In a Miami courtroom earlier this week, sleaze lost.

In a trial that “showed the underbelly of Florida politics” (as the Miami Herald put it), Former GOP Senator Frank Artiles (shown at left) was found guilty on charges of campaign finance and voter registration violations. The charges stemmed from Artiles’ recruitment of a “ghost candidate” named Alex Rodriguez, who “challenged” then-incumbent Jose Javier Rodriguez (note identical last name) in a 2020 Florida Senate race, effectively helping Republican Ileana Garcia win the seat — by just 32 votes.

The jury unanimously found Artiles guilty of excessive campaign contributions, conspiracy to commit excessive contributions and falsely swearing an oath. He was not found not guilty of a fourth charge, aiding a false registration. He could go to jail for up to 15 years; of course, he will appeal.

In a statement after the verdict, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said “These felony convictions show that the jurors agreed that we can not tolerate the violation of our laws to gain a political advantage,”

Well, OK, but…

As VoteWater has reported, “ghost” candidates are common across Florida. Here’s the catch: it’s all legal so long as you’re not “contributing” more than the legal limit of $1,000 to the “candidate.” Artiles was busted for funneling more than $44,000 to Alex Rodriguez, his “ghost.”

But of course. “Dirty Money” flows freely in Florida politics, and it’s not just campaign contributions as we’ve documented. It’s money to consultants, to lobbyists, it’s dirty tricks and sleaze well beyond what the eye can easily see.

Jose Javier Rodriguez is now an assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor; while in the Florida Legislature he was a friend of clean-water and an advocate for rooftop solar, among other things. Such ideas, of course, put a target on your back. Here’s a good rundown (video) from WPLG Local 10 earlier this year, an interview with Rodriguez who lays out exactly what happened.

This is how politics works in Florida and as we’ve said repeatedly, it’s why your water is dirty and getting dirtier. Special interests, operating sometimes in the open, sometimes in the shadows, cheat, finagle and game. the system. It’s heads they win — tails you lose.

This is why we fight — and why your help is needed now more than ever.