Our Team – Metz Husband Daughton

Douglas "Doug" Bell

Doug Bell focuses his practice on government affairs and administrative law, where he has worked in various policy areas focusing on healthcare, insurance, general business issues, and various local government issues.

James "Jim" Daughton

Jim Daughton is President of the firm and practices in its legislative affairs and administrative rulemaking areas with an emphasis on ﬁnancial services, technology and healthcare.

Leslie Dughi

Leslie Dughi has nearly three decades of experience advocating for clients before Florida’s Legislative and Executive Branches. She has spearheaded significant legislative initiatives for health care providers and facilities, national transportation providers, as well as workers’ compensation, property & casualty, and life & health insurers.

Warren Husband

Warren is the firm’s managing shareholder and heads up its administrative law and appellate litigation sections. He regularly represents clients before a broad spectrum of state agencies.

Anna Grace DePaolo

Anna Grace is a Policy Advisor who joined the firm after serving as a policy analyst for the Florida House Transportation and Modals Subcommittee.

Allison Liby-Schoonover

With more than a decade of state government experience in both the legislative and executive branches of government, Alli’s expertise and command of the political process provide her with the skills necessary to adeptly meet client goals.

Aimee Diaz Lyon

Aimee Diaz Lyon is an attorney with over 20 years of experience in legislative and governmental affairs.

Stephen Metz

A founding member of our firm, Steve currently serves in a special counsel capacity.

Andrew "Andy" Palmer

Andy Palmer has more than two decades of experience in Florida politics and government.

Karl Rasmussen

Karl Rasmussen is a Senior Policy Advisor at MHD responsible for lobbying the executive and legislative branches of state government on behalf of firm clients.

Jim Daughton

Jim Daughton joined MHD in 2004 and has served as President for many years. In addition to his direct advocacy for clients, Jim “quarterbacks” several multi-firm and multi-client legislative teams ranging from financial services to legal system funding to technology and to health care. His solid reputation with policy makers and “no enemies” mindset results in a trusting relationship with all parties. Throughout the course of his professional career, Jim garnered extensive experience representing Fortune 500 companies, Florida-based businesses, and professional associations.

Jim has served in many business and civic organizations including the Advisory Board of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Political Institute, the Florida Chamber’s Free Enterprise PAC as Chairman, and currently the Board of Directors of Florida House on Capitol Hill. Jim speaks regularly to audiences about Florida’s governmental and political environment and has lectured several times at both Florida State University and Stetson University.

Jim graduated with high honors from the Florida State University College of Law. He earned his B.A. in political science from Stetson University. Jim was the recipient of the William Amory Underhill Award given to the student most likely to have a positive impact on government.

Jim is married to Maureen McCarthy Daughton and has two grown sons, Connor and Will.

Fun Facts

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- Mayberry R.F.D.
Do you collect anything?
- Useless political trivia
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
- Black Raspberry with Chocolate Chip (no sugar)
If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- Peanut Butter
What is your biggest pet peeve?
- Being late
Where is your hometown?
- Port Orange, FL via North Adams, MA

If you didn’t work in the political process, what would you do?

- Deputy Life Coach

Who is your ideal celebrity dinner guest?

- John Meacham

What is your most memorable part time job?

- Busboy, Capn’ Coty’s

What television series have you watched repeatedly?

- Seinfeld, NCIS and Blue Bloods

What’s your favorite hotel and restaurant in Florida?
- Opal Longboat Key; Bagel Bagel

Warren Husband

Warren is the managing shareholder of MHD, where he leads the firm’s administrative law and civil litigation practices. He regularly represents clients before a broad array of state agencies, to include considerable trial experience before the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings.

Warren provides legal expertise in a wide variety of fields, including constitutional law, construction law, gaming, state contracting and procurement, affordable housing development, election law and ethics matters, and insurance regulation. He is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

A native of Tampa, Warren received his Bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in Psychology in 1986 from the University of South Florida, where he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

After serving four years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force in New Mexico, Texas, and what was then West Germany, he entered law school and received his Juris Doctor with highest honors from Florida State University in 1993.

Warren is a member of the Order of the Coif. While in law school, he served both as Notes and Comments Editor and as Piece Selection Committee Chair for the Florida State University Law Review.

Fun Facts

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- To Iowa or Washington to see my daughters.
Do you collect anything?
- Dust
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
- Mint chocolate chip
If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- Fried chicken
What is your biggest pet peeve?
- Drivers who appear to have no particular place to go.
Where is your hometown?
- Tampa, Florida

If you didn’t work in the political process, what would you do?

- Research Scientist

Who is your ideal celebrity dinner guest?

- William Shatner

What is your most memorable part time job?

- Busch Gardens (the ‘go-to guy’ for every dirty job in the Bird Gardens)

What television series have you watched repeatedly?

- Seinfeld, M.A.S.H., Star Trek (original)

Allison Liby-Schoonover

Allison Liby-Schoonover is a Senior Policy Advisor at MHD. With more than a decade of state government experience in both the legislative and executive branches of government, Alli’s expertise and command of the political process provide her with the skills necessary to adeptly meet client goals. Recently, Alli was named the “Education Lobbyist of the Year” by Influence magazine.

