Ronald “Ron” Book

Not even conflicts of interest stop Book from landing clients. 

Many local governments retain his services to battle on their behalf during the annual legislative session in Tallahassee. His roster of public-sector clients include Bal Harbour, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Miami Beach, and Miami-Dade and Broward counties. 

Those arrangements might seem to clash with his lobbying on behalf of his private clients. Book represents Miami-based multifamily developer Atlantic Pacific Communities, Bal Harbour Shops mall owner Whitman Family Development, and the Florida Apartment Association, among others. 

Not surprisingly, some of the interests of Book’s private and public clients are at odds, but that also serves to emphasize his ability to navigate the sharp edges of the development landscape, as he regularly obtains conflict-of-interest waivers from his public clients. 

When a member of the Bal Harbour City Council sought to terminate Book’s lobbying contract in 2025 because of his representation of Whitman Family Development, which is seeking to build high-rise apartment towers and a hotel at the Bal Harbour Shops site, he held off the challenge, insisting that he’s got a firewall in place to avoid potential conflicts. That’s the sort of skill that makes him the godfather of South Florida’s lobbyist industry and the go-to operative for some of the biggest names in real estate. His most famous client is Stephen Ross, the billionaire owner Related Ross, not to mention the Miami Dolphins pro football franchise.

— Francisco Alvarado