Press Room

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Top political consultant forges ahead in Florida

There are some people Roger Stone wouldn't work for - al-Qaida, Libya's Muammar al-Ghaddafi or, he says, "any Arab government."

But the famous Republican campaign strategist has made a career of working the trenches in some of the most charged political battles in modern American history. Even as he still makes news nationally, he has settled in as a consultant affiliated with Fort Lauderdale-based law firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler.

Stone's arrival fits firm CEO and Chairman Scott Rothstein's vision of an aggressive practice that will use an array of tools to serve clients. The firm has grown from 10 lawyers to about 40 in six years, sitting at No. 28 on the Business Journal's list of largest South Florida law firms.

"I work for their clients," Stone said in a recent interview. "If they have an objective, they don't care if I'm a Republican, a Libertarian or a vegetarian."

Exactly what Stone does for clients is not usually disclosed. It's a service that doesn't face courtroom scrutiny. But it centers on giving advice about options - legal, political or legislative - according to Rothstein.

"I wanted the best political strategist and the best crisis PR guy in the business," Rothstein said. "He fears nothing, but he's ethical and tough."

Stone, who has Richard Nixon's face tattooed between his shoulder blades, started in politics in 1972 as a young volunteer with the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP), a group that was disgraced during the Watergate scandal.

Since then, he has helped Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, Sen. Arlen Specter and Donald Trump, among others.

But, to many Floridians, Stone may be best known as the coordinator of Miami street protests that shut down the presidential election recount in 2000. (Seven years later, Stone emphatically said he was doing a favor for James Baker and he doesn't like Bush, his father or the evangelical political movement in general. He said he's a libertarian who thinks what people do in their own bedroom is nobody's business.)

Firm partner Stuart Rosenfeldt worked for Stone during the 1976 Reagan campaign. Years later, Rosenfeldt and Rothstein founded their law firm. The Stone alliance grew out of Rothstein's involvement with Republican Party fundraising for Gov. Charlie Crist.

"We already had the consulting group, but it wasn't doing much. With Stone, we were able to put together a very powerful government relations and crisis public relations group," Rothstein said.

A different approach

Besides having Stone tucked back in a corner office, the firm is unique for a few other reasons.

It has gone completely paperless, using only electronic files and backup systems. Rothstein has four computer screens on his desk to help him review documents. He said he requires all attorneys do a Google search on the parties in a case before proceeding with a lawsuit, which can unearth surprising information.

And, RRA doesn't bill for phone calls, which Rothstein calls a profit center for many firms.

"Charging for communication of that nature would defeat the purpose of trying to avoid litigation," he said.

There are other law firms that do government relations in Fort Lauderdale, but not like RRA's arm, which is technically separate from the firm.

Tripp Scott, for example, has represented the Florida Senate in political redistricting efforts. Firm President Edward Pozzuoli , a fundraiser for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign, drew distinction between their type of legal service and what RRA does.

"Our focus is, we are lawyers and we are client-driven," Pozzuoli said. "With the redistricting, that was politics, and you have to understand that. But it's still core legal. Having a consultant or consulting agency affiliated with your firm is different."

Get out of the way

Stone's strategy, as quoted in many press accounts, is to attack his opponents from all angles, repeatedly. Rothstein's stated philosophy as a litigator is the same.

"If we can avoid litigation, we do - through education, implementing preventive programs, etc.," Rothstein said. "But once you decide to litigate, you can't go in halfway."

Depending on the company he's keeping, Rothstein's description of good litigation gets more colorful.

"My saying is, get into the game or get the f--- out of the way," he said.

Rothstein has harried Broward County with lawsuits in federal and circuit court for client National Beverage Corp. over disputes involving the company's office building.

He is particularly proud of suing the city of Fort Lauderdale over employment discrimination in 1994. In that case, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Civil Rights Act of 1991 did not render Title VII and State Statute 1981 the exclusive remedies for employment discrimination by a municipality, and therefore did not pre-empt a constitutional cause of action under another state statute.

According to Rothstein, once he and a client decide to sue, the firm relies heavily on private investigators and retired police officers or detectives.

RRA has offices in New York and Tampa, and is opening one in London. But Stone and Rothstein are headquartered on the 16th floor of Las Olas City Centre, the biggest office tower in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Stone's office is a shrine to Nixon memorabilia, with a John F. Kennedy image as a nod to the other side. Rothstein has photos of himself with Crist, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Bill Richardson and Specter.

On the record, both men say John McCain is their guy this year.

Stone has been dogged recently by accusations he made a threatening phone call to the elderly father of Democratic New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Rothstein said he is fully aware of Stone's reputation for playing dirty tricks, but believes he is ethical.

Surrounded by his Nixon grotto, Stone makes a deadpan reference to Al Gore's historic loss in Florida, in which he played a role.

"I don't understand why Gore is not running. This was his year," he said. "He was right about the war. He was right on global warming. You could make the argument he was screwed out of [the presidency] by some guys."

ROTHSTEIN ROSENFELDT ADLER

Chairman: Scott W. Rothstein
Web site: www.rra-law.com
Address: 401 E. Las Olas Blvd., Suite 1650, Fort Lauderdale 33301
Phone: (954) 522-3456
E-mail: srothstein@rra-law.com

THE DETAILS
Roger Stone's Career

* 1972: Used the alias "Jason Ranier" while working for the Committee to Re-Elect the President (Richard Nixon), leading up to the Watergate scandal
* Late 1970s: Worked on Sen. Robert Dole's staff
* 1980s: Member of consulting firm Black Manafort and Stone
* 1980 and 1984: Regional political director of Ronald Reagan campaigns
* 1981 and 1985: New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean campaign and '81 recount
* 1990s: Lobbied frequently for Trump Hotel & Casino Resorts in the New York Legislature and elsewhere.
* 1995: U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., campaign
* 1996: Bob Dole presidential campaign. Stone was forced to resign after sex scandal allegations.
* 1996: Worked for Florida sugar industry to defeat "penny-per-pound" sugar tax
* 1999: Helped lead presidential campaign committee for Donald Trump
* 2000: Recruited by James Baker for George W. Bush's post-election committee on Florida Supreme Court; coordinates street protests in Miami to shut down recount
* 2004: Sen. Arlen Specter's re-election campaign. Stone is rumored to have aided Al Sharpton in a presidential bid, but says he only offered unpaid advice as Sharpton's friend. Stone says he worked for a Broward County pari-mutuel gaming company on the statewide referendum to help put slots at racetracks.
* 2006: Allies himself with Fort Lauderdale law firm Rosenfeldt Rothstein Adler for political consulting. Also has public relations firm, Drake Ventures.
* 2007: Worked for New York state Republicans, including state senate leader Joseph Bruno. Says he is still working for 527 committee in New York with the same objective: to educate the public about Eliot Spitzer.

What he denies

Stone has been connected in media to many stunts and political campaigns he denies:

* 2002: Denies benefiting from Miami-Dade County Commission's hiring of Ikon Public Affairs, a firm he once worked for, for $1.8 million to help defeat a referendum concerning the county's home-rule charter. ("I cut ties with Ikon 10 years ago.")
* 2004: Denies involvement with 527 political groups that helped elect U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. ("I couldn't even tell you her first name.")
* 2007: Stone has spent months denying he made a threatening phone call to the father of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, despite indications the call originated from RRA's New York office.