Seeking Rents – The Podcast

Hosted by Jason Garcia

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183

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Aug 2026

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"Rent-seeking" is a term in economics that describes when a corporation uses its political influence to twist tax laws and other public policy in its favor. Seeking Rents – The Podcast brings you the stories of how that's happening in Florida, where corporate interests like Florida Power & Light, Big Sugar, and Walt Disney World wield enormous influence everywhere from local city halls to the state Capitol. Hosted by award-winning journalist Jason Garcia, Florida's leading corporate-accountability reporter. jasongarcia.substack.com

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August 14, 202643 min

Endorsed by Mark Zuckerberg

In this episode: In Tampa, Big Tech giant Meta Platforms is funding last-minute mailers on behalf of a Democratic legislator who is locked in a tough primary for an open seat in the state Senate. And in Miami, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is paying for digital ads promoting a Republican legislator who is in line to become speaker of the state House. It’s all part of a nationwide campaign by Meta to fill state Legislatures with candidates supportive of the artificial intelligence industry — and Florida is the latest front. Plus: New records reveal that lobbyists for two big homebuilders and Republican donors lobbied against legislation that would have repealed a state law that has made it much harder for cities, counties and towns across Florida to slow urban sprawl, protect the environment and manage population growth.Show notesTo make a donation to Seeking Rents, click here.To sign up for the Sierra Club Central Florida Group’s Aug. 19 meeting at Leu Gardens in Orlando, click here.To register for the Florida Center for Government Accountability’s Aug. 20 Hope Florida webinar, click here.Stories discussed in today’s show:Facebook is meddling in Florida electionsAt the last minute, Facebook tries to tilt a tight Democratic primary for a Senate seat in TampaDeveloper lobbyists secretly sought to maintain a law handcuffing local communities on growthJudge rules against impact fee increases in Palm CoastManatee County in a legal fight with developers. Over $14 million is at stakeA rebellion in FloridaWill Manatee County cut wetland protections? Science and developer interests clashBills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 180 (2025) — EmergenciesPassed the House of Representatives by a 106-0 vote (vote sheet) and the Florida Senate by a 34-1 vote (vote sheet).Senate Bill 840 (2026) — Land Use Regulations for Local Governments Affected by Natural DisastersQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

August 7, 202636 min

Zombie sprawl

In this episode: A month-old law enacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature — with help from lobbyists representing major developers — already has more than 15 square miles of farmland around the state at risk of being consumed for new housing subdivisions. Many of the proposed projects have been previously rejected by county commissioners because of concerns about traffic congestion, habitat destruction, and encroachment on rural communities. But Tallahassee has now tied the hands of locally elected leaders. Plus: Amendment 3, the Florida Legislature’s controversial property tax ballot measure, is suddenly in limbo. And the growing problem of “dark lobbying” in the state Capitol.Show notesTo make a donation in support of Seeking Rents, click here.To reserve a ticket to our discussion about data centers in Venice with Alice Herman and Christian Casale of Suncoast Searchlight and Emily Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times, click here.Stories discussed in today’s show:New law has developers poised to build on thousands of acres of farmland around FloridaDark lobbying in the Florida LegislatureAfter taking money from Walmart heirs, Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature helped billionaires hide their family fortunesFlorida judge rules property tax amendment misleading, orders rewriteSame circus, different clownsBills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 686 — Agricultural EnclavesPassed the House of Representatives by a 90-20 vote (vote sheet) and the Florida Senate by a 34-2 vote (vote sheet).Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

July 30, 202639 min

Billionaires for Byron

In this episode: A billionaire hedge fund executive gave $10 million last week to Byron Donalds, the Republican Congressman from Naples who is the favorite to win the GOP nomination for Florida governor in next month’s primary elections. His gift came after a billionaire TikTok investor gave Donalds at least $7.5 million. Other billionaires are pouring money into the Donalds campaign, too. Their cash comes with strings. Plus: Attorney General James Uthmeier helps the billionaire-owned Fontainebleau Hotel steamroll residents of Miami Beach who are fighting a proposed expansion project; the companies that sell electricity to AI data centers love Florida’s new data center law; and a key provision in the state constitution is, it turns out, meaningless. Show notesTo make a donation in support of Seeking Rents, click here.To reserve a ticket to our discussion about data centers in Venice with Alice Herman and Christian Casale of Suncoast Searchlight and Emily Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times, click here.Stories discussed in today’s show:The DeSantis decisions: Quiet wins for homebuilders and car dealersBillionaire Ken Griffin pours money into Byron Donalds’ campaign for governorMeet the billionaire pushing taxpayer-funded school vouchersThe billionaire trying to reinvent Florida schools has a $7.5 million bet on Byron DonaldsThe Scale of Billionaires’ Campaign Donations is Overwhelming U.S. PoliticsLobbyist for a billionaire-run hedge fund wrote a bill allowing longer non-competes, records showLobbyists for a billionaire and a charter network pushed Florida lawmakers to expand a school privatization program, records showA billionaire-backed think tank keeps sabotaging Florida workers. More attacks are coming.Untraceable: Who sends all those political mailers?Fewer Florida residents are receiving federal food benefitsThe Fontainebleau wanted another favor from the Florida LegislatureNew law has Florida ‘open for business’ for AI data centers, utility execs sayFlorida judge refuses to boot Fishback from the ballot, won’t ‘decide the race’Bills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 686 – Agricultural EnclavesSenate Bill 484 – Data CentersHouse Bill 399 – Land Use and Development RegulationsQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

