Meeting Log: Lobbyist and Visitors

The City of Tampa Ethics Code requires all lobbyists to register with the City Ethics Officer as follows:

  1. All lobbyists are required to register annually each calendar year.
  2. After registration, each meeting must be logged prior to meeting with an employee.
  3. Every registered lobbyist must submit an annual Expenditure Report.
What is a Lobbyist? Hide Lobbyist Definition

Lobbyist means any person who shall, for compensation of any kind, including but not limited to, salary, payment, retainer, commission, consideration of any type, forbearance, forgiveness, or any combination thereof, either received or expected, engage in lobbying as defined herein. For purposes of this section, compensation shall only include something of monetary value. Lobbyist does not include federal, state, county or other local government employees and quasi-government agency or entity employees who contact a city official or city employee to discuss such federal, state, county, or other local government or quasi-government agency or entity business and such activity shall not be considered lobbying hereunder.

The following persons and activities shall be exempted from registering as a lobbyist:

  1. Appointed officers or employees of the City of Tampa discussing matters relevant to their official duties;
  2. Employees or representatives of federal, state, county, municipal or independent authority discussing the business of government or authority;
  3. An elected official or government employee acting in his official capacity or in connection with his job responsibilities;
  4. Law enforcement personnel conducting an active investigation;
  5. Persons or representatives of organizations contacted by a city official when such contact is initiated by the city official;
  6. A person who appears under compulsion or subpoena by the city council, board or staff member of a board;
  7. Any person in contractual privity with the city who appears only in his or her official contractual capacity to discuss issues related to their services under contract;
  8. Any person who only appears in his or her individual capacity for the purpose of self-representation without compensation or reimbursement, whether direct, indirect or contingent, to express support of or opposition to any item.

All lobbyists and visitors must sign the Meeting Log.

All persons listed below are exempt from signing the Meeting Log:

  1. City of Tampa employees, and employees of other Hillsborough County agencies.
  2. Law enforcement officers.
  3. Relatives*, unless such meeting constitutes lobbying as defined in section 2-501, City of Tampa Code.

*Relative means an individual who is related to the subject official or employee as father, mother, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, grandchild, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother or half sister, anyone who is engaged to be married to the subject official or employee, or anyone who is a domestic partner pursuant to section 12-120, City of Tampa Code.