Shows
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: An authoritarian turn in the state HouseIn this episode: Republicans in Tallahassee want to punish the state’s chief economist because she refused to bend to political pressure during a debate last year over an abortion-rights ballot measure. Meanwhile, the speaker of the state House calls for a historic tax cut for consumers. It’s an idea with a lot of promise — but a lot of peril, too. Show notesThe bills discussed in today’s show:House Bill 1205 — Amendments to the State Constitution Senate Bill 7016 — Initiative Petitions Proposing an Amendment to the State ConstitutionState lawmak...
2025-03-2724 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: Tensions rise in TallahasseeIn this episode: Republicans voting against Republicans, Democrats fighting with Democrats, sick-and-tired-of-it public testimony in every hearing, and a long list of bad bills on the move. But also a public execution for one particularly controversial piece of legislation. An update from Day 22 of the Florida Legislature’s 2025 session, one of the wilder days we’ve seen in Tallahassee in years. Show notesThe bills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 814 — Weapons or Firearms at School-sponsored Events or on School PropertySenate Bill 1816 — Protection of Historic Monuments and MemorialsHouse Bi...
2025-03-2622 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: Worst in the nation and proud of itIn this episode: Republican lawmakers in Florida are considering a bill pitched by a billionaire-backed think tank that would make it even harder for workers to qualify for unemployment insurance. Plus: “Baby Olivia” comes to the Florida Capitol and all the adults play dumb. An update from Day 15 of the Florida Legislature’s 2025 session. Show notesThe bills discussed in today’s show:House Bill 1157 — Verification of Reemployment Assistance Benefit EligibilityHouse Bill 1255 — EducationHouse Bill 651 — Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Is ‘Baby Olivia’ headed to a school near you...
2025-03-1913 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: Pay no attention to the corporation behind the curtainIn this episode: In a single afternoon, Florida lawmakers advanced bills to roll back protections for rural land in Orlando, allow an ethanol plant in a historic city north of Jacksonville, and help hedge funds bind workers to years-long non-compete contracts. Those issues and more from Day 14 of the Florida Legislature’s 2025 session.Show notesThe bills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 420 — Official Actions of Local Governments Senate Bill 1118 — Land Use and Development Regulations Senate Bill 922 — Employment RegulationsSenate Bill 1776 — Employment RightsSenate Bill 1822 —...
2025-03-1829 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: A bill in Florida could hurt kids in DelawareIn this episode: There's a quiet effort afoot in the Florida Capitol to enable a charity funded by the duPont family fortune to shift spending from Delaware to Florida. Meanwhile, an ugly plan to cut funding for Legal Aid — so a few banks can make more money — has begun to move forward. Those bills and more from Day 9 of the Florida Legislature’s 2025 session. Show notes The bills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 806 — Florida Trust Code Senate Bill 498 — Interest Rates Applicable to the Interest on Trust Accounts ProgramSenate Bill...
2025-03-1331 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: Undermining oat milk, protecting plastic bagsIn this episode: Wealthy communities in Florida have hijacked a program that is supposed to help impoverished areas. Some Republican lawmakers want to put a stop to it. Unfortunately, they also want to help the dairy industry duck competition from plant-based rivals. An update from Day 8 of the Florida Legislature’s 60-day legislative session. Show notes:The bills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 1242 — Community Redevelopment AgenciesSenate Bill 700 — Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services House Bill 565 — Regulation of Auxiliary ContainersQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.Ja...
2025-03-1219 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: A sneak attack on the state minimum wageIn this episode: As the second week of Florida’s 2025 legislative session begins, Republican lawmakers roll out an intentionally unconstitutional plan meant to provoke a legal showdown over the state’s voter-approved minimum wage. But there’s also a budding bipartisan movement to make sure Ron DeSantis never again pays for political ads with taxpayer money. Show notes:The bills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 676 — Minimum Wage Requirements House Bill 541 — Minimum Wage RequirementsSenate Bill 7016 — Initiative Petitions Proposing an Amendment to the State ConstitutionSenate Bill 1624 — Hi...
