National lobbying and law firm hires former aide to Nikki Fried

TAMPA —Shumaker is growing again, this time hiring a former aide to Florida's commissioner of agriculture and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried.

The lobbying firm hired Celeste Schettino to manage its government relations department. The hiring was announced this week.

Before coming to Shumaker Advisors Florida LLC, she was Fried's executive assistant. Fried, the only Democrat to hold statewide elected office, recently announced she will challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis in next year's election.

The firm says in a statement that Schettino’s work in government relations will focus on strategic planning and implementation.

In the statement, the firm’s Florida CEO Ron Christaldi says Schettino has strong relationships with government agencies statewide and she is part of a growing government relations team.

In addition to Schettino, the firm in recent months has hired Jennie Granhan Tarr, former chief assistant attorney for Hillsborough County, and former Hillsborough Commissioners Les Miller and Sandy Murman. Tarr was named director of local government affairs in June. Miller and Murman were named principals in March.

Shumaker, founded in 1925, has a team of more than 270 lawyers and advisors. The firm has seven offices, located in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Tampa and Sarasota; Charleston, S.C.; Charlotte, N.C., and Bloomfield Hills, Mich.