Florida State Capitol/Photo by Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com

Lobbying the Legislature is big business. During the first three months of the year, companies, local governments and other clients paid an estimated $37.4 million to lobbying firms for legislative work, according to state numbers.

Lobbying firms are required to file quarterly reports that offer a picture of how much they get paid. The numbers aren't exact because firms largely report their income in ranges, though specific information is available about payments of $50,000 or more.

Firms faced a deadline this month to file reports about their compensation from January through March, a period that included most of the first half of the annual legislative session. Here are the firms that pulled in the most money for legislative lobbying during the quarter and a list of large payments from clients:

FIRMS REPORTING COMPENSATION OF $1 MILLION OR MORE:

• Ballard Partners

• Capital City Consulting LLC

• GrayRobinson

• Greenberg Traurig

• Ronald L. Book PA

• Rubin, Turnbull & Associates

• Southern Strategy Group

FIRMS REPORTING COMPENSATION OF $500,000 TO $999,999:

• Becker & Poliakoff

• Corcoran & Johnston

• Floridian Partners LLC

• Johnson & Blanton

• Metz Husband & Daughton

• Smith Bryan & Myers Inc.

• The Advocacy Group at Cardenas Partners LLC

• The Mayernick Group LLC

FIRMS REPORTING COMPENSATION OF $250,000 TO $499,999:

• Anfield Consulting

• Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

• Colodny Fass

• Dean Mead

• Gunster Yoakley & Stewart

• Heffley & Associates

• Holland & Knight

• Hopping Green & Sams

• Larry J. Overton & Associates Inc.

• McGuireWoods Consulting LLC

• Peebles, Smith & Matthews, Inc.

• Pittman Law Group

• PooleMcKinley

• Ramba Consulting Group LLC

• RutledgeEcenia

• The Fiorentino Group

• The Legis Group

PAYMENTS OF $50,000 OR MORE TO LOBBYING FIRMS:

• Amscot Financial, Inc.: $51,000 paid to Metz Husband & Daughton.

• AshBritt: $135,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

• Auto Tag Management Group: $89,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

• Automated Healthcare Solutions: $50,000 paid to Ballard Partners.

• Charter Schools USA: $65,000 paid to Tripp Scott PA.

• Citizens for Responsible Pet Ownership: $75,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

• FCCI Insurance Group: $50,000 paid to Leath Consulting.

• Florida Municipal Broadband Alliance: $60,000 paid to Peebles, Smith & Matthews Inc.

• Fontainebleau Florida Hotel, LLC: $63,000 paid to Corcoran & Johnston.

• HCA Healthcare: $56,000 paid to Rubin, Turnbull & Associates.

• K.A.S. & Associates Inc.: $200,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

• Miami Project/Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis: $55,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

• MorseLife: $50,000 paid to Floridian Partners LLC.

• Performance Title Services: $130,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

• Polaris: $60,000 paid to Southern Strategy Group.

• Seminole Tribe of Florida: $55,000 paid to Greenberg Traurig.

• Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, Inc.: $84,000 paid to Ballard Partners.

• Small County Coalition: $165,000 paid to Robert P. Jones & Associates.

• State Farm Florida Insurance Co: $50,000 paid to Tripp Scott PA.

• Sunfest Herbs LLC: $50,000 paid to Ballard Partners.

• The SEED Foundation Inc.: $61,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

• The Vestcor Companies Inc.: $69,000 paid to Southern Strategy Group.

• Title Clerk Consulting Co., LLC: $160,000 paid to Ronald L. Book PA.

• U.S. Stem Cell, Inc.: $90,000 paid to Rubin, Turnbull & Associates.

SOURCE: Florida lobbyist registration and compensation website.