Federal judge overturns Florida law banning elected officials from lobbying other governments

A federal judge has ruled that Florida’s attempt to prevent elected officials from lobbying other governments is unconstitutional.

The law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, had an immediate impact. Some elected officials who worked as lobbyists stopped. Others resigned their government posts before the new law went into effect.

The most high-profile South Florida example was Lubby Navarro, who resigned as a member of the Miami-Dade County School Board in December. That move allowed her to continue working as a lobbyist for the South Broward Hospital District, the government agency that uses the public brand name as Memorial Healthcare System for its network of hospitals and health services in the southern third of the county.

The ruling won’t change Navarro’s situation. She is out of office and has been replaced.