Coconut Road: Lobbyist Continues Push for Young’s EarmarkEnter the lobbyists! The News Press reports that a lawyer who represents the lobbying firm that originally pushed for the Coconut Road interchange is continuing the effort. In a recent letter, the lawyer, Patrick Reilly, argues that the locally unpopular $10 million project ought to stay the way it is, Constitution be damned.
Reilly’s working on behalf of the Potomac Partners, the D.C. firm hired by real estate mogul Daniel Aronoff to secure the funding for the Florida project. Aronoff also wisely helped raise Rep. Don Young (R-AK) $40,000 in 2005. His combined efforts paid off.
Interestingly, Reilly doesn’t dispute in his letter that the earmark’s language was changed after Congress passed the 2005 transportation bill.
He argues that there is “no question” that the Coconut Road earmark money must be used for the purpose outlined in the law signed by the president and not for the project described in the bill Congress approved, because all three branches of government recognize the finalized, enrolled bill as law — not any previous version.
Reilly sent the letter to the vice president of finance at Florida Gulf Coast University in August, which also supports a Coconut Road interchange and was once a client of Potomac Partners. The News Press reports that the letter is likely to play a role in the county’s decision of whether to seek to transfer the $10 million to another, locally supported project.
Reilly also offers his credentials as an expert in transportation law, but never mentions his connection to the project. You can view the letter here.
