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Highlands County School Board hears pitch from Southern Group on lobbying, grants and funding strategy
Summary
At a board workshop, Southern Group presenters outlined lobbying, grant and grant-writing services for Highlands County Schools, cited recent wins for other districts, discussed timelines and fee ranges, and asked the board to consider engaging the firm before October/November appropriations deadlines.
Southern Group lobbyists presented their services to the Highlands County School Board at a workshop, describing how the firm would represent Highlands County Schools before the Florida Legislature, the governor's office and state education agencies to pursue appropriations, grant opportunities and rulemaking input.
The presentation, delivered by Sheila Van Hoose, David Sheff and a Southern Group education specialist identified as Wendy, explained the firm's statewide presence, examples of past funding wins for school districts, grant opportunities and a proposed timeline for starting work before the 2026 legislative session.
The consultants said their work would include developing a prioritized list of district projects, filing appropriation requests, identifying and pursuing grant opportunities, coordinating with committee staff and agency rulemaking processes, and supporting board members who travel to Tallahassee for meetings. "We want you to be thought leaders, and to do that, you wanna think multiple years out," Sheila Van Hoose said.
Why it matters: Board members described capital and program needs, including a proposal to expand vocational offerings and a potential aviation/diesel vocational facility they estimated could cost about $10,000,000. The firm said it could pursue capital appropriations, competitive grants and other funding pathways but that large projects may require multiyear approaches and a mix of funding sources.
Southern Group highlighted recent examples: the firm said it helped secure about $5,500,000 in combined funding for affordable housing and renovation work for Monroe County Public Schools; $2,750,000 in one year for Polk County Schools for emergency generators; and that the firm secured roughly $780,000,000 in funding for clients statewide in the most recent year. "We were able to secure $780,000,000 in funding for our clients throughout the state of Florida," David Sheff said.
The presenters identified specific grant programs and competitive funding windows. They noted the Department of Education’s Pathways for Career Opportunities grant (apprenticeship/ career programs) as an example of a highly competitive grant: "this year alone, they just announced the awardees about a week ago. They had $44,000,000 worth of request for $14,000,000 available," a presenter said. They also described ongoing agency rulemaking and implementation work as part of the post‑bill process.
On timing, Southern Group advised the board to decide quickly so the firm could begin work before committee weeks and appropriations deadlines. Presenters referenced committee weeks beginning in October, the start of session in January, and multiple deadline dates mentioned during the workshop: a November 21 appropriations deadline was cited, and later speakers said the House deadline is October 21 with the Senate deadline in December. The presenters said their goal would be to have requests in place by October to ease staff workloads.
Board members asked about the firm’s fee structure and grant‑writing assistance. Southern Group said fees are negotiated based on scope and political work required, and gave a broad client range of $2,500 to $25,000 per month, noting that a typical local government engagement could fall in the $4,000–$5,000 per month range for a district of similar size. The presenters said standalone grant‑writing services are often provided by affiliated contractors and would be separate contracts.
The board discussed specific district priorities during the workshop. Board member Donna described a desire to expand vocational programs, noting limited local revenue and the district’s current capital constraints. Southern Group asked the board to provide a prioritized list of objectives so the firm could draft a formal proposal. The presenters said they could provide a proposal and begin preparatory work if the board authorized them soon.
No formal vote or contract was taken during the workshop. The board indicated it would discuss internally, assemble a list of desired projects and contact Southern Group for a formal proposal. The presenters offered logistical support for any board members traveling to Tallahassee and said they could host meetings and help with scheduling.
Board members and staff raised potential next steps and implementation questions, including whether to pursue capital appropriations, which competitive grants to apply for, and whether to supplement in‑house capacity with external grant writers. Southern Group suggested an initial focus on legislative appropriations and state budget opportunities, with grant writing discussed later if needed.
The board’s next steps: Southern Group will prepare a formal proposal and the board will determine priorities and consider a decision in the coming weeks so the firm could begin work ahead of the stated deadlines.
