by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
For many, the Legislative Session in Tallahassee is a time for serious work at a near break-neck pace. But after a long day of business and countless debates, where does a worn out legislator or lobbyist go to unwind?
Sure, some immediately retreat for a night of rest, but the rest can probably be found at one laid back Capitol City staple that is about as synonymous with Tallahassee as Florida State University and the Capitol itself.
That staple is bar and restaurant Clyde’s and Costello’s. It’s located less than a hundred yards away from where policy is made and, for years, has served as the establishment of choice for the hundreds who travel to Tallahassee for the two-month session.
“Yes, they’re both pretty popular right about now,” said Shannon Hewett, a lobbyist and consultant with Fiorentino and Associates. “They’re about as close to having a Capitol annex as you’re going to find.”
State Sen. Jim King, who returns to session this year as immediate past president, said that at times, the establishment is the perfect way to decompress after a long day on the floor.
“Especially now that I’m not president anymore, that’s one of the things I’m able to enjoy more now, the social aspect of being here,” said King. “When you walk in, you’re not trying to cut a deal or carrying any hard feelings.”
But it wasn’t always that way, said King.
“When I was president it was an entirely different scene,” he said. “I’d be there just trying to unwind and, inevitably, someone would approach with the same line, ‘I hope this isn’t a bad time, but ...’ That would get pretty old because there was an ulterior motive.”
But for the legislative staff, putting in face time at Clyde’s is usually nothing short of good natured.
Peggy Sidman, who was an aide to former senator Bill Bankhead in the late 1980s, recalled how she and her closest cohorts, which included such notable names as University of North Florida lobbyist Susan Lehr and public relations executive Mike Munz, would meet to swap stories and make plans for the rest of the evening.
“After catching up, we’d basically make a plan on where we would be going to get dinner,” she said. “But Clyde’s was always the first stop.”
Munz, agreed, jokingly calling Clyde’s the “third branch of the government.”
“We used to laugh and say that when you’re in Tallahassee you have the House, the Senate and Clyde’s,” said Munz. “And, to be quite honest, it’s very close to the Capitol and the Sunshine laws don’t place the restrictions on staff and lobbyists that they do on the legislators.
“We could continue the conversations we were having in the halls during any 15-hour work day.”
But for all the after-hour working, Munz remembers Clyde’s as many others who have ever attended the Session.
“Yeah, a lot would go on at Clyde’s,” he said. “But it will always carry the reputation of being the party central gathering spot.”