Big Sugar
If the federal government treated you the way it treats Big Sugar — life would be sweet indeed. Federal policy in the form of the Sugar Program — part of the Farm Bill, which is reauthorized every five or so…
Remember when we told you last week about the Dominican sugarcane operation — partly owned by the Florida-based Fanjul brothers — facing an federal import ban and allegations of forced labor? Similar allegations have dogged the company for years; the…
When the U.S. government last week banned sugar imports from a top Dominican producer owned in part by the Florida-based Fanjul brothers, the company could have shown a little contrition. After all, an investigation by the U.S. Customs and Border…
Ever noticed that when Mother Nature — and Florida water managers — dole out adversity, Big Sugar is always at the back of the line? It’s happening right now. After Hurricane Ian and then Hurricane Nicole slammed Florida, Lake Okeechobee…
We’ve got an election coming up in two weeks. Do you know which campaigns are keeping it clean — and which campaigns are powered by “dirty money?” “Dirty money” means political contributions from special interests to candidates, or to political…
Don’t look now, but the fall election is just around the corner. And Florida’s powerful sugar industry is doing everything it can to guarantee that on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, the winner will be: Big Sugar. Since Jan. 1,…
Our survey question to Congressional candidates this cycle was pretty simple: Special interests like Florida’s powerful sugar industry spend lavishly to influence elections, with “Big Sugar,” the phosphate mining industry and big utilities, among others, spending hundreds of millions of…
At VoteWater, one of our core issues has always been the corrupting influence of money in politics. Political campaigns require funding, and everyone is entitled to give as they see fit. Yet the reality is, the biggest corporate entities give…
VoteWater has endorsed Charlie Crist in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, over Nikki Fried. There are several big reasons for this: First, as we first reported last week, Fried’s campaign has taken a boatload – as in, more than half a…
Big Sugar’s at it again. And if we want a more equitable plan for Lake Okeechobee which minimizes the chance of pulverizing discharges to the coasts, then we need to respond. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the…