A major Florida lobbying firm is establishing a D.C. practice for the first time in its 25-year history, hoping to capitalize on what it says will be “a new, business-friendly era in the United States.”
Tallahassee-based The Southern Group has launched federal lobbying arm TSG Advocates, it said in a press release Friday. It’s setting up shop to coincide with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump and the expectation that his policies will spur “a widespread influx of foreign and domestic investment in the U.S.”
It’s also focused on driving opportunities for Florida’s business interests given the many top-level positions expected to be filled by Floridians, from White House chief of staff to secretary of state and attorney general.
TSG tapped Daniel Diaz-Balart and Chase Kroll as founding partners for TSG Advocates. Diaz-Balart most recently ran his own practice where he advised on a range of government-related industries such as defense contracting and commercial space and lobbied on behalf of Taiwan and the Dominican Republic. He is the son of former U.S. Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, and the nephew of former Noticias Telemundo weeknight anchor José Díaz-Balart.
Kroll worked most recently at Hogan Lovells as managing director of strategic communications. In the past he worked on projects supporting defense contractors, municipalities and foreign governments, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.