Seeking Rents – The Podcast

In this week’s episode : In 2019, a group of residents living in Florida’s poverty-stricken sugar country sued the state’s Big Sugar companies, accusing them of poisoning the air. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried both stepped in to help…defend Big Sugar. ( Transcript ) Further Reading: * Associated Industries of Florida : AIF releases roster of endor...

In this episode : Newspapers across Florida have been pulling back the curtain on schemes orchestrated by political consultants working on behalf of a small number of big corporate clients, including utility giant Florida Power & Light. Many of their plans focused on one target in particular: Jose Javier Rodriguez, a Cuban-American Democrat from Miami who was once seen as a future candidate for go...

In this episode : Last year, the Florida Legislature quietly passed an obscure piece of legislation that didn't draw any attention at all. But this arcane bill included a big favor for grocery-store giant Publix — a favor that took away rights from the company's stockholders...who are mostly current and former Publix employees. Plus: Why is Gov. Ron DeSantis making Floridians wait six months befor...

In this episode:  A little over one year ago, Ron DeSantis signed one of the most divisive and polarizing pieces of legislation of his first term as Florida governor. And then, while everyone was focused on that fight, DeSantis quietly signed another bill: One that increased taxes on Floridians by more than $1 billion a year... and gave all that money to businesses. ( Transcript ) Further reading:...