Florida in Five: No-bid contracts, the cost of climate denial, and more election shenanigans
Five stories to read from the past week in Florida politics.
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This is Seeking Rents, a newsletter and podcast devoted to producing original journalism — and lifting up the journalism of others — that examines the many ways that businesses influence public policy across Florida, written by Jason Garcia. Seeking Rents is free to all. But please consider a voluntary paid subscription, if you can afford one, to help support our work
One of the goals when I started Seeking Rents was to lift up important work that other journalists are doing across Florida. And while we’ve done some of that here, it has, admittedly, been a bit sporadic.
So, today, in an effort to be a bit more intentional, we’re starting a new weekly feature: Florida in Five, in which we’ll highlight five* stories you need to read if you really want to understand Florida politics.
You’ll see a bunch of work from the state’s big papers, like the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel. But we’ll also make sure to amplify some of the great work being done by smaller outlets and news startups, too.
And remember: If you value the work you see in any of these stories, please find a way to financially support it. Obviously, not everyone can afford subscriptions to a dozen different newspapers and websites. But many people can probably afford one or two — particularly your local paper.
Every dollar that helps sustain independent, fact-based journalism — and journalists who are willing and able to explain complex issues, investigate corruption, and challenge the status quo — is a dollar well spent. And, hey, if you’ve got a few bucks left over, maybe think about becoming a voluntary paid subscriber to Seeking Rents, too.
Alright, with that introduction out of the way, on to the first installment of Florida in Five.
*To paraphrase Barbossa, five is more what you’d call a guideline than an actual rule.
Nice work if you can get it
Florida has paid vendor $50 million so far for stalled plan to import Canadian drugs (Orlando Sentinel)
See also: Politically connected contractor gets another lucrative Florida warehouse project (Orlando Sentinel)
But at least we banned windmills
In a small Miami suburb, plans to help street flooding are gutted by a DeSantis veto (Miami Herald)
See also: Climate change can amplify big rainstorms, but true fixes are far off for South Florida (Miami Herald)
See also: Extremes collide in Florida: Summer weather and Gov. Ron DeSantis' agenda (NBC News)
Are landlords abusing algorithms?
Judge rules JWB must face trial over alleged use of algorithms against Black renters (The Tributary)
See also: Feds raid corporate landlord, escalating nationwide criminal probe of rent increases (Popular Information)
Election integrity!
Joe vs. Moe: Does Miami Have Another Ghost Candidate? (Miami New Times)
See also: Ghost’ candidate or disgruntled relative? Democrat’s aunt runs under nearly identical name (Miami Herald)
Weird how this keeps happening
DeSantis spends millions on Florida Keys base preparing for migrant surge that hasn’t come (Miami Herald)
Perspectives
We’ll end with a couple of interesting bits of commentary from the past week. (Five-ish, I said.)
A pro-business agenda that puts lives at risk (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Former consumer advocate finds friends in big Florida business for campaign (Florida Times-Union)
I'm happy to subscribe. Yes, the Miami Herald has done some amazing reporting over the decades. At the moment, I can afford Seeking Rents and greatly appreciate the info.
It's so frustrating not to be able to do much about these issues. I will vote out every single last republican in Tallahassee in November.
Here's an election story from Sarasota that is making waves just now: One candidate - Mast - has over $237,000 in contribs from developers. The other - Coe - has $16,000. Mast is married to the head of the Building Industry Association. She got her associate's daughter to enter the primary as a write-in, which closes it to Dems and Indies. Democracy has been bought in Sarasota County for a long time - over 55 years of uninterrupted R's on the County Commission.
https://eu.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/sarasota/2024/06/14/write-in-locks-dems-independents-out-of-key-sarasota-county-race/74076264007/