Dirty Money
First, stop what you’re doing and visit the Friends of the Everglades website to register your opposition to House Bill 789/Senate Bill 738, which will be voted on by the full House and Senate soon. The bills deserve to die,…
The final numbers are in — and they’re big. In 2023, Big Sugar political spending in Florida totaled over $3.6 million, with the vast majority — $2.9 million — coming from industry giant U.S. Sugar. Florida Crystals chipped in just…
We’ve spend a lot of time and space analyzing the dreck oozing from Tallahassee this session, the terrible bills and bad ideas destined to result in dirtier water, more reckless development and more citizen intimidation. This week, let’s take a…
Ever wonder why Big Sugar so often gets its way when it comes to Florida water policy? Part of the answer lies in the number of lobbyists the industry pays to roam the halls of the capitol, sweet-talking legislators. While…
With the 2024 Florida Legislative session bearing down — it starts next week! — we figured we’d take a look at what our old friends at Big Sugar spent buying influence in 2023. While totals for the fourth quarter of…
2024 is about ready to rock and roll. And so are we. The Florida Legislature convenes Jan. 9 and session runs through March 8. Several dirty-water proposals have already been filed; more will follow. We’ll track them all, here in…
At VoteWater, we fight for better policies and better policy-makers who stand up to special interests like Big Sugar. We educate voters to make informed choices at the ballot box. And we work to preserve the natural beauty of our waterways…
Here at VoteWater we’re hip-deep in research for our “Dirty Money Project,” and we’ve noticed something interesting: Both sides — that is, Republicans and Democrats — take money from polluting special interests. But the amount they get coincides with the…
Just when you think you’re being too cynical about Florida politics, you realize you aren’t being cynical enough. Tallahassee, the Florida capital, has no shortage of hacks and flacks, would-be “journalists” who’ll print anything for a buck. So we were…
“Listen to the Science,” screamed the headline of the flyer that showed up in Martin County mailboxes (and perhaps elsewhere) last week. “SEWAGE is Killing Our Local Waterways.” The ALARMING WORDS were framed in multiple pictures of blue-green algae. Flipping…
