Miami-Dade might fire lobbyist Ron Book — but only if the votes don’t go his way

Update: On July 16, Commissioner Oliver Gilbert agreed to delay a vote on his proposal to end the county lobbying contract for Ron Book and his firm. He said to expect a vote on the matter during the commission’s next scheduled meeting on Sept. 3.

Lobbyist Ron Book has made a career of rounding up votes for his clients, but on Wednesday, he’ll need seven to save his contract with Miami-Dade County.

The veteran lobbyist finds himself in a showdown with County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, who is sponsoring legislation to cancel a roughly $165,000-a-year county contract employing Book as one of multiple private-sector lobbyists representing Miami-Dade in Tallahassee.

Gilbert’s 12 fellow commissioners are set to referee the fight at Wednesday’s commission meeting, where a majority vote can decide the contract’s fate.

The skirmish has thrust into the public eye a falling-out between two political heavyweights once seen as close allies. Gilbert is a former mayor of Miami Gardens, and Book represents the city’s top taxpayer, the Miami Dolphins.

The two joined forces before the 2020 Super Bowl to help win state funding for stadium walkways that carry their names — Book with a pedestrian tunnel and Gilbert with a pedestrian bridge. When Gilbert was married at a sunrise ceremony in 2023, Book was there — a day after undergoing surgery related to throat cancer, according to Book, who also serves as chair of the county board overseeing homeless services.

At issue is state legislation that involved a dispute over water bills between North Miami Beach, a Book client, and Miami Gardens, which is part of Gilbert’s district. Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the legislation, which benefited Miami Gardens, on July 2 after it passed the Florida Legislature by a wide margin in April.

Gilbert reportedly blames Book for the veto. Book says he wasn’t involved, having told North Miami Beach that his work for the county presented a conflict after the Miami-Dade County Commission backed Gilbert’s position on the water-bill dispute.

Now a matter of public record, the rift caught multiple insiders by surprise this week.

“You’re lying!” one politico who knows both men said this week when a Miami Herald reporter told him about Gilbert’s legislation targeting Book.

Gilbert did not respond to a request for comment, but Book said he’s being falsely accused of lobbying work he didn’t do.

“There is not a scintilla of truth that I lobbied anyone on this bill,” Book said in a telephone interview from a family trip to Hawaii.

Background on DeSantis veto of the Miami Gardens water-bill legislation

The DeSantis veto was a stunning setback for a decade-long quest by Gilbert and other Miami Gardens allies to prevent North Miami Beach from charging extra water fees to customers outside of city limits.

North Miami Beach runs its own water system, and that service extends to homes and businesses in surrounding municipalities, including Miami Gardens. Gilbert led the public campaign to change Florida law to bar the 25% surcharge on Miami Gardens customers because North Miami Beach built its water plant on land that now sits within the city of Miami Gardens, which incorporated in 2003. He argued it was unfair for Miami Gardens residents to pay extra for water infrastructure already in the city.

“This is more than just a legislative victory, it’s a moral one,” Gilbert said in a statement after the legislation passed the Florida House and Senate in late April with only two no votes.

The July 2 veto message from DeSantis calls the legislation a one-off fix for a local fight. “It is not the role of the state to referee such a dispute,” he wrote.

While an override vote is possible at a future legislative session, backers of the bill would need to convince state lawmakers that municipal water bills in a small area within Miami-Dade are worth a showdown with DeSantis.

North Miami Beach says it would be waging that potential Tallahassee fight without its star lobbyist, since Book has told the city for the last several years that his county contract prevents him from helping on that issue.

“Ron Book was conflicted out and couldn’t help us, so North Miami Beach had to stand on its own,” Mayor Michael Joseph said in a statement to the Herald. “Together, we beat back Commissioner Gilbert’s vendetta against the city.”

This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.