July 23, 202640 min

Chink in the armor

In this episode: Data center interests have spent more than $5 million supporting Byron Donalds, the Trump-endorsed Congressman from Naples who is the heavy favorite to win the Republican nomination for Florida governor in next month’s primary election. But all that industry money is morphing from a strength to a liability amid a rising bipartisan backlash to data center development around the state. Meanwhile, James Uthmeier, Florida’s never-elected attorney general, is using his office to help Elon Musk’s Tesla try to get out of paying $243 million to victims of a fatal car crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot technology. Plus: Updates on big battles over property insurance, growth management and home rule.Show notesTo make a donation in support of Seeking Rents, click here.Stories discussed in today’s show:Data center donors have spent more than $20 million in Florida ahead of the 2026 electionsMeta Begins $65 Million Election Push to Advance A.I. AgendaFlorida’s attorney general is trying to help Elon Musk’s Tesla get out of a $243 million verdictAn insurance company led by a billionaire megadonor wrote a law pushing Florida condo owners into higher-priced property insuranceGroup tied to influential Ruane Cunniff sues Reinhold Corporation over Clay County land sale disputeA New York investment firm with vast land holdings across north Florida wants state lawmakers to greenlight giant developmentsRon DeSantis is helping real estate developers exploit a hurricane relief lawThe Florida Legislature made a mess. The Florida House refused to clean it up.Bills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 484 — Data CentersSenate Bill 1616 — Liability of Advanced Driving System Manufacturers and DevelopersSenate Bill 1028 — Citizens Property Insurance Corp.House Bill 299 / Senate Bill 354 — Blue Ribbon ProjectsSenate Bill 840 — Land Use Regulations for Local Governments Affected by Natural DisastersSenate Bill 180 (2025) — EmergenciesQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

July 17, 202638 min

The good, the bad and the bought

In this episode: Led by a Donald Trump-appointed judge, a federal appeals court struck down Florida’s infamous “Stop WOKE Act,” a Ron DeSantis-championed law meant to censor university professors on subjects like racism and sexism. But Florida and other GOP-controlled Southern states are working on another way to control what can be said, taught or studied on college campuses. Meanwhile, rural and suburban towns across the state face an existential threat from a property tax cut that will appear on the November ballot. And new records reveal how a billionaire-led insurance broker wrote a law that could drive up property insurance prices for condo owners— and then puppeteered the plan through the Florida Legislature Show notes:To make a donation in support of Seeking Rents, click here. Stories discussed in today’s show:‘Breathtaking assertion of power’: Appeals court slams door on Florida ‘Stop Woke’ law championed by DeSantisScott Maxwell: Courts confirm Florida’s ‘Stop WOKE’ law is un-American garbageA lawyer for Ron DeSantis revealed the real motive behind one of Florida’s most controversial lawsNext in Florida's war on 'woke': Becoming its own higher ed watchdogFlorida leaders hid money for controversial higher education projectCity-by-city estimates of property tax impacts from Amendment 3What Florida’s tax rollback looks like through the eyes of one small townAn insurance company led by a billionaire megadonor wrote a law pushing Florida condo owners into higher-priced property insuranceQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

July 8, 202631 min

Two of a kind

In this episode: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has been using his office to help donors, intervening in at least three civil disputes on behalf of special interests who gave $25,000 gifts to his fundraising committee. Meanwhile, Florida state House Speaker Danny Perez has been using his powers to help secret clients of his private legal practice, including Airbnb and Newsmax. For a pair of politicians who have spent much of the last two years fighting with each other, the two of them seem to have quite a bit in common. Show notesStories discussed on today’s show: They gave Uthmeier’s campaign $25,000. Then his office stepped in to help.Filing reveals FL House Speaker’s private client list, including Airbnb, NewsmaxFlorida’s top cop uses his power to prop up car dealersA favor for a billionaire car dealer and Republican megadonor, tucked inside a transportation lawRon DeSantis' top aide punished bank lobbyists for being disloyalRecords show Big Sugar lobbyists are working on plans for an Everglades-area mineA right-wing news network lobbied Florida lawmakers to defund fact-checkers, records showA new tax break for Trump appointeesQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

