campaign finance
The former CEO of comic book/action movie juggernaut Marvel has become the latest billionaire to shower big bucks on Florida Attorney General candidate James Uthmeier. According to Florida Politics, Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter (net worth: $5.9 billion) and his wife, Laura,…
Data centers have become one of the most contentious political issues in Florida, with communities rising to fight proposals that people fear will strain power grids, increase residential utility bills, deplete water supplies, and boost air pollution. The outcry has…
Most people assume political giving is simple: a polluting industry gives money to politicians who can help it get what it wants. But often, industry donors avoid giving directly to a campaign and instead give to a politician’s PAC (political…
Due to the fact they had no competition — either in the August primary nor the November general elections — several south Florida lawmakers have already been “reelected.” From the Miami Herald: “In Miami-Dade County, incumbent Republican Reps. Demi Busatta…
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 Congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds can talk a good game about clean water. When he first ran for Congress he identified it as a top priority; he’s advocated for Everglades funding, and on his campaign website he…
State campaign finance data for the fourth quarter of 2025 has dropped, and initially we were going to write about how much Big Sugar gave last year. And in fact, we WILL write about it, right here: According to the…
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…
Florida’s newest U.S. Senator, Ashley Moody, was appointed in January and has never run for that seat — so she hasn’t (yet) amassed a treasure chest of federal “dirty money” contributions. But as Florida’s Attorney General from 2017-January 2025, she…