Seeking Rents
Seeking Rents – The Podcast
How the state of Florida tries to control speech about Black people, women and LGBTQ+ people — under the guise of 'individual freedom'
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How the state of Florida tries to control speech about Black people, women and LGBTQ+ people — under the guise of 'individual freedom'

A lawyer for Ron DeSantis revealed the real motive behind one of Florida's most controversial new laws.
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In this episode: Inside a federal courtroom in Atlanta, a lawyer for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just made a remarkable confession: The state is trying to prevent private employers from talking to their own employees about things like systemic racism and gender inequality. It’s part of a broader effort by the DeSantis administration to control what Floridians can say, hear and learn about groups that have been historically disenfranchised — like Black people, women and LGBTQ+ people. There’s a reason why Ron DeSantis and his backers don’t want people thinking about this stuff. (Editor’s note: This is a podcast version of a story that first published Aug. 31.)

Further Reading:

  • Tampa Bay Times: Florida schools got hundreds of book complaints — mostly from 2 people

  • Politico Magazine: DeSantis’ culture warrior: ‘We are now over the walls’

  • Miami Herald: Florida reviewers of AP African American Studies sought ‘opposing viewpoints’ of slavery

  • New York Times: At a college targeted by DeSantis, gender studies is out, jocks are in

  • The Uncertain Hour: Unemployment benefits are hard to get. That’s on purpose.

  • Orlando Sentinel: Thousands of jobless Floridians face meager unemployment benefits, due to cuts under Gov. Rick Scott

  • The Atlantic: How the U.S. tax code privileges white families

  • The Whiteness of Wealth: The Whiteness of Wealth: How the tax system impoverishes Black Americans — and how we can fix it.

  • More Perfect Union: How Ron DeSantis let billionaires destroy Florida

Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com

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Seeking Rents
Seeking Rents – The Podcast
"Rent-seeking" is a term in economics that describes when a corporation uses its political influence to twist tax laws and other public policy in its favor. Seeking Rents – The Podcast brings you the stories of how that's happening in Florida, where corporate interests like Florida Power & Light, Big Sugar, and Walt Disney World wield enormous influence everywhere from local city halls to the state Capitol. Hosted by award-winning journalist Jason Garcia, Florida's leading corporate-accountability reporter.