Corruption
If you’ve been following VoteWater for a while, you know about our Dirty Money Project. Since we launched it in 2024, we’ve been connecting the dots between the campaign contributions pouring in from builders, developers, utilities, phosphate companies, and sugar…
Florida’s Attorney General is the state’s top law enforcement officer, charged with fighting corruption, protecting consumers, and holding the powerful accountable. That’s what makes the 2026 race between Republican James Uthmeier and Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez so extraordinary: Uthmeier, the…
VoteWater, a South Florida clean-water advocacy group, has endorsed Jose Javier Rodriguez for Florida Attorney General. “We’re proud to endorse Jose Javier Rodriguez,” said Gil Smart, VoteWater Executive Director. “As a member of the Florida Legislature, he stood up to…
If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check out the Tampa Bay Times blockbuster two-part series on how Florida’s water quality is getting worse almost across the board — in large part because Florida lets special interests (developers, Big…
And that one reason is because they’re sucking up to power. Last week we reported that J. Pepe Fanjul, part of the powerful family behind Florida Crystals Corp., was among the donors who contributed to the teardown of the White…
Statewide elections are still a year away — but Florida’s sugar industry continues to spend like there’s no tomorrow. The latest state campaign finance data shows that Big Sugar has given at least $2.48 million in “dirty money” — political…
During the 2025 budget negotiations, state legislative leaders pleaded poverty and stiffed Florida’s marquee land acquisition program, Florida Forever, allocating just $18 million. But turns out the state actually has plenty of money to spend on land conservation — so long…
VoteWater has joined a coalition of Florida conservation organizations asking a federal appeals court to affirm a lower court ruling that effectively shuts down “Alligator Alcatraz.” Attorneys with The Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at…
As of this writing, U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams has not yet ruled on whether to shut down “Alligator Alcatraz” so a proper environmental review can be done as required by federal law. That ruling is expected today. Meanwhile,…
The Florida DEP planned to issue an Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) for the first phase of the Southland Water Resource Project project this week; but on Monday the Everglades Law Center filed a legal challenge to halt the project, acting…