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Former council members to start Charlotte office of The Southern Group, a Florida-based lobbying firm
by Tony Mecia
Former Charlotte City Council members Tariq Bokhari and Larken Egleston, who became friends despite being on different sides of the political aisle, are starting the Charlotte office of a leading government relations and business strategy firm.
In a press release Wednesday, the two said they are joining The Southern Group, a Florida-based lobbying firm that focuses on state and local issues.
The two said that building a government relations firm is important for Charlotte because although the state’s largest city is an economic powerhouse, the city’s business interests are not always fully represented in Raleigh.
“Charlotte punches below its weight in Raleigh,” Egleston said. “That is not because the city lacks importance. It is because many companies lack a coordinated, senior-level strategy for government engagement.”
Bokhari said many Charlotte companies do not have “someone accountable for navigating government, regulation and public policy. That is where The Southern Group adds value.”
The company, based in the Florida capital of Tallahassee, already has an office in Raleigh. It says it is the largest lobbying firm in Florida, with offices throughout the Southeast and in Washington, D.C.
The statement said the Charlotte office would “focus on high-growth and innovation-driven sectors including finance, technology, recruitment, development, mobility, hospitality, entertainment and other industries navigating rapid expansion and regulatory complexity.”
Bokhari, who is a Republican, and Egleston, who is a Democrat, were each elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2017. Bokhari stepped down in 2025 to take a job with the federal government. Egleston was defeated in a Democratic primary for an at-large council seat in 2022 and subsequently worked for U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, who was elected N.C. attorney general in 2024.
Bokhari and Egleston previously co-hosted a podcast called “R&D in the QC,” short for Republican and Democrat in the Queen City. It ran from 2019 to 2022 with about 120 episodes, in which they would interview guests and explain local government.
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