Alex Barrera is heading from the Speaker’s office to one of the top lobbying firms in Florida.
Barrera, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff to former Speaker Daniel Perez, is the latest hire at Ballard Partners, where he will join the firm’s state and local government affairs practice in both its Miami and Tallahassee offices.
“Alex has been at the center of Florida’s legislative process, and few people understand as well as he does how priorities move through the Legislature and how state and local government works,” said firm founder and President Brian Ballard.
“His judgment, his relationships in Tallahassee and across South Florida, and his hands-on experience delivering results for the communities and clients he has served will be an enormous asset to the clients we represent across the state.”
Barrera served as Perez’s lead adviser on the state budget and appropriations process. In that role, he coordinated with House budget staff and the Governor’s office and oversaw appropriations involving healthcare, transportation, education and public safety.
He previously served as Finance Director for House Majority, managing donor relations for the Speaker-designate and directing a campaign finance operation supporting 85 state House seats. Before his work in the Legislature, he served as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and as a senior adviser to Miami’s City Manager.
“Having spent my career working within Florida’s legislative process and alongside our local governments, I look forward to helping the firm’s clients navigate government at a time when the decisions made in Tallahassee and in city and county halls across Florida matter more than ever,” Barrera said.
Barrera’s hire adds another experienced Florida hand to a firm that has seen explosive growth for nearly a decade at both the state and federal levels.
In June, the firm launched an Emerging Technology and AI Practice Group, recruiting former California Government Operations Secretary Amy Tong to lead it. The following month, Ballard added former Deputy Director of National Intelligence Amaryllis Fox Kennedy as co-Chair before opening a Caracas office led by Scott Wagner, extending an international network that also includes offices in Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Riyadh.
That expansion has been matched by the firm’s lobbying haul. Ballard reported $33.2 million in federal lobbying revenue during Q2 — nearly $11.5 million more than its nearest competitor — completing a full year atop the K Street leaderboard.