2025-03-1122 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: The biggest battle of session has begunIn this episode: With lobbyists for big corporations like Publix and Florida Power & Light cheering them on, Republican leaders in the Florida Legislature began advancing new plans this week that are meant to make it much harder — maybe even impossible — for everyday citizens in Florida to pass ballot measures through petition drives. Plus: An oversight fight that could have major implications for efforts to restore the Florida Everglades and an anti-abortion poison pill slipped inside a boat-safety bill. Show notes:Links to all the bills referenced in today’s show: House Bill 1205 — Initiative Petition...
2025-03-0724 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: Danger for Ron DeSantisIn this episode: The Florida Legislature opened its 2025 session Tuesday — and Republican legislative leaders are already forcing Ron DeSantis onto some politically dangerous ground. Plus: Lawmakers move forward on a favor for one of the state’s biggest companies. And the most important battle of session is about to begin. Show notes: Secret study reveals insurance companies pocketed billions while crying poor in FloridaFlorida lawmakers may help a mining giant fend off lawsuitsWhat to watch as Florida's 2025 session beginsHB 1205 — Initiative Petitions for Constitutional AmendmentsQuesti...
2025-03-0523 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastSecret study reveals insurance companies pocketed billions while crying poor in FloridaIn this episode: Insurance companies in Florida have been quietly pocketing billions of dollars in profits while claiming to lose money, according to an explosive new report from the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald. The insurance industry used those “losses” as a pretense to lobby Florida politicians into passing a series of industry-written, anti-consumer laws that have left millions of Florida homeowners and business owners paying higher prices for poorer quality policies. And a taxpayer-funded study exposing it all was kept hidden from the public for two years. Tampa Bay Times reporter Lawrence Mower, the journalist who broke the...
2025-02-2844 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: Who's afraid of Ron DeSantis?In this episode: Ron DeSantis and Republicans in the Florida Legislature end a month of fighting over immigration by agreeing to a package of bills that crack down on college kids — but cower from big corporations. Florida’s new immigration legislation is most interesting for the way that Republican state lawmakers used the process to push back against DeSantis after years of playing a submissive second fiddle to the governor. And now the Republican-appointed Florida Supreme Court is kicking his butt, too. Show notes: Jim DeFede analysis: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis backs down on immigration
2025-02-1424 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: Florida lawmakers are flexingIn this episode: Florida lawmakers are finding ways to reassert themselves after half a decade of cowering in a corner from Ron DeSantis. Meanwhile, Florida’s agriculture commissioner — a potential candidate for governor in 2026 — doesn’t think the state should use its power to protect farmworkers dying in 100-degree heat. But he does think the state should use its power to protect the dairy industry’s market share. An update from another week of hearings in Tallahassee as the Florida Legislature prepares for its 2025 session. Show notes: Senate Bill 108Babies over bachelor’s degrees? DeS...
2025-02-0731 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastRon DeSantis rolls out a Nanny state budgetIn this episode: One year ago, Ron DeSantis wiped out almost all state funding for arts and cultural programs across Florida because he claimed some of the shows getting to be funded were too “sexual.” Now, the Republican says he’s willing to restore arts funding in Florida — but only if he gets to deny money to any groups he doesn’t like. It’s part of a broader theme running through a new state budget DeSantis proposed this week, which could further empower the governor and his allies to block research grants, defund university programs, pull books from libraries, h...
2025-02-0530 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: A bully gets pantsedIn this episode: In a wild 48 hours, Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature made clear that it is sick of Ron DeSantis’ self-promoting schtick. But as much fun as it was to watch the biggest bully in Florida politics get his head metaphorically dunked in a toilet, Florida’s two-day special session on immigration also saw a bunch of innocent kids get hurt by politicians who seem more interested in performative cruelty than solving root causes. Show notes: Selective outrage: DeSantis, GOP lawmakers give pass to companies violating immigration laws | CommentaryQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Ga...
