accordance with City of Miami Code Section 2-654.
Register as a Lobbyist
Please use the button below to search for current and previously registered lobbyists.
List of Registered Lobbyists
Any person who only appears as a representative of a not-for-profit corporation or entity (such as a 501(c)(3) organization, a trade association or trade union), without special compensation or reimbursement for the appearance, whether direct, indirect or contingent, to express support of or opposition to any item, shall register with the Office of the City Clerk and complete the required ethics training, as required by City of Miami Code Section 2-654, but, upon request, shall not be required to pay any registration fees.
For additional information pertaining to individuals lobbying on behalf of a non-profit organization, please refer to Miami-Dade County Code Section 2-11.1(s) (Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance).
The term "Lobbyist" specifically excludes the following persons:
(a) Any representative of individuals, corporations, or other entities solely during a public hearing on a quasi-judicial matter;
(b) Any person who appears only as a representative of a neighborhood association without compensation or reimbursement for the appearance, whether direct, indirect, or contingent;
(c) Any person who only appears as a representative of a not-for-profit community-based organization without special compensation or reimbursement for the appearance to request a grant;
(d) Any person employed or retained by a principal whose normal scope of employment or retention does not include lobbying activities and who is not engaged in lobbying activities on behalf of said principal;
(e) Any expert who is retained for the sole purpose of providing only scientific, technical, or other specialized information or testimony in public meetings;
(f) Any public officer, employee, or appointee, appearing in his or her official capacity, to represent a governmental entity;
(g) Any person who only appears in his or her official capacity for the purpose of self-representation without compensation or reimbursement, whether direct, indirect, or contingent, to express support or opposition to any item;
(h) Any person engaged in following activities involving a procurement matter:
1. Appearance at a pre-bid conference;
2. Submission of a bid or proposal;
3. Submission of a written question or response to a bid or proposal;
4. Presentation by technical experts, or persons employed or retained by a principal whose normal scope of employment does not include lobbying activities, for purposes of explaining or demonstrating characteristics or performance of a procurement matter, provided the presentation does not include any advocacy or recommendations on the procurement matter and is otherwise consistent with the pending procurement matter or guidelines and procedures;
5. Post-award contract management;
6. Participation in market research process;
7. Accessed contracts; and
8. Emergency purchases
For additional information pertaining to who is exempt from having to register as a lobbyist, please refer to Miami-Dade County Code Section 2-11.1(s) (Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance).
A Notice of Withdrawal(PDF, 672KB) form must be submitted to the Office of the City Clerk within thirty (30) days after ceasing lobbying activities. No fee is required for filing the Notice of Withdrawal form.
A lobbyist shall annually submit to the Office of the City Clerk a signed statement under oath, listing all lobbying expenditures and the sources from which funds for making lobbying expenditures have come. The lobbying expenditures shall include, but not be limited to: meals, entertainment, travel, lodging, and gifts for public officers and employees for the preceding calendar year. Lobbying expenditures shall not include the lobbyist's own personal expenses for lodging, meals, travel, salary, and office expenses.
Such statement of expenditures for the preceding calendar year, entitled Annual Expenditures Report(PDF, 121KB) shall be due on January 15 of each year. Such statement shall be rendered on the form provided by the City Clerk's Office and shall be open to public inspection. If the lobbyist had no expenditures in the preceding calendar year, then he or she shall not be required to submit an annual expenditures report.
If one is required, any lobbyist who fails to file the annual expenditures report by the January 15 deadline each calendar year shall be subject to a fine of fifty dollars ($50.00) per day for reports filed after the due date. The name of any lobbyist who fails to comply with said requirement shall be automatically removed from the list of active lobbyists. Should said person wish to re-register as a lobbyist, he or she shall submit a new registration form accompanied by a $525.00 registration fee plus any and all outstanding fines accrued prior to re-registration.
Amendments to registration forms shall be filed within fifteen (15) days of any change of information required to be set forth on the registration form.
Violations of this Section shall be enforced by the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust (“COE”). A finding by the COE that a person has violated this Chapter shall subject the person to a Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) civil penalty. The COE may additionally provide other penalties such as admonition and public reprimand, as well as prohibitions from registering as a lobbyist or engaging in lobbying activities before the City.
If you have any further questions regarding lobbying in the City of Miami, please contact the Office of the City Clerk via email at miamilobbyists@miamigov.com or by telephone at (305) 250-5361.