Click here to watch the 2024 campaign season’s most impactful ads:
That Makes 20
Consensus has now led over 20 successful statewide constitutional amendment campaigns in our 30-year history. In 2024, we led the biggest statewide constitutional amendment campaign victories in America as the General Consultants and Media Strategists for the campaigns that defeated Amendments 3 and 4. Despite being exponentially outspent by the sponsors of Amendments 3 and 4, both of which spent more than any other candidate or issue campaign in Florida history, our decisive strategies, clear messages, and impactful TV and digital ads resulted in big come-from-behind victories in Florida’s most contentious statewide campaigns.
Federal Election Success
Our ads built momentum for Congressional wins. Laurel Lee’s re-election featured spots like “Earth” and “Results,” while Aaron Bean’s “Sprouts” and “Light” emphasized his economic priorities, and Daniel Webster’s spot “Midnight” emphasized his commitment to Florida and the Trump-agenda.
Florida Senate Wins
In the most hotly contested State Senate districts, Consensus helped secure Republican supermajorities. Corey Simon connected with voters through ads like “Flew” and “Facts Matter,” while Tom Leek’s “One” and “Sellout” made a strong impact. Keith Truenow emphasized his community-first values with “Sodfather” – reinforcing wins in competitive landscapes.
Supermajority = Secure
Consensus’ campaigns flipped crucial seats with Erika Booth in Central Florida and Anne Gerwig in Palm Beach County. Rachel Plakon and Susan Plasencia returned to office, and David Smith, Doug Bankson, Paula Stark, and other GOP candidates in swing districts notched double-digit margins of victory. In Miami-Dade’s competitive races, we delivered wins for Vicki Lopez and Fabian Basabe and returned Karen Gonzalez Pittman, Danny Alvarez, and Chad Johnson to office in Tampa Bay and Gainesville.
Candidate races outside of Florida:
Consensus brought swing-seat success for North Carolina’s House GOP caucus, producing dozens of spots across 16 races.
Ballot Initiatives outside of Florida:
Consensus provided general consulting services and produced winning TV and digital ads for the only successful statewide ballot initiative in Arkansas this election cycle. The anti-gambling measure overcame well-funded opposition to win in a 56% – 44% landslide victory.
Central Florida Impact
Consensus served as general consultants for Seminole and Orange Counties’ penny sales tax initiatives, while also being the general consultant for the election of Amy Pennock, the new Supervisor of Elections in Seminole County.
With 2024’s wins secured, we’re ready to keep the momentum going in 2026!
In 2022, Consensus ads became synonymous with Florida’s “Red Wave,” helping propel candidates to victory in dozens of local, state and federal races across the Sunshine State, while also notching critical wins in North Carolina and Maryland. It was a privilege to create over 400 ads across 58 races. Here are a few of our favorites.
If you haven’t seen enough political ads, click here to watch a few more—
or scroll down to learn a bit about each race.
Ashley Moody for Attorney General | No candidate in Florida history has ever won more votes in a midterm than Ashley Moody. In fact, 2022 marks the second time our “Top Cop” became the Sunshine State’s “top vote-getter” (and the only statewide candidate to cross the 60 percent threshold). Ads like “Stand” and “Top Cop” remind us why: She fights—and she wins.
Wilton Simpson for Commissioner of Agriculture | A farmer, family man and entrepreneur, Wilton Simpson is the perfect candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture—and on Election Day, he proved it. Consensus was proud to help tell Wilton’s story.
Laurel Lee for Congress | After battling her way through a crowded primary, Laurel Lee scored a decisive victory in Florida’s 13th Congressional District. She’s tough, talented and sure to shake up Washington. Her ads, like the powerful “Split Second” and “Change,” showcase unforgettable performances from one of our state’s rising stars.
Aaron Bean for Congress | Mr. Bean is going to Washington—and it was a genuine honor to help him get there. It’s impossible to forget “Bean Sprouts” or fail to smile after watching “Light,” both of which feature Congressman-elect Bean’s trademark honesty and optimism. And yes, that’s exactly what he’s like in person.
María Elvira Salazar vs. Annette Taddeo | Hasta la vista, Taddeo. FL-27 was a must-win seat in the GOP’s quest to retake the U.S. House, and Consensus helped Leadership for a Strong America make a splash, with Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar sailing to re-election.
Jason Brodeur for Florida Senate | Jason Brodeur turned a tough district (Senate District 9) into a textbook case of “How to Win in (purple) Central Florida.” Positive spots like “Brodeur Worked” and “Pets Before Politics” (yeah, it’s cute) emphasize Brodeur’s heart, humor and brains, and were complemented by clear (and memorable) contrasts, like “Street.”
