Following Criticism, Jeb Bush’s Lobbyist Withdraws State Registration | Florida Center for Investigative Reporting

Following Criticism, Jeb Bush’s Lobbyist Withdraws State Registration | Florida Center for Investigative Reporting:

Following Criticism, Jeb Bush’s Lobbyist Withdraws State Registration

Published on March 6, 2013. Tags: Deirdre Finn, Foundation for Excellence in Education, Foundation for Florida's Future, Jeb Bush, Lobbyists, Meridian Strategies, Patricia Levesque, Steve Miller, Tampa Tribune

Former Gov. Jeb Bush, under fire for reversing his support for a path to citizenship in immigration reform, is also facing criticism for the actions of his Tallahassee lobbyist. (Photo courtesy of Hofstra University’s Debate 2012 Signature Speaker Series.)

By Steve Miller
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting

Patricia Levesque. (Photo courtesy of LeRoy Collins Institute.)

Meridian Strategies, the lobbying firm that doubles as the management group for Jeb Bush’s controversial education reform nonprofits, on Monday pulled its lobbying registration following a Sunday news story questioning its role in the Bush operations.

Meridian, owned by Patricia Levesque, was paid $795,000 between 2009 and 2011 for “consulting and management services,” according to tax forms filed by the nonprofits, the Foundatio