Florida the rules are different here Chapter XIV

You got to love Florida when you read stories like this. It's truly dog bites dog. Lobbyists are upset over the new legislation passed in December. Now they are planning to sue the Florida State legislators they do business with.

Open Post- Basil's Blog, Bright & Early, Wizbang,

TALLAHASSEE · Florida lobbyists are preparing to assault a new ethics law requiring them to reveal how much money they make.

The Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists has quietly collected more than $90,000 in cash and commitments this month to finance a potential lawsuit against legislators.

If they sue, it would raise the odd specter of the city's 2,000-plus lobbyists stabbing the backs they're more accustomed to scratching -- with the upcoming legislative session looming.

"We don't usually look to take on the Legislature over something. We make our living working with them," said Carl Adams, president of the association and a Tallahassee lobbyist for 28 years.

"But we think there are privacy and equal protection issues at stake here that we just have to have cleared up," Adams said.

Florida this month became one of 30 states requiring lobbyists to disclose the fees they receive from clients, part of an ethics package that also included a ban on legislators accepting gifts, meals and drinks from lobbyists.

The gift ban has sparked a cascade of questions from legislators who worry about running afoul of the law.

It also is sparking cancellation of annual lunches and dinners, including the lobbyist-supported Speaker's Ball in Tallahassee.

Lobbyists say they can live with the gift ban, saying it basically just keeps more money in their pockets.

But they insist the income-disclosure requirements undermine the Florida Constitution.