Big Sugar spending $4.2 million on 2024 state elections - here's who's getting it

It’s election season and the “Dirty Money” is flowing like water. Or sugar.

As of July 12, Florida’s sugar industry had donated at least $4.2 million to state candidates and committees during the 2024 election cycle.

Virtually all of it — $4 million — came from one company: Clewiston-based U.S. Sugar. The rest came from two subsidiaries of Florida Crystals — Okeelanta Corp. and Stofin Co. Inc. — and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. 

The biggest individual recipient of this largesse: Bartow Sen. Ben Albritton (R-27, at left), the incoming Senate President. His two political action committees, Advancing Florida Agriculture and Friends of Ben Albritton, have together raked in $210,000.

The vast majority of the sugar cash, however, went to political action committees.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce PAC has gotten $1.5 million so far during the 2024 cycle. Another $300,000 has gone to the Associated Industries of Florida PAC; and $250,000 to the Florida Jobs PAC.

Big Sugar sources have given the Republican Party of Florida $325,000; the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee got another $200,000. The Democrats have gotten far less — $25,000 to the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign, and $15,000 to the Florida Democratic Party.

Nonetheless, at least 18 Democratic candidates or their PACs have gotten sugar donations this cycle. Many — though not all — represent Palm Beach or Broward counties, near the sugarcane fields of the Everglades Agricultural Area.

Other candidates/elected officials who got big sugar money:

• Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, whose two PACs (Keep Florida Free and Treasure Florida) got a combined $130,000.
• Attorney General Ashley Moody, whose two PACs (Protect Florida and Friends of Ashley Moody) took in $125,000.
• Agriculture Secretary Wilton Simpson, whose Friends of Wilton Simpson got $100,000.
• Rep. Paul Renner (R-19), outgoing Speaker of the House, whose PAC Conservatives for Principled Leadership got $100,000.

Several other legislators got upwards of $30,000 counting campaign donations and money to their PACs.

This is how the industry retains such clout in Tallahassee and beyond. Big Sugar means big money. And recipients aren't about to bite the hand that feeds them.

For more details, see the complete list of recipients at VoteWater.org.

A handy guide to political payoffs in Florida

"Dirty money?" Scott Maxwell gets it.

The columnist for the Orlando Sentinel wrote a blockbuster piece last week — unfortunately paywalled — in which he chronicles how "the state’s hemp industry wanted Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill meant to tighten regulations on their industry and then started cutting fat checks after the governor did what they’d asked."

Shocked, we're shocked! Or not. Because frankly, this is how our elected officials roll here in Florida; we've chronicled several other instances, and we could be here all year compiling the canonical list.

Maxwell then goes on to helpfully explain how it all works. "You’re not allowed to tell a politician that you’ll give their committee $10,000 in exchange for passing a law you want," he notes. "But you are allowed to hand them a copy of the law you want passed along with a $10,000 check, as long as both you and the politician claim there was no connection between the vote and the contribution."

And if you're feeling constrained by campaign finance laws that limit your contribution to individual candidates, no worries. If your favorite politician has a PAC — and if they're wily they may have several — you can give as much money as you want to those! Limits are for losers!

And you, who can't cut a $10,000 check to a politician? Maxwell reminds us you do have a tool at your disposal: "If you don’t like politicians who engage in what looks like legalized bribery, you can stop electing them... Be an informed voter."

And that's why we do what we do here at VoteWater — because we need as many informed voters as we can get.

ICYMI: IRL seagrass - will the renaissance last?

In last week's "Deep Dive" report we chronicled how seagrass in some parts of the Indian River Lagoon is beginning to bounce back. That's encouraging, although experts remain unsure exactly why the grasses are rebounding, and whether it will continue. But for now there's some hope — and lots of work yet to be done.

This election year, what are you voting for?

Our iconic yard sign, above, may seem quaint in our era of hyper-partisan politics.

But we continue to believe that clean water is neither "right" or "left," but a necessity for EVERYBODY.

However you vote, if your Florida community doesn't have clean water it doesn't have a future. We need elected officials who understand this, and act.

And we need you to light the fire beneath them, to make sure they do.

Join our clean-water crusade — and help turn the toxic tide once and for all.

P.S.: Have you completed and signed this year's petition for the proposed Florida Right to Clean Water Constitutional Amendment yet? Why the heck not? Stop by the VoteWater office at 3727 SE Ocean Blvd., Suite 200A in Stuart to pick up a petition — or head over to the Right to Clean Water website to print one at home.