2025-01-2931 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: The fights aheadIn this episode: Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature just wrapped up its first week of hearings ahead of the state’s annual 60-day lawmaking session, which will begin in March. The week offered a sneak preview of some big coming battles on issues like abortion and immigration. But it also revealed important fights ahead over insurance industry secrets, rock mining in the Everglades, and favors for banks.Show notes: How Florida could try to stop voters from ever again voting on abortion accessPoliticians weakened state ethics laws. Investigators are now closing cases.Ho...
2025-01-1731 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastHow Florida became the national leader at denying health insurance to kidsIn this episode: Florida has become a national leader…at kicking kids off health insurance. Over the past year or so, politicians in Tallahassee have presided over a brutish purge of state insurance rolls, defied federal rules meant to keep kids covered, and slow-walked a bipartisan expansion plan that was supposed to ensure medical care for more children. Joan Alker, a professor at Georgetown University and national health-policy expert, has has been sounding the alarm about Florida’s actions. She joins the show to explain what’s happened. Show notes:A few helpful resources and articl...
2024-12-1755 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastA most cowardly courtIn this episode: Since taking total control of state government 25 years ago, Florida Republicans have systematically rolled back reforms that once kept state courts independent. It was a project launched by Jeb Bush, expanded by Rick Scott, and that has now culminated under Ron DeSantis with a Florida Supreme Court that is a rubber stamp for the governor and Legislature — and a roadblock for anyone who dares to challenge them. Learn more about how it happened from Martin Dyckman, a Florida journalist and historian whose investigative reporting once exposed Supreme Court corruption and spurred some of the very reforms th...
2024-12-0545 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastWhy so many state lawmakers don't care what you thinkIn this episode: Longtime Florida journalist and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Mary Ellen Klas dug through a trove of legislative and electoral data from around the country to understand what happens when one party commands total control of a state’s government. She joined the show to talk about what she found. Show notes:This Is Why You Don’t Recognize Your State Government (Bloomberg Opinion) Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get ful...
2024-11-2142 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2025: See no evilIn this episode: The new leaders of Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature take the stage for the first time in Tallahassee. The good: The speaker of the Florida House of Representatives suggests he may try to stop private equity firms from squeezing individual homebuyers out of the housing market. The bad: The president of the Florida Senate signals he’ll turn a blind eye to Ron DeSantis’ decision to spend millions of dollars of taxpayer money on political ads. Show notes: Check out “Buying Up the Bay,” the Tampa Bay Times series mentioned on the show. Quest...
2024-11-1919 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastChallenging corporate power — and winningIn this episode: The first twins of Florida politics — Anna Eskamani, a state representative from Orlando, and Ida Eskamani, a long-time advocate in the Florida Legislature who now organizes in state legislatures across the country — join the podcast to talk about corporate influence in the Sunshine State and how to defeat it. Hint: It takes a lot of hard work. (Note: Ida Eskamani appeared on the show in her personal capacity.)Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTube Get ful...
2024-11-1859 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastWas Bernie right?In this episode: Thomas Kennedy, a progressive organizer in Miami and former Bernie Sanders campaign staffer, rejoins the pod to talk about how Democrats lost touch with the working class — and what needs to happen next.Show notes: A couple of items referenced on the show:What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic PartyTrump’s closing campaign ad in 2016Thomas’ podcastQuestions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTub...
2024-11-1250 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastA company town no more?In this episode: Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell joins the podcast to talk about Florida’s 2024 elections — including some stunning local results in which voters in Orlando chose a pair of grassroots activists over tourism- and developer-backed alternatives who had outspent them by as much as 8-to-1. It’s the dawning of a new day in what has historically been one of the nation’s biggest company towns. And it further established Orlando as a blue island in a statewide sea of red. Show notes: For more about Florida’s elections — both in Orlando and across the s...
