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In September 2000, David R. Custin became an independent business development consultant and lobbyist as the founder and President of David R. Custin & Associates, Inc. (DRC&A). Today, the DRC&A firm provides services to its clients in a professional, ethical, and effective manner. The DRC&A firm serves or has served clients in diverse areas such as: healthcare, education, power/utilities, juvenile justice, child welfare, growth management, pari-mutuel, telecommunications, and redistricting. Whether by direct service provision or via subcontracting with effective firms and individuals, DRC&A always serves its clients in an honest, ethical and effective manner.
In January of 1997, Mr. Custin began his tenure with The Brown Schools, Inc., initially as a contracted consultant/lobbyist, then as Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Business and Organizational Development. In 1999, Mr. Custin earned the title of Director of Development for The Brown Schools Public Education Group. Mr. Custin worked to attain new business, implement program start-ups in Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico (including management of multi-million dollar design/build/operate projects), while simultaneously serving as the designated lobbyist for the company in Florida. In this capacity, Mr. Custin gained extensive knowledge and mastery of Florida's legislative appropriations process, and in the intricacies of how government and the private business sector can effectively work in partnership.
In January of 1996, Mr. Custin ended his employment with the House of Representatives to enter into the private sector and gain additional experience as a political campaign consultant and strategist. This will be further elaborated on within the Political & Campaign Experience section of this biography.
From November of 1994 through January 1996, Mr. Custin was on the staff of the House Majority Office. Mr. Custin worked closely with several conservative Democratic State Representatives and their staffs that anticipated hotly contested campaigns. Mr. Custin provided consultation on effective methods of district constituent outreach and communication, public policy development, and strategic coalition building.
From 1991 to 1993, in addition to gaining professional experience, Mr. Custin was also a student at Florida State University. In 1993, he successfully attained his Bachelor in Arts from FSU, with a major in Political Science and minor in English.
From November 1992 to June of 1994, Mr. Custin worked in the House Committee on Economic and Demographic Research as an Analyst. In this capacity, Mr. Custin learned the special role of statistical research and analysis as it relates to planning and budgeting for public policy development. Mr. Custin also gained extensive experience in utilizing various statistical software applications.
In January of 1991, Mr. Custin began his professional career working with the Florida House of Representatives Committee on Reapportionment and Redistricting. There, he worked as an Analyst where he drew state legislative and Congressional district boundaries and maps, and performed statistical analysis. Mr. Custin gained an intensive and comprehensive education on Florida's political geography and demography during this time. This experience also provided him with valuable insight as to how political strategy development truly works in Tallahassee and throughout Florida.
Mr. Custin possesses diverse and extensive experience in consulting and managing campaigns for elected office and other political communications. Through the DRC Consulting, Inc. corporate name, Mr. Custin currently provides strategy development and other requisite services for political campaigns, leadership races, issue-advocacy and other types of political organizations. The firm possesses the special ability to assist clients in both English and Spanish speaking markets. DRC Consulting serves clients regardless of their party affiliation. Our primary goal is to help ethical and decent people reach their goal of serving the public as an elected official, at fair and reasonable rates.
From 1992 to the present, Mr. Custin has learned the art of political campaign war the old-fashioned way, by earning it from the ground floor to the top floor. In August 1992, Mr. Custin was recruited to run the field operations for a competitive Democratic freshman incumbent reelection campaign that ended in victory (the late Representative Philip Mishkin, from House District 46). This was Mr. Custin's first experience as a professional political campaign operative.
In June 1994, the Florida Democratic Party recruited Mr. Custin to run a highly competitive campaign in Miami-Dade County. Mr. Custin managed all aspects of an historic campaign that resulted in the first Cuban-American Democratic candidate to win a partisan election in Miami-Dade County (Representative Annie Betancourt in the 116th State House District).
In January 1996, Mr. Custin left the Florida House of Representatives and joined The Windsor Group consulting firm in Tallahassee. Mr. Custin relocated to Miami to serve as a fund raising consultant for the Citizens for Florida organization. This organization's mission was to oppose and combat the five proposed constitutional ballot referendums known as "Prop-187" from California. The campaign proved successful as Prop-187 referendums never made it on Florida’s ballot.
In June 1996, Mr. Custin moved back to Tallahassee to serve as the Deputy Campaign Manager for the victorious Allen Boyd for Congress Committee. In this capacity, Mr. Custin gained experience in leading a campaign in a southern, rural, North Florida district consisting of nineteen counties and diverse constituencies. Mr. Custin was involved in all aspects of the campaign's activities: grass roots field operations, fund raising operations, scheduling, media communication, phone banks (paid and volunteer), direct mailings, and television advertisement buys. To this day, Mr. Custin remains a close friend and advisor to Congressman Boyd.
In July 2000, Mr. Custin founded DRC Consulting, Inc., a political campaign consulting firm. From that time to the present, Mr. Custin has successfully served an extensive list of reputable clients and provides all types and levels of campaign services. A list of campaign clients and services provided may be viewed by visiting the "Campaign & Political Services" page.
From 2001 through 2002, Mr. Custin enjoyed the honor and privilege of serving as a political operative and consultant to State Representative Gaston Cantens, 114th District (R-Miami), who was a candidate to serve as Speaker of the Florida House for the 2004-2006 term. Though Representative Cantens came in second place and united with eventual Speaker Allan Bense (who to this day is known as a noble and respected presiding officer), this campaign paved the way for future Miami-Dade County Cuban-American members in the Florida House of Representatives to successfully run for this powerful position, the third highest in the state. Mr. Custin continues to occasionally serve as an advisor and consultant to legislators running for presiding officer leadership positions in Florida.
DRC Consulting, Inc. has helped start-up electioneering communication organizations (ECO) and other types of political committees to effectively implement issue-advocacy and other types of communication to voters in local, state and federal contests. DRC Consulting continues to serve as the general consultant to several ECO’s and provides their voter communications services on a case by case basis.
Mr. Custin speaks English and Spanish fluently
Founding member of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists (FAPL)
Designated Professional Lobbyist, FAPL Certification, August 2009
Served in the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Miami Program (Graduate, Class of 1997-98; Group Facilitator, Class of 1998-99), and remains a dues-paying member
Hobbies include playing basketball, tennis, billiards and chess, as well as RTS-type
video games
La Salle High School (aka Immaculata La Salle) Graduate, Class of 1987
Mr. Custin was a Lifeguard for Miami-Dade County from 1987 to 1990, and has served as a coach for youth sports in basketball and flag football
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