25.01(A) Registration Statement. Prior to engaging in any Lobbying activities, whether or not compensation is paid or received in connection with those activities, each Lobbyist shall:
25.01(A)(1) File with the City Clerk, on a form prescribed by the City, an annual registration statement under oath containing the following information:
25.01(A)(1)(a) The Lobbyist's full name, residence address, business name, business address, email address, and nature of business.
25.01(A)(1)(b) The full name and address of all Persons on whose behalf the Lobbyist will be Lobbying. If, after filing the registration statement, the Lobbyist intends to Lobby on behalf of any Person(s) not listed on the registration statement, the Lobbyist shall, prior to engaging in any Lobbying activities on behalf of such unlisted Person(s), file an amendment to the registration statement in form prescribed by the City Clerk, containing all the information required in the annual registration statement.
25.01(A)(1)(c) The general and specific subject matters which the Lobbyist seeks to influence.
25.01(A)(1)(d) The extent of any direct business association by the Lobbyist with any current elected or appointed official or employee of City. For the purposes of this Chapter, the term "direct business association" shall mean any mutual endeavor undertaken for profit or compensation.
25.01(A)(1)(e) A Lobbyist representing a group, association, or organization shall, prior to engaging in Lobbying, receive appropriate authorization from said group, association, or organization to Lobby on its behalf upon a particular subject matter. A copy of the applicable minutes, motion, or other documentation of the action providing such authorization shall be attached to the registration statements.
25.01(A)(2) Pay to the City an annual registration fee, to be set by resolution of the City Commission, for each employer or principal, identified on an annual or amended registration statement, on whose behalf he or she intends to Lobby, whether he or she was retained directly by the employer or principal or by another Lobbyist retained by the employer or principal. A Lobbyist, who is Lobbying without any compensation, on behalf of a nonprofit entity, is not required to pay a registration fee in connection with those uncompensated Lobbying activities.
25.01(B) Amendment. A Lobbyist is required to promptly amend any filed registration statement if any information in the statement changes.
25.01(C) Effective Period. Registration statements are effective from January 1 of a given year through December 31. Registration fees paid under (A)(2) above cover Lobbying activities during the effective period of the registration statement. A new registration statement shall be filed, and all required fees shall be paid, prior to engaging in any Lobbying activities after expiration of a previously-filed registration statement.
25.01(D) Disclosure Statement Required. On or before January 15 of each year, each Lobbyist shall submit to the City Clerk's Office, on a form prescribed by the City, a signed statement under oath, disclosing all Lobbying expenditures, contingency fees, and the sources from which funds for making such expenditures and paying such contingency fees have come. The statement shall provide such information with respect to all Lobbying activities undertaken from January 1 of the prior year through December 31 of the year in which such disclosure statement is required to be filed. Lobbying expenditures shall not include personal expenses for lodging, meals, and travel. A statement shall be filed even if there have been no expenditures during a reported period. A public official acting in his or her official capacity shall not be required to file the statement required by this subsection.
25.01(E) List of Current Lobbyists. The City Clerk's Office shall keep a current list of registered Lobbyists and their respective statements required under this Chapter, all of which shall be open for public inspection.
25.01(F) Partial Year Filing Required. Discontinuance of Lobbying activities during a year shall not relieve the Lobbyist of the requirement to file the statement required by subsection (D) above for that portion of the year during which the Lobbyist was engaged in Lobbying activities.
25.01(G) Withdrawal of Registration. A Lobbyist may withdraw his or her registration by providing to the City Clerk a written notice of withdrawal and simultaneously providing the City Clerk with the Lobbyist's disclosure statement under subsection (D) above that would otherwise be due by January 15 of the subsequent year. In the event of such withdrawal, the Lobbyist shall not be refunded the annual registration fee or any portion thereof. Subsequent to withdrawal, during the same annual effective period, should the Lobbyist choose to engage in Lobbying activities in the City, the Lobbyist is required to file a new annual registration statement required by subsection 25.01(A) and submit the annual registration fee paid under subsection 25.01(A)(2).
(Ord. 2011-16, passed 12-5-2011; Am. Ord. 2015-24, passed 11-16-2015)