2024-11-0751 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastBrave new worldIn this episode: Thoughts on the 2024 election results in Florida. Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comListen to the show: Apple | SpotifyWatch the show: YouTubeSubscribe: SeekingRentsFL.com Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-11-0654 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastTwo Florida communities on the front lines of housing reformIn this episode: Amid a growing consensus that overly restrictive housing rules are a major driver of high housing prices, the city of Gainesville just passed far-reaching reforms meant to make it much easier to build more homes. At the same time, Orange County is on the brink of passing changes meant to slow suburban sprawl and encourage denser urban development instead. A pair of leaders from both communities — Eric Grimmer of Orlando YIMBY and Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman — join the show to talk about their housing efforts, as well as a couple of fascinating local referendums on the...
2024-10-231h 12
Seeking Rents – The PodcastWhy abortion bans, union busting, and tax breaks for billionaires go togetherIn this episode: Roxey Nelson is an executive vice president with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the largest healthcare union in Florida and a board member for Floridians Protection Freedom. That’s the group sponsoring a constitutional amendment to overturn Florida’s near-total abortion ban. She joined the show to talk about Amendment 4, and the ties that bind policies like abortion bans, union busting, and tax breaks for billionaires.Show notesFor more information about Amendment 4, or to find ways to get involved in the final two weeks of the campaign, check out Floridians Protecting Free...
2024-10-2247 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastElection interference in FloridaIn this episode: Ron DeSantis is now threatening television stations with criminal prosecutions unless they take down ads supporting a ballot measure that would overturn Florida’s near-total ban on abortion. It’s the latest escalation in DeSantis’ increasingly extreme efforts to use the powers of state government — and the pocketbooks of Florida taxpayers — for political campaigns against citizen-led petition drives to end the statewide abortion ban and legalize marijuana. Show notesFor further reading and listening:Ron DeSantis’ Administration Is Threatening to Prosecute the Media for Airing Pro-Choice Ads (Slate)Ron DeSantis...
2024-10-0929 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastBig Sugar’s grip on both political parties in FloridaIn this episode: Progressive activist and Ron DeSantis antagonist Thomas Kennedy joins the show to talk about why the DeSantis bubble burst so spectacularly on the national stage and to call out some of the Florida politicians from both parties who take money — and marching orders — from Big Sugar. We also talk about DeSantis’ refusal to extend Florida’s voter registration as a monstrous hurricane looms off the coast and new campaigns targeting Republican lawmakers who have attacked and exploited immigrants. Show notes:As promised on the show, here are links to watch the CBS Sunday Mo...
2024-10-0852 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastThe developer and the mayorIn this episode: There are some important battles being waged in Orlando right now — including a pivotal local election and a tug-of-war over a vast swath of cattle pasture that could become covered in subdivisions. And at the center of both fights are Buddy Dyer, the longtime mayor of Orlando, and Tavistock, the billionaire-backed real-estate developer that has cultivated close ties with the mayor during his more than 20 years in City Hall. Beth Kassab, a former investigative reporter with the Orlando Sentinel and now the editor of the Winter Park Voice, joins the show to talk about both of th...
2024-10-0454 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastA populist voice in the Florida LegislatureIn this episode: State Rep. Angie Nixon just won re-election to a Jacksonville-based state House seat after steamrolling over a challenger backed by the state’s big-business lobby. She joins the podcast to talk about what it’s like to take on corporate influence in the Florida Legislature and whether a backlash may be building to Republican overreach.For more on some of the topics that came up during the conversation:Florida Democrats get infusion of cash from DNC as voting by mail is set to begin (Florida Phoenix)Keep your eye on the...
2024-10-0141 min
Seeking Rents – The Podcast‘Demented celebrity death match’In this episode: Longtime Florida journalist Nate Monroe, the statewide columnist for USA Today’s Florida newspapers, joins the show to talk about the bursting of the Ron DeSantis bubble — an implosion that plenty of people in Jacksonville always said was inevitable. We also chat about why TV execs are trying to keep abortion banned in Florida and who to root for as some of the biggest bullies in state politics turn on each other.Show notesCheck out some of Nate’s recent work:Noticed a lot of anti-abortion ads on Florida TV? Co...
