We’re watching the Ron DeSantis-Legislative feud with a truckload of popcorn.

The proximate cause of the recent nastiness is immigration legislation, the fact DeSantis called the Legislature up to Tallahassee on what was supposed to be a week off, the fact that many legislators think the lame-duck governor has asked too much for too long. The Legislature’s “TRUMP Act” would, among other things, give immigration enforcement authority to state Agriculture Secretary Wilton Simpson. That seems to have rankled DeSantis, who’s gone after Simpson publicly and suggested the Legislature is too cozy with Big Agriculture.

Which it absolutely is.

As we documented in our “Dirty Money Project,” Big Ag — led by Big Sugar — has given huge sums to state politicians, chief among them Wilton Simpson. Simpson, who runs a multi-million dollar agribusiness company, and his political action committees have garnered millions from agricultural producers, sugar companies, and “polluter PACs” that get most of their funding from ag/sugar.

Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus farmer by trade, also has received millions from the sugar/agricultural sector. Much of the money comes through a PAC he controls called “Advancing Florida Agriculture.” So yeah, he’s cozy with Big Ag; he IS Big Ag.

But let’s not let Ron DeSantis off the hook here. Early on as he ran for governor, he proved himself willing to call out Big Sugar publicly; and that we’ve seen, he’s never taken contributions directly from the industry.

And yet, he’s taken plenty of “backdoor” sugar money, funds from polluter PACs like the Florida Prosperity Fund or the Florida Chamber of Commerce PAC that get much of their money from sugar companies. And he’s gotten big sums directly from agricultural companies and farmers.

And as pointed out elsewhere, DeSantis even did Big Sugar a solid when he signed Senate Bill 88 in 2021, effectively shielding the sugar industry from lawsuits over sugarcane burning.

So as entertaining as this political infighting might be, the reality is that when everyone’s taking dirty money, no one’s hands are clean. And their consciences shouldn’t be, either.