Corey Simon for Florida Senate | He won a National Championship, a Super Bowl ring and now … a hard-fought seat in the Florida Senate. Simon established himself as a political force this season after unseating longtime incumbent Loranne Ausley in a district many once considered unwinnable for the GOP. Few districts saw as many Consensus ads as Senate District 3, but our favorites remain “Mama’s Boy” and “Team.” We’re proud to be on Corey’s team.
Nick DiCeglie for Florida Senate | When he’s not helping “recovering New Yorkers” transition to their new lives in the Sunshine State, Nick DiCeglie is turning purple districts red. His mom may be the “Boss,” but DiCeglie is now the Senator—and he earned it.
Clay Yarborough for Florida Senate | In politics, common sense has become, well, “uncommon.” When Northeast Florida needed practical, principled leadership, they chose Clay Yarborough (spoiler alert: they chose wisely).
Paul Renner and Sam Garrison are not only former prosecutors and Florida Speakers-in-waiting, they’re among our favorite candidates. As always, we enjoyed the opportunity to create advertising for them, like “First Choice” and “Leader.”
The Florida House of Representatives | Consensus was proud to help power battleground victories in Florida’s 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 47th, 65th, 69th, 91st, 94th, 118th and 120th State House Districts. Some of our favorite spots include “Assembly Line,” which helped lift Peggy Gosset-Seidman to victory in the hotly-contested Palm Beach brawl, “Not Worth the Paperwork,” which helped Rick Roth best Terence Davis, and “Reason,” which crystallized Susan Plasencia’s winning case against Carlos Guillermo-Smith.
The North Carolina House of Representatives | 2022 marked Consensus’ 10-year anniversary with North Carolina’s Republican House Caucus. In a particularly contentious election cycle, Consensus candidates marched to victory in eleven key House districts, growing the GOP’s majority. With the economic health of families “Flatlining,” Pitt County needed a leader — and they called on Dr. Tim Reeder, ousting an incumbent. “Job” helped propel Stephen Ross to victory against an incumbent that refused to do his, Ken Fontenot is “Ready for Action,” toppling Linda Cooper-Suggs in bell-weather Wilson County, and rising star Erin Paré cruised to victory with common-sense over “Cuckoo Ideas.”
The Maryland House of Representatives | Consensus partnered with the Maryland House GOP to do battle in several competitive districts. Spots like “You name it” helped the red team score critical victories in a blue state.
Local Races | Consensus also suited-up in a number of local races, including for Seminole County Commissioner Jay Zembower, several School Board races in Leon and Volusia counties, and in Pinellas County, where a series of Consensus TV and digital ads helped power businessman Brian Scott to victory over a longtime incumbent, turning the Pinellas Commission red.
A special note for those in our hometown of Orlando: As home to many of Florida’s swing districts, TV and radio ads for Senator Jason Brodeur, sitting or newly-elected Representatives David Smith, Susan Plasencia, Fred Hawkins, Paula Stark, and Rachel Plakon, along with statewide candidate Ashley Moody, were often so ubiquitous as to comprise the entirety of the commercial break. It was a pleasure to produce each and every one of them—you may now return to your regularly-scheduled programming.
The Florida Apartment Association — a Consensus Communications client — recently published an Opinion-Editorial in the Orlando Sentinel about “rent control” policies under consideration in Orange County.
“Wouldn’t it be great if government could simply wave its magic wand and temporarily freeze gas prices and grocery bills, or — as some Orange County Commissioners would like — solve our housing affordability challenges?
Orange County, like nearly every community in our country, is dealing with rising costs on just about everything. An unprecedented inflation not seen for decades in America, a perfect storm of various pandemic-related supply chain breakdowns, and a net increase of 259,480 people moving to Florida last year have contributed to an increase in the cost of housing specifically.
To combat rising prices, some are calling for government-enforced rent control like in New York City and San Francisco, cities that have horribly high rents and where government intervention has only exacerbated housing challenges.”
Read the full article from the Orlando Sentinel here.
John Sowinski, a co-founder of Consensus Communications, has recently been named one of Florida’s most influential executives in the Florida Trend. The company was founded in 1995 and provides communications services to industry groups in Florida, specializing in public relations, governmental relations, political campaigns, issues management, referendum campaigns, and paid media advertising. John graduated from the University of Central Florida where he served as Student Body President and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration. In his 26 years since co-founding Consensus Communications, Sowinski has led nine successful statewide campaigns in Florida, such as the 1994 “No Casinos” campaign and the 2004 Smoke-Free Workplace initiative. In addition, he served as general consultant to Mel Martinez for Senate campaign in 2004. “Co-founding Consensus Communications has brought me countless opportunities and I am honored to be recognized for those by the Florida Trend,” says Sowinski. Check out John Sowinski’s article below to learn about his hobbies, inspiration, and more!