2024-09-2358 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastHere's how Florida could cut taxes for the families who need it the mostIn this episode: A recent report from the United Way revealed a staggering fact about Florida: Nearly half of the state’s 9 million households are now unable to afford basic living expenses. One reason so many Florida families are struggling is that the state has the most unfair tax code in the country — one that takes far more money from the working and middle class than it does from the very wealthy. But there’s a way Florida lawmakers could solve both problems at once. It’s called the “Working Floridians Tax Rebate,” and it would deliver a tax cut to more...
2024-09-1253 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastAnti-abortion politicians are in a panic in FloridaIn this episode: Anti-abortion politicians in Florida are in a panic over Amendment 4, the proposed constitutional amendment that would overturn the state’s near-total abortion ban and prevent further government interference with abortion. State police are going door to door to interrogate Floridians who signed the Amendment 4 petition, and political appointees are using taxpayer resources to advertise against the ballot measure. Maya Brown, a political strategist and advisor to the Amendment 4 effort, joins the show to talk about where things stand with the campaign — and a few other key races on the ballot in Florida this fall. Show...
2024-09-0935 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastA sneak attack on Florida state parksIn this episode: With help from some politically plugged-in groups, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hatched a plan to build golf courses, hotels and pickleball courts on state parkland across Florida. But the plans leaked — and blew up in his face. Legendary Florida environmental journalist Craig Pittman joins the show to discuss the controversy. Show notesGet the latest updates on DeSantis’ state park plan from the Tampa Bay Times, which has been on top of the story from day one. Read Craig Pittman’s unique perspective on the controversy at the Florida Phoenix. Then c...
2024-08-2625 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastA rebellion in FloridaIn this episode: The most important result to come out of this week’s primary elections in Florida was the rejection of culture-warring School Board candidates in races around the state. But the most interesting result came in Manatee County, where, in one fell swoop, residents completely overhauled a local county commission that many believed was in the pocket of a few influential real-estate developers. Liv Coleman, a political science professor at the University of Tampa and resident of Manatee County, joins the show to talk about how it all went down. Show notesRead so...
2024-08-2334 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastMoms for Liberty goes downIn this episode: Just two years after they seemed to be in their ascendancy, School Board candidates backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the conservative censorship group Moms for Liberty suffered big losses in local elections across the state. Longtime Orlando Sentinel education reporter Leslie Postal joins the show to talk about what just happened in Florida. Show notes Both Politico Florida and the Associated Press have good roundups of the statewide results in School Board elections. Here are some of the stories we alluded to during the show: * Tolstoy, Sendak...
2024-08-2234 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida politicians will go further to interfere with abortion – unless Florida voters stop themIn this episode: Over the past few years, Republican politicians in Florida have enacted a near-total abortion ban, spent millions in taxpayer money on anti-abortion propaganda, and blocked funding for contraceptive care. But many of them want to go much further — from completely banning abortion in all situations to granting legal rights to frozen embryos used for in vitro fertilization. That makes the stakes incredibly high for Amendment 4, a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would enshrine abortion rights into the Florida Constitution.Show notesRead Amendment 4 for yourself.Learn more fr...
2024-08-1524 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida is strangling its citiesIn this episode: Every year, Florida lawmakers take more power away from cities, counties, towns and school districts — stripping local communities across the state of ability to make decisions for themselves. Often in response to lobbying by some of the state’s largest corporations, Florida’s governor and Legislature have blocked locally elected leaders from passing laws that address water pollution, wages and benefits, gun safety, fossil fuels, rent control, and so much more. In this episode, Jason Garcia is joined by Danny Rivero, an investigative reporter at WLRN in Miami, whose series “Tallahassee Takeover” examined just how far Florida po...
2024-08-0653 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastBattling the Big Business lobby: Inside the fight to help outdoor workers in Florida working in 100-degree heatIn this episode: Bowing to pressure from Florida’s construction and farming industries, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Legislature just passed an infamous new law protecting businesses that refuse to provide clean drinking water to employees working outside in 100-degree heat. In this episode, Jason Garcia talks to a trio of activists who have spent years fighting for heat protections for outdoor workers in Florida: Esteban Wood of the immigrant-rights group WeCount! and Jeannie Economos and Ernesto Ruiz of the Farmworker Association of Florida. The group discusses their work from Miami to Orlando to Tallahassee, what it’s like...
