Corruption
One of Florida’s most powerful special interests is pouring some sugar on Attorney General James Uthmeier. State campaign finance records show that U.S. Sugar has donated $50,000 to Uthmeier’s “Friends of James Uthmeier” political action committee twice so far this year:…
Jim DeFede, reporter with CBS News Miami, ripped Florida Attorney General James Uthmeieir a new one last week as “Alligator Alcatraz” shut down — and Uthmeier was nowhere to be found. It was Uthmeier, DeFede reminded us, who came up…
Recent news reports show detainee numbers dropping and equipment being hauled out of the Everglades detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz. Gov. Ron DeSantis has acknowledged the facility — which he claims was always meant to be temporary — could…
On July 1, 2025, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier posted on X to celebrate his masterpiece. “Alligator Alcatraz = efficient and cost effective. It’s a one stop shop for immigration enforcement,” he crowed. One stop shop for fleecing Florida taxpayers…
If you wanted a graphic illustration of how “dirty money” works, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything more egregious — obnoxious — than the Destin land deal. In September 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Florida cabinet — including Attorney…
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…