Prior to joining the MHD team, Alli worked in the Senate Majority Office as a legislative analyst, with a focus on education and agriculture policy. During the 2012 election cycle, she served as the Deputy Senate Finance Director at the Republican Party of Florida. Prior to that, Alli worked at a lobbying firm representing clients before Florida’s executive and legislative branches. Additionally, her career in legislative affairs began at the Florida Department of the Lottery in the legislative affairs office.

Alli graduated from the Florida State University in 2007 with dual degrees in American Studies and Political Science. Following graduation, she taught high school literature as a Teach For America Corps Member in inner-city Philadelphia. A graduate of the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, she holds a Master of Science in Education and her thesis examined the impact of teachers’ unions.

A resident of Tallahassee, Alli is an active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church and is engaged in her community serving as an adviser to student organizations at the Florida State University. She and her husband, Chris, are proud parents of Liberty, William and Andrew.

Fun Facts

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- Reims, France
Do you collect anything?
- Philadelphia memorabilia
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
- Affogato
If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- Pasta
What is your biggest pet peeve?
- People who don’t read the bill.
Where is your hometown?
- Wherever the Air Force moved us and now Tallahassee.

If you didn’t work in the political process, what would you do?

- Work in an art museum

Who is your ideal celebrity dinner guest?

- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

What is your most memorable part time job?

- Barbie toy tester at Mattel in LA

What television series have you watched repeatedly?

- The West Wing

What’s your favorite hotel and restaurant in Florida?
- I love Boardwalk to get the quick access to the world showcase in EPCOT.

Andy Palmer

Andy Palmer has more than two decades of experience in Florida politics and government. Early in his career, Andy served as the Chief Policy Analyst for Health and Human Services in the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget. He also held a variety of positions in the Florida House of Representatives, including legislative analyst in the House Majority Office and Staff Director of the House Health Care Regulation Committee.

Immediately prior to joining the firm, Andy spent time working in Florida politics. He twice served as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Florida under two different governors, and during the 2010 election cycle Andy served as Director of House Campaigns helping secure a supermajority for the incoming Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was recognized by Florida Politics as one of the “Brightest Minds in Florida Politics”.

Andy’s lobbying practice focuses on a variety of policy areas with an emphasis on tourism and hospitality, health care, transportation, energy and general business issues.

Andy is married to Kristen Palmer and they have four children: Drew, Knox, Davis, and Ellis.

Fun Facts

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- The mountains. Any mountains will do.
Do you collect anything?
- Based on the evidence at my house, I collect old, broken kids toys. The more lost pieces the better apparently.
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
- Rocky Road
If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- A really good cheeseburger
What is your biggest pet peeve?
- Bad drivers
Where is your hometown?
- Born in Tampa, FL but moved to Tallahassee before I was a year old.
If you didn’t work in the political process, what would you do?
- I’d be a landscape architect
Who is your ideal celebrity dinner guest?
- Will Farrell
What is your most memorable part time job?
- I worked the front desk at the Christian Life Center, a gym supported by First Baptist Church in Tallahassee. We got access to the gym, the pool, and a full-sized basketball court. For a college guy, it was awesome!
What television series have you watched repeatedly?
- When I’m watching with my wife: Friends
- When I’m watching alone: Band of Brothers
What’s your favorite hotel and restaurant in Florida?
- Is it possible to choose just one?

Karl Rasmussen

Karl Rasmussen is a Senior Policy Advisor at MHD responsible for lobbying the executive and legislative branches of state government on behalf of firm clients. Specializing in Environment, Insurance, Gaming, Health Care, Construction, Technology and Energy issues, Karl has been a part of the Florida political process for over a decade.

Karl has been instrumental in lobbying on special projects, which has resulted in creating opportunities for clients at state agencies, including rulemaking and funding successes. Prior to joining the private sector, Karl spent seven years in government service, where he most recently served as a member of the senior leadership team in the Executive Office of the Governor under the Governor Rick Scott Administration.

From 2014 to 2017, Karl served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Scott, where he was responsible for developing policy positions, legislative priorities, and recommendations to the Governor with a focus on Health Care and Environmental Issues. In this role, Karl managed eight state agencies providing guidance to agency leadership on policy, legislative strategy, communications, budget, leadership, and operations.

Karl also served as Director of Cabinet Affairs for Governor Scott, as well as the Assistant Director of State Lands, the Director of Cabinet Affairs and the Cabinet Affairs Liaison for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Fun Facts

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- Anguilla
Do you collect anything?
- Bobbleheads
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
- Sorbet
If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- PIZZA!!
What is your biggest pet peeve?
- Being late
Where is your hometown?
- Winter Park, FL

If you didn’t work in the political process, what would you do?

- Open a pizza & wine restaurant

Who is your ideal celebrity dinner guest?

- Brooke Williamson

What is your most memorable part time job?

- Bagel Bagel

What television series have you watched repeatedly?

- Castle

What’s your favorite hotel and restaurant in Florida?
- Amelia Island Ritz Carlton; Osaka Cocina Nikki (Miami)