2024-07-251h 14
Seeking Rents – The PodcastOne weird trick Florida is using to raise insurance ratesIn this episode: Nearly 20 years ago, Florida leaders erased an anti-competitive law that had been preventing a public nonprofit insurance company from challenging private, for-profit insurers. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature decided to reinstate that law. As a result, Florida homeowners are now paying higher prices for their home insurance.Sources: * House Bill 1A (2007)* Senate Bill 2A (2022)* Citizens chooses higher rate hikes for South Florida than its own numbers indicate (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)* Florida Republicans protected insurance companies from competition. Florida homeowners are now paying hi...
2024-07-0219 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastLawfare in FloridaIn this episode: The Florida Constitution gives governors the authority to suspend local officials over “incompetence” and “neglect of duty.” Ron DeSantis is exploiting that power unlike any governor before him. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-06-1923 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastRon DeSantis sides with Visa and Mastercard in budget battleIn this episode: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just made some of his most important decisions of the year, by signing a new, $117 billion state budget — but eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars in spending on everything from tampons in high schools to tax prep in poor communities. It was a great day for credit card and bank lobbyists. But not so much for environmentalists trying to tear down a notorious old dam. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jason...
2024-06-1327 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida may finally have a good cop on the insurance beatIn this episode: At a time when so many Floridians are struggling to find and keep home insurance, the state’s new insurance commissioner has started cracking down on predatory practices, pushing for pro-consumer changes, and forcing more transparency on a notoriously inscrutable industry. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-06-0625 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFarmworkers just wanted water and shade. Florida politicians refused to help. Then they made sure no one else could help, either.In this episode: Farmworkers and construction workers across Florida spent years pleading with state leaders to pass a statewide heat-safety law that would ensure everyone working outside had access to water and shade. When Tallahassee refused to help, workers turned to city and county leaders instead. So Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature finally leapt into action — to make sure local governments couldn’t help, either. (Click here to read a print version of this story.)Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full acces...
2024-05-3018 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida politicians close their eyes to climate change – and to the state’s insurance crisisIn this episode: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed a bill erasing most mentions of climate change from state law — even though climate change is one reason so many of his state’s residents can no longer afford their homeowner’s insurance. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-05-1712 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida is hiding some politicians' taxpayer-funded travelIn this episode: Just before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his campaign for president, Florida lawmakers passed a law hiding his flight records from the public. The DeSantis-for-president campaign quickly crashed and burned. But the secrecy around state air travel endures. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-05-0714 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida lawmakers stood up to Visa and Mastercard. Will Ron DeSantis do the same?In this episode: Florida lawmakers want to stop Visa and Mastercard from charging inflated swipe fees. The credit card companies are turning to Gov. Ron DeSantis for help. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-04-2220 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastRon DeSantis signs a state law blocking wage and benefit protections for Florida workersIn this episode: Behind closed doors, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 433, a sweeping piece of legislation that was originally written by lobbyists for some of the biggest companies doing business in the state. The legislation will dissolve local living wage laws, prevent communities from passing “Fair Workweek” rules, and block efforts to set new heat-safety standards for outdoor workers. How did a bill like this pass? Well, $160,000 a week in campaign contributions from Big Business lobbying groups certainly helped.Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify
2024-04-1218 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida is *thisclose* to becoming AlabamaIn this episode: The Florida Supreme Court just issued a pair of seismic decisions on abortion. One ruling stripped women and pregnant people in Florida of their right to abortion, while the other ruling will give the state’s voters a chance to restore that right in November. But the conservative court also signaled that it’s ready to rule that fetuses are people, too — which would have enormous implications for all reproductive rights. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rent...
