15-20 years

National Children's Alliance, Bud Cramer Award
Florida Bar, Family Law Section, Legislative Achievement
Kristi House Service, Former President Service Award

SSG has won numerous fundraising awards and recognitions
Managing Partner, Miami office, The Southern Group
Chairman, Republican Party of Miami-Dade County
Executive Board, Republican Party of Florida

Nelson D. Diaz concentrates his practice on government and community relations. Nelson has successfully represented local governments, businesses, trade associations and other corporate clients before the Florida legislative and executive branches of government. Nelson has become one of Florida's young rising stars since serving as Chief Legislative Aide to the Former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and now United States Senator, Marco Rubio.

In addition, Nelson has successfully represented corporate entities before the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, numerous Miami-Dade County agencies and departments, the City of Miami, the City of Hialeah, and several other municipal governments and authorities in Miami-Dade County. In addition to government relations, Nelson has successfully guided many corporate clients entering the South Florida market, providing community relations services. By advising new entrants to the market on who the key players are, which organizations to join, and how to navigate the local political waters, Nelson has assisted many clients successfully enter the South Florida and Miami markets.

Nelson began his political career as a volunteer in the 1996 Presidential campaign in Florida where he and many other young leaders, including now U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, State Senator Anitere Flores, Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera, and many other now-elected officials, worked hard to build a strong Republican Party base in South Florida. Since then, Nelson has worked on countless political campaigns in Florida from federal races for Presidential and U.S. Senate, to state races for Governor, Cabinet offices, Florida House of Representatives, and Florida Senate, as well as many local government campaigns for county commission, city councils, and mayor's races. Nelson has also been active in various business and civic organizations locally, and counts many legislators, party officials, and legislative leaders among his personal friends. As a result of Nelson's service with U.S. Senator Rubio and his involvement in many campaigns, Nelson has established an extensive network of key contacts in Miami-Dade County and within the Florida Legislature. In fact, Nelson currently serves as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County and serves on the executive board of the Republican Party of Florida.

Active in the local community, Nelson served on the City of Miami's Historical and Environmental Preservation Board, protecting the city's historical and environmental treasures, as well as the Miami-Dade County Community Council of West Kendall, a local land use and zoning board. Additionally, Nelson serves as the Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors for Kristi House, Miami-Dade County's child advocacy center for child victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking as well as the Board of Directors of the Good Government Initiative, a bi-partisan organization dedicated to cultivating leaders of excellence in South Florida. Recently, Florida Governor Rick Scott appointed Nelson to the statewide Children and Youth Cabinet for his service and advocacy on behalf of Florida's children.

Nelson attended Florida International University, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in International Relations, with a Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, as well as minors in Political Science and Geography. Nelson graduated from the University of Florida, College of Law, cum laude, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2004.

Paul Mitchell joins Southern Strategy Group after having served at the top in some of the most powerful executive branch agencies in Florida government. Paul began his career in Florida government in 1988 as an aide to, then Insurance Commissioner, Tom Gallagher. In 1994, Paul was appointed Chief Cabinet Aide to former Secretary of State Sandra Mortham and specialized in financial services, environmental, and education issues. In 1998, following Tom Gallagher's election as Education Commissioner, Paul was asked to serve as the Commissioner's Chief of Staff. Six years and two successful administrations later, Paul continued to serve as Chief of Staff to Tom Gallagher, Florida's first Chief Financial Officer at the Florida Department of Insurance and then at the Department of Financial Services.

An expert in policy and administration, Paul served on several boards and commissions including the E.R.P. (Enterprise Resource Planning) Integration Task Force, a statewide effort initiated by the legislature to improve financial management of taxpayer dollars and modernize state personnel systems. Paul also served with the Florida Commission on Economic Education and the "Just Read Florida" program. Paul currently is on the board for the Florida Juvenile Justice Foundation, which is the direct support organization for the Department of Juvenile Justice.

A native Floridian from Palm Beach County, Paul was a dedicated public servant for more than fifteen years. Prior to entering government, Paul graduated with honors from Florida State University in Political Communications.

A leader within Florida's government relations arena, Mercer Fearington, Jr. has been representing clients before the executive and legislative branches of Florida government since the mid-1990's. Mercer is the past Chairman of the Florida Agricultural Coalition and is a graduate of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture -- an affiliate of the Institute of Food and Agriculture and Sciences at the University of Florida. Mercer is a graduate of Mercer University.

Mercer lives in Tallahassee with his wife, Lindsey, and their three daughters.

