One of Florida’s leading special-interest lobbyists, Hightower held a huge lobby fundraiser at his home in late ’99 as part of the Florida Republican Party’s effort to raise $20 million for the 2000 elections. Addressing the crowd, House Speaker John Thrasher credited such business money for the Republican takeover of the state legislature and the GOP’s subsequent passage of anti-consumer “tort reforms.”  Hightower’s employer has a direct interest in tort and liability issues. Blue Cross opposes proposals to make HMOs liable for harm that patients suffer when HMOs deny doctor-prescribed care.