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The Online Registration Experience
The Registration Process
Annual Registration
Who is considered a lobbyist? If you commit a violation of the lobbyist ordinance, the Ethics Commission may suspend you from lobbying before the County Commission or any committee, board, or personnel of the County; impose a public reprimand and/or a fine of two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00) for the first violation and five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each subsequent violation. Any contract entered into that violates the lobbying ordinance will become voidable and a bidder or proposer may be debarred from future County work.
Section 2 - 11.1(s) Of the Code Of Miami-Dade County defines lobbyists as all persons, firms, entities, Or corporations that are employed, designated, Or retained by a principal, with Or without compensation, Or that contract with a third party for economic consideration to perform lobbying activities on behalf of a principal.
Included in the definition of a lobbyist are principals that lobbies, as well as any employee that has been designated by the principal to perform lobbying activities on behalf of the principal.
Each lobbyist is required to submit a Certificate of Completion of an Ethics Course approved by the Miami-Dade County Ethics Commission to the Clerk of the Board within sixty (60) days after registering as a lobbyist. Lobbyists who have completed the initial Ethics Course mandated by the preceding sentence and have continuously registered as a lobbyist thereafter shall be required to complete a refresher Ethics Course every two years and submit to the Clerk of the Board a Certificate of Completion within sixty (60) days after registering as a lobbyist. The Ethics Course shall include, but not be limited to, a review of the following topics: the Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance; the Sunshine Law; and the Public Records Law. The fee for the Ethics Course shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00). Please click here to see the latest training schedule, payment information, and download class registration form.
What if I have lobbied but did not register?
Why should I file my Lobbyist Registration online?
Online registration is easy and convenient. It allows you to manage and maintain your account from anywhere. You can pay your yearly registration fee; file withdrawals or expenditure reports, if applicable, without delay.
How do I pay the registration fee?
You can pay the annual lobbyist registration fee online once you have created a userid and password, and renew your registration at the end of each year in December through the beginning of each year until January 15th. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express are accepted as form of payment. There is no fee for the principal's activity authorization.
Who is exempted of paying the Lobby Registration Fee?
The following individuals are exempt from paying the registration fee. However, those individuals are required to register as a lobbyist.
1) Any public officer, employee, appointee who only appears in his or her official capacity.
2) Any person who only appear in his or her individual capacity for the purpose of self-representation without compensation or reimbursement, whether direct, indirect or contingent, to express support or opposition to any item.
3) Any person who only appears as a representative of a neighborhood association without compensation or reimbursement for the appearance, whether direct, indirect or contingent, to express support or opposition to any item.
4) Any person who appear as a representative of a not-for profit corporation (unless lobbying for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, without special compensation or reimbursement, whether direct, indirect or contingent, to express support or opposition to any item, must register as a lobbyist.
5) Attorneys or other representatives retained or employed solely for the purpose of representing individuals, corporations, or other entities during publicly noticed quasi-judicial proceedings where the law prohibits ex-parte communications.
6) Expert witnesses who provide only scientific, technical, or other specialized information in public meetings.
7) Non-profit organizations or entities
8) Principals representing their own company, or as a representative of one of the following groups with special compensation or reimbursement for appearances, whether direct or indirect or contingent:
What happens if, when I first registered I was exempted of paying the registration fee, but now I need to work for a For-Profit corporation?
You will be required to pay the $490 registration fee for the remainder of the registration period.
Will I get a receipt for an online payment?
Yes. You will receive an email notification confirming payment.
What happens if my payment is canceled or invalidated?
You will have to submit a valid payment of the registration fee to the Clerk of the Board immediately to be considered a registered lobbyist.
Why is the Lobbyist Registration option not shown in the Main menu?
Once your registration fee is received, you don't need to make modifications to your registration information until the next year payment process starts at the beginning of December of each year. You may login using your user id and password at the top of the page to view and/or make changes to your account.