Read more here: Florida 500
Coconut Creek, Fla.-based Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, honored Orlando-area philanthropists for past support during its recent Celebration of Hope Gala, including Consensus Co-Founder Tre’ Evers and his wife, Kathleen.
Celebrating 20 years of serving the poor, Food For The Poor provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for orphaned or abandoned children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance.
The organization has provided more than 1,000 homes, helping shelter 6,000 adults and children over the last 20 years thanks to the many contributions of generous donors.
“They provide security and safety, and most of all, they provide hope. Hope for the future, and hope for the poorest of the poor,” said Kathleen.
Among the 2019 Ambassadors For The Poor honorees were Lisa and Dwight Saathoff, Mayte and Ralph Asencio, Marriott Hotels, and Louise and Patrick Rainey.
For more information, read the full news release or watch the video here.
In October, Orlando played host to nearly 11,000 nursing professionals from across the country for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) National Magnet Conference®. We were proud to support the American Nurses Association, of which ANCC is a subsidiary, in their efforts to raise awareness both locally and nationally for nurse-led innovation and how nurses are tackling some of the greatest challenges facing today’s health care system.
Check out FOX 35’s interview below with ANCC Vice President Rebecca Graystone on the nursing profession or click here for some of the highlights from Florence Health.
Fun Fact: Did you know just four hospitals in Central Florida are Magnet-designated facilities? They include AdventHealth Celebration, AdventHealth for Children, Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, and Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.
In the second edition of Florida Trend’s Florida 500, the magazine profiles the 500 most influential executives in the state. Consensus Co-Founder John Sowinski once again joins the ranks of the state’s top executives with recognition in the professional services category.
In the special section, Sowinski shares perspective on his appreciation for the role of the media in a free society. “For years, any major issue or statewide campaign was closely followed by dozens of reporters. Today, that’s shrunk to a handful. It’s a downward spiral that’s bad for America,” he writes.
For more on The Florida 500 and to see the other honorees, visit https://floridatrend500.com.
Fun Fact: Sowinski served as Student Body President at the University of Central Florida (1984-1985).
On Tuesday, Gov.-Elect Ron DeSantis and incoming First Lady Casey DeSantis announced the 2019 Inaugural Committee, which includes Consensus Co-Founder Tre’ Evers. The committee will play a critical role inorganizing inclusive inaugural events which reflect the diversity and uniqueness of our great state, according to the announcement.
Recently, Evers was once again named to FloridaPolitics.com‘s INFLUENCE 100, joining the ranks of the top political movers and shakers in the state – professionals who have been, and still are, key to Florida’s political landscape.
For more on the 2019 Inaugural Committee and to see the other committee members, visit https://rondesantis.com/inauguration/.
To the relief of TV viewers everywhere, the 2018 election cycle (with its seemingly endless parade of 30-second ads) came to a close Tuesday night. This cycle saw several statewide amendments take center-stage as some of the most hotly-contested items on the ballot.
Click here to watch some of Consensus Communications’ top amendment ads.
Statewide Constitutional Amendments and Local Bond Referenda
Consensus created strategy and communications for some of Florida’s most notable amendment campaigns.
YES on Amendment 3 | Voter Control of Gambling
- Chairman, Chief Strategist and Spokesman: John Sowinski
- Media Consulting: Ryan Houck
A special note: The passage of Amendment 3 marks the culmination of many years of legal, legislative and communication strategy led by our own John Sowinski. John’s tireless work to restore voter control of gambling is both historic and heartfelt. We’re immensely proud of him.
Amendment 10 | State and Local Government Structure and Operation
- Florida Sheriffs Association Educational Campaign
- Strategist: Tre’ Evers
NO on Amendment 1 | Increased Homestead Property Tax Exemption
- General Consulting and Media Consulting: Ryan Houck
Educational Campaign: Pasco County Bond Referenda
- General Consulting, Digital and Social: Dana Loncar
- Web Development: Dan Cunningham
Educational Campaign: City of Oakland Park – General Obligation Bond Referendum
- General Consulting: Ryan Houck
- Direct Mail: Tre’ Evers
- Digital: Andrew Sutton
Educational Campaign: City of Pompano Beach – General Obligation Bond Referenda
- General Consulting: Ryan Houck
- Direct Mail: Tre’ Evers