2024-04-0423 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastRon DeSantis hits the reset buttonIn this episode: Following a failed presidential campaign, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is trying to bring some long-running feuds to a close, including battles with Disney and other opponents of his infamous 'Don't Say Gay' law. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-03-2924 min
Seeking Rents – The Podcast$50 and pray: Florida's latest response to the property insurance crisisIn this episode: Florida lawmakers just finished up their 2024 legislative session, and the one issue everyone is worried about is property insurance. So how did lawmakers decide to help? They’re going to give you fifty bucks.Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-03-1930 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: It's doneIn this episode: The Florida Legislature concluded its 2024 session on Friday by passing Big Business-backed bills that loosen the state’s child-labor laws and block wage, benefit and safety protections for workers. But banking industry lobbyists took it on the chin, too. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-03-0918 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: End gameIn this episode: Less than 24 hours before the end of their 2024 legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed a bill that could undermine enforcement of state ethics laws. Plus: Day 60 decisions loom on legislation to weaken child-labor laws and strip wage and benefit protections from workers. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-03-0814 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Doubling downIn this episode: On the third-to-last day of their 2024 legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed a quartet of bills expanding controversial laws — including laws that target discussions of racism and sexism, public-sector unions, immigrants, and local government autonomy. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-03-0719 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Be kind. Criminalize homelessness.In this episode: On Day 57 of the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session, lawmakers send Gov. Ron DeSantis a bill that implicitly criminalizes homelessness in Florida. Let’s unpack that bill a bit. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-03-0610 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: The pirates of TallahasseeIn this episode: On Day 56 of the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session, lawmakers finally bring budget negotiations in for a landing — thanks to hundreds of millions of dollars in last-minute earmarks and hidden legislation. Plus: Bills pass to lower wages for construction workers and raise interest rates on low-income consumers. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-03-0522 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: The Florida Legislature just rolled Ron DeSantisIn this episode: Florida is about to pass a law banning kids from some social media platforms after the speaker of the state House successfully backed Gov. Ron DeSantis into a corner. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-03-0418 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: A good day in Tallahassee for tax-dodging corporationsIn this episode: Work slows in the Florida Legislature as everyone waits for the governor and House speaker to hash out a plan to kick kids off social media. But lawmakers are still making big decisions — including choosing to turn a blind eye to a bunch of global corporations using accounting shell games to skip out on Florida corporate taxes. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-03-0119 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Crunch time in TallahasseeIn this episode: Day 51 of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session featured some last-minute shenanigans in support of real-estate developers in Orlando and more slow progress on a state budget. But things are about to get spicier in the state Capitol, as important policy showdowns loom in both the House and Senate.Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-2917 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: The Alabama Supreme Court may have killed fetal personhood in FloridaIn this episode: With less than 10 days to go in the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session, the end game is beginning to come into focus. Some bills are stalling while others are setting up for showdowns. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-2814 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: What will Rob do?In this episode: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ruled the state’s Legislature with an iron fist for nearly three years now. But Day 45 of the state’s 2024 session suggests things are finally changing — and that lawmakers aren’t afraid of him anymore. Plus: A reminder of why you can’t always trust what some lawmakers say in public. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-2324 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Ogres have layersIn this episode: On Day 44 of the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session, lawmakers advance bills to help more workers afford childcare — thanks to support from a Big Business lobbying group. But that same Big Business group is simultaneously pushing bills that bust worker unions, too. Plus: Florida may double down on a disastrous immigration law. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-2218 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Trickle-down economics are alive and well in TallahasseeIn this episode: Days after the Florida House of Representatives rolled out a package of proposed tax cuts that would steer the vast majority of savings to businesses instead of consumers, the Florida Senate introduces another tax plan — one that is a bit better but still disproportionately favors businesses over consumers. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-2120 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: What else might Florida ban?In this episode: Florida lawmakers were already working on bills to ban everything from living wages to lab-grown meat. Now, they’re talking about banning offshore wind energy, too. Plus: Bills that would protect industrial polluters from accountability. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-1616 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: More tax breaks for businesses. But fewer for you.In this episode: On Day 37 of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session, Republican leaders start to show their hand on tax breaks. They want to give lots of help to businesses. But they’re offering very little help for consumers. And, of course, they’re going to hand out a few special-interest favors, too. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-1514 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Ron DeSantis is back. But is he really back?In this episode: Checking in after Day 36 of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session, with updates on bills to throw shoplifters in prison, teach kindergarteners about communism, and slip shady tax breaks into law. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-1414 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Taking on big tourismIn this episode: It’s Day 31 of Florida’s 60-day legislative session and we’re focusing on the positive — including a plan to help families trying to climb the economic ladder. Plus: A terrible tax break turns into something that’s actually pretty good. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-0915 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Halfway homeIn this episode: The Florida Legislature’s 2024 session reaches the halfway point with state lawmakers starting a new fight with city and county leaders. Plus: Republican legislative leaders help Ron DeSantis get back on his feet. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-0814 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Highs and lowsIn this episode: A day in the Florida Legislature filled with highs and lows. There were big wins for corporate lobbyists and white nationalists. But there was also a glimmer of hope for Florida homeowners getting crushed by the cost of property insurance. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-0713 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: One place where Florida lawmakers may stand up to property insurersIn this episode: As the Florida Legislature nears the halfway mark of its 2024 session, we’ve got updates on bills that could help homeowners rebuilding after a hurricane, throw homeless people into camps or county lockup, and pick a petty and needless culture-war fight. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-0612 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Will the real fiscal conservatives please stand up?In this episode: A bunch of tax breaks are starting to surface in the Florida Legislature, including a $200 million cut for timeshare companies and owners. Plus: An opportunity to separate the fiscal conservatives from the phony panderers. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-02-0114 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Doubling down on an unconstitutional lawIn this episode: The corporate and culture wars continue on Day 22 of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session, with lawmakers attacking wage protections for workers but protecting statues for Confederate generals, all while loosening the laws around both child labor and guns. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-3110 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Hiding the ballIn this episode: Week four of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session kicks off with the state Senate taking up the most duplicitous bill of the year. Plus: Lawmakers get involved in a small legal dispute with a big defendant. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-3013 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Dad's homeIn this episode: Ron DeSantis starts to reassert himself on Day 17 of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session, as lawmakers begin moving bills to give the governor more military power and tools to punish everyone from Palestinian students to…woke airports? Predatory lenders are probably nervous, too.Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-2610 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Watching out for wokeIn this episode: Day 16 of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session is in the books, and it’s not all bad. Today we’re talking about bills dealing with tiny homes, carbon capture and — of all things — registered mail. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-2508 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: It's 2011 all over again in TallahasseeIn this episode: On Day 15 of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session, state lawmakers and big-business lobbyists try to bring back an ugly barrier to unemployment insurance that even former Gov. Rick Scott backed away from. Plus: Updates on more bills that moved forward, including legislation to deny drinking water to construction workers and to fill the labor shortage by encouraging high school dropouts.Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-2417 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Scorpions and frogsIn this episode: An update from Day 14 of the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session, where some lawmakers are standing up to the insurance industry…but other lawmakers are proving how unreliable they are. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-2313 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: Trust us when we tell you no one else can be trustedIn this episode: Republican lawmakers in the Florida Legislature say some news organizations can’t be trusted. But they don’t want you to know which organizations can be trusted. Plus: Florida’s latest abortion battle. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-1909 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: The art of distractionIn this episode: On one side of the state Capitol, Florida lawmakers were passing a bill to ban pride flags from public buildings. On the other, they were passing a bill to let homebuilders use more kids on construction sites. A dispatch from Day 9 of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 session. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-1810 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida Legislature 2024: The Visible HandIn this episode: Recapping another busy day in the Florida Legislature. Lawmakers are now eight days into their 60-day legislative session, and they’re moving bills to protect poultry companies, plastic polluters, and police officers who engage in brutality. But they also want to build more housing for migrant farmworkers.Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-1713 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastThe Florida Legislature 2024: Filling a labor shortage by encouraging dropoutsIn this episode: A quick recap of the second day of the Florida Legislature’s 2024 legislative session, including two big fights