David Browning is one of Florida's top political campaign operatives. David has worked with Florida's most powerful elected officials and brings a new dimension to Southern Strategy Group's team of lobbyists in Tallahassee. David was instrumental in raising millions of dollars for campaign war chests in the 2010 election cycle for Governor Rick Scott. David also worked for Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and set fundraising records for those campaigns. Fundraiser, strategist, and confidante, David is among a handful of insiders who help guide candidates to victory in Florida.

David has been equally busy helping the legislative branch. David served as the chief fundraiser for Speaker Dean Cannon. David's responsibilities included raising money for Speaker Cannon's personal campaign, as well as working with House leadership to raise money for the House Republican Caucus. Through these efforts, the Florida House returned 81 republican members giving them a supermajority.

In the Florida Senate David represented Senate President Mike Haridopolos and Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner. David worked with Senator John Thrasher who was elected in a highly contested special election. David brings his unique expertise to the Tallahassee team and offers our clients unprecedented insight into the workings of state government.

David is a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in Political Science.

Chris joined the firm in November of 2000 after serving seven years in Florida government. During this time, Chris served as the Assistant to the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief of Staff to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Prior to serving in Governor Bush's administration, Chris served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Legislative Director, and Special Assistant to former Florida Education Commissioner and former Florida Lt. Governor Frank T. Brogan. Chris also served as a legislative aide in the Florida House of Representatives. Throughout the years, Chris has worked on various state and local campaigns, including the 1998 and 2002 Bush/Brogan gubernatorial campaigns.

A devoted community activist, Chris was a finalist for Volunteer of the Year in 2007. Chris has served on the Board of Directors for the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, where he served for two years as Chairman, the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Big Bend, and the Board of Directors for the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. Chris is currently the Chairman of the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, a not-for-profit statewide association representing agencies which serve homeless, runaway, and troubled youth. Chris also serves on the local advisory board for Hancock Bank and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Maclay School. Chris was recently appointed by Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum to the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority, an entity created by the Florida Legislature to promote the business and hospitality interests of downtown Tallahassee.

A native of Fort Myers, Florida, Chris Dudley graduated from the University of South Florida in 1993 with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. Chris, his wife Susanne, and their two sons live in Tallahassee.

11-15 years

James H. McFaddin comes to Southern Strategy Group from Health Management Associates (now Community Health Systems), a Fortune 500 hospital company with over 200 hospitals in 29 states, where he served as Director of Government Affairs. James was responsible for representing the company's interests in Washington, DC, state capitals including Tallahassee, and in front of state health care agencies and local governments.

Prior to joining Health Management Associates, James served as Chief of Staff for the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency). As Chief of Staff, James was involved in the management and operations of the Agency including the Florida Medicaid Program, the regulation of Florida's health care facilities, and oversight of the Agency's $20 billion budget.

During this time, James was also appointed by the Governor to manage the state's federally-mandated health information exchange activities as Florida's Health Information Technology Coordinator.

Prior to being named Chief of Staff, James served as the Agency's Legislative Affairs Director.Before joining the Agency, James served as the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the Executive Office of the Governor where he worked to develop and coordinate passage of the Governor's legislative and budget priorities.

James has also served as a Senior Analyst in the Florida Senate specializing in health care, criminal justice, and agricultural issues.

A native of South Carolina, James graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and Political Science.

Monte Stevens joins Southern Strategy Group after serving more than a decade in Florida government. After serving in the Legislative Affairs office of the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Financial Services, Monte joined the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) in 2008 where he led OIR's legislative and executive lobbying effort as Deputy Chief of Staff.

While at OIR, Monte was instrumental in the passage of legislation relating to all sectors of the insurance industry including landmark reforms to personal injury protection and homeowner's insurance. Most recently, Monte oversaw the passage and implementation of the NAIC model holding company act and principle based reserving for life insurers. Knowledgeable in all lines of insurance, Monte was frequently called upon to testify and present to legislative committees on a variety of subjects.

In addition to lobbying the Legislature, Monte also served as OIR's representative to the Governor and Cabinet in the rule making process. In this capacity, Monte led the effort to implement the country's first ever regulatory initiative on collateral requirements for reinsurers.

Monte also served as Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the Florida Medical Association where he was involved in the passage of significant medical malpractice reform. A native of Niceville, Florida, Monte was a member of two national champion debate teams at the University of Missouri-Kansas City before graduating with a degree in political science. Prior to returning to Florida, Monte attended graduate school, taught public speaking, and coached the debate teams at Kansas State University and Harvard University.

Monte and his wife Jodi live in Tallahassee.