‘A conflict of interest’: Orange County cancels contract with lobbying firm GrayRobinson

ORLANDO, Fla. — Channel 9 has learned new details about a controversy involving your tax dollars and a lobbying firm.

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Orange County Government announced Thursday that it had terminated its contract with lobbying firm GrayRobinson.

The firm collects $72,000 a year to represent Orange County’s interests in Tallahassee.

Channel 9 learned that Chris Carmody, a lobbyist with GrayRobinson, helped draft a bill that would have made it more difficult for the county to cut funding for Visit Orlando.

That happened as the Orange County Board of County Commissioners was making difficult decisions about the Tourist Development Tax.

Read: Visit Orlando faces audit after county commissioners cut funding last month

Channel 9 obtained text messages between Carmody -- who was on the county’s payroll -- and State Sen. Linda Stewart that show Carmody helped draft a bill that would have made it more difficult to cut funding for Visit Orlando amid a heated debate about how to spend millions in TDT funds -- and he did not want people to know about that.

One of Carmody’s other clients -- the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association -- sent out memos and launched a campaign urging commissioners to not cut Visit Orlando’s funding.

Visit Orlando received more than $100 million in TDT funds in 2023.

Commissioners asked whether that was too much money.

“Why are so many people so strongly (adamant) on protecting this exorbitant amount of money to go to an agency to market Central Florida?” Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe said. “Why?”

Visit Orlando facing audit after County Commissioners cut funding last month Visit Orlando facing audit after County Commissioners cut funding last month (Nikki DeMarco, WFTV.com/WFTV)

Uribe also questioned Carmody’s loyalties.

“Who are you loyal to?” she said. “Are you loyal to the tourism industry and organization? Are you loyal to the county commission who hires you, too?””

Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla told Channel 9 that the text messages fueled a sense of betrayal.

“I just have lots of questions and lots of distrust at this moment,” she said.

Ever since the text messages came to light, county attorneys have been reviewing whether the county could cut ties with GrayRobinson.

Read: State senator seeks to prevent Orange County commissioners from slashing Visit Orlando’s funding

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings on Thursday described the situation to Channel 9 as “a conflict of interest” and vowed to make changes.

“We expect those who are our paid lobbyists to lobby in the best interest of Orange County, and that sadly didn’t happen in this case,” he said. “There are consequences for what happened, and so we have to hold them accountable.

Demings said in a letter written Thursday that the contract will be terminated effective March 15.

Channel 9 reached out to GrayRobinson for comment.

“We do not comment on internal operations and do not intend to comment beyond the email we sent to Mayor Demings on Tuesday,” President and CEO Dean Cannon said in a statement.

Channel 9 has also reached out to Carmody for comment but has not yet heard back.

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State senator seeks to prevent Orange County commissioners from slashing Visit Orlando’s funding A new proposal would require more commissioners to agree to a funding cut for the agency. (WFTV)

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