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Dirty Money

Dirty Money: Both Republicans and Democrats are taking it

September 5, 2023

Executive Director Gil Smart gives a preview of what we’re discovering with our “Dirty Money” research – elected officials from both parties have taken plenty of money from Big Sugar and other polluters, there’s no partisan divide on this issue.…

Manatee County decision to gut wetlands protections shows the need to “Vote Water”

August 25, 2023

VoteWater’s Gil Smart makes the case in this video:

Introducing the Dirty Money Project: Because dirty money = dirty water

August 10, 2023

As a VoteWater supporter, you’ve long known that dirty money = dirty water. Campaign cash from polluting industries buys influence in Tallahassee, Washington, D.C., even your local county commission chambers. This results in laws that protect polluters and prevent progress…

Dirty money alert: Next Florida Senate President gets thousands from Big Sugar

July 18, 2023

Update: Sen. Albritton got even MORE sugar money than we realized! Below, we report on a $25,000 contribution from U.S. Sugar to Florida Sen. Ben Albritton’s campaign committee, Friends of Ben Albritton. The report is true and correct. But the…

Why we fight

July 5, 2023

It doesn’t get more American than this. Leading up to the Fourth of July, Florida beaches and waterways were packed. Families in the sand, music and cold beverages on the boat, some fishing, some swimming — that’s why we live…

Big Sugar already spending big ahead of 2024 elections

June 7, 2023

The 2024 election cycle may seem a long way off. But Big Sugar’s already started to “invest” in compliant politicians and shady political action committees. State campaign finance records show that in the first quarter of 2023, the sugar industry’s…

Public officials should be on the side of the public, not developers

May 24, 2023

Here at VoteWater we make a big stink about special interests showering elected officials with campaign cash. That’s because dirty money = dirty water. But clearly, we’re thinking too small. For what’s mere campaign cash when you can pay a…

Campaign cash at the root of Big Sugar’s political clout

December 6, 2022

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…

Our voter guides grade candidates on clean water and ‘dirty money’

November 2, 2022

Are you ready to Vote Water? With the Nov. 8 general election less than a week away, and early voting in full swing, Floridians are in the process of shaping our collective future. Will cleaner water be part of it?…

Voter guides: Who’s getting dirty money – and why it matters

October 24, 2022

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…

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