July 2, 202651 min

Season change

In this episode: Following a last-minute blitz of vetoes by the governor — including half a dozen bills and more than $800 million in spending — the 2026 legislative season has finally come to an end in Florida. Which means election season is here. But before campaign coverage crowds everything else out, we take a closer look at some of the bills Gov. Ron DeSantis decided to stop from becoming law. The doctors’ lobby is pleased with his choices. MAHA activists are not. Correction: During the podcast, I incorrectly referred to a bill dealing with e-bike regulations by the wrong bill number. The correct bill number is below. Show notesThe bills discussed in today’s show: Senate Bill 688 — Naturopathic MedicinePassed the House of Representatives by an 85-22 vote (vote sheet) and the Senate by a 33-3 vote (vote sheet). See the governor’s veto letter here.House Bill 893 — Trust Fund Interest for Purposes Approved by Supreme CourtPassed the House of Representatives by a 112-0 vote (vote sheet) and the Senate by a 38-0 vote (vote sheet). Read the governor’s veto letter here.House Bill 461 — Volunteering at Polling LocationsPassed the House of Representatives by a 108-0 vote (vote sheet) and the Florida Senate by a 37-0 vote (vote sheet). Read the governor’s veto letter here.Senate Bill 382 — Micromobility DevicesPassed the House of Representatives by a 112-0 vote (vote sheet) and the Senate by a 37-0 vote (vote sheet). Read the governor’s veto letter here.The stories discussed in today’s show: DeSantis cuts free tax prep for working families but approves money for Mike HuckabeeA tour of Florida’s new state budget, from money for Mike Huckabee to tax cuts for casinosBanks lobbyists want to slash funding for legal support programs Amid a growing national witch hunt for abortion medication, Florida may fund testing for ‘contaminants’ in toilet waterAn Attorney General-backed vendor pitched wastewater surveillance programQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

June 27, 202644 min

Wasting billions but pleasing billionaires

In this episode: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed this week that the state is closing “Alligator Alcatraz” after one year — but not before paying out millions in “demobilization fees” to vendors who have already banked hundreds of millions building and operating the infamous immigrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades. Plus: A closer look at some recent favors Florida’s governor and Legislature have done for a few billionaire megadonors — including a car dealer, an insurance magnate, and a luxury hotel owner. Show notesThe stories discussed in today’s show: Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” shutting down permanently, sources sayGood Riddance to ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ a Cruel, Expensive, and Pointless Authoritarian StuntScrutiny mounts over DeSantis’s use of state funds for migrant flightsHidden consultants and hurried payments: Records reveal details of DeSantis’ campaign against abortion and marijuana amendmentsRon DeSantis proposed delaying a tax break for Florida drivers until it was most helpful to his re-election campaignA favor for a billionaire car dealer and Republican megadonor, tucked inside a transportation lawState lawmakers gave another gift to car dealersIndustry leaders urge DeSantis to veto billionaire-backed insurance billFlorida tax package delivers gambling breaks to Soffer’s Big EasyThe bills discussed in today’s show: Senate Bill 488 — Transportation House Bill 291 and Senate Bill 352 — Common Entities of Motor Vehicle Distributors and ManufacturersSenate Bill 1028 — Citizens Property Insurance CorporationQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

June 16, 202650 min

The other side of the equation

In this episode: A new nonpartisan analysis of a proposed constitutional amendment to cut and cap property taxes across Florida finds that it could wipe out nearly a quarter of all local government property tax collections. It could also fuel further privatization around the state — of everything from electric utilities to animal shelters. Plus: How lobbyists for a national pet retailer weakened a new state law meant to end abusive sales practices in pet stores. And Florida says no to Donald Trump-backed tax cuts for corporations. Show notesThe stories discussed in today’s show:State-backed ballot measure could wipe out a quarter of local property tax collectionsA national chain selling puppies for profit lobbied to weaken new rules for pet stores, records showA Koch-connected school choice contractor could get $2 million from Florida taxpayersCorporations could get a $3.5 billion tax break in Florida unless state lawmakers step in to stop itThe bills discussed in today’s show: Senate Bill 1004 — Domestic Animals Senate Bill 1356 — Handling of Animals (note: the animal shelter privatization language is in section 2 of the original text) House Bill 1451 — Utility Services House Bill 655 — Pub. Rec. and Pub. Meetings/Attorney Meetings to Discuss Private Property Rights ClaimsHouse Bill 7031 — Internal Revenue CodeQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

June 3, 202643 min

Same circus, different clowns

In this episode: Twenty years ago, Republican leaders in Florida raced to get a radical property tax plan onto the statewide ballot — a plan that was negotiated largely in secret, sprung on the public at the last minute, and approved during a lighting-quick special session in June. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that is, beat for beat, what just happened again in Tallahassee, where Ron DeSantis and GOP lawmakers just rushed a giant property tax cut onto the November ballot that they don’t even fully understand. The irresponsible legislating blew up in their faces two decades ago. Will this time be any different?Show notesThe bills discussed in today’s show: House Joint Resolution 1F — Save our Homes from Excessive Property TaxesSenate Bill 4F — Property Tax Administration The stories discussed in in today’s show: A new tax break for Trump appointeesPerez defends tax break for diplomats after Brazil ambassador nod from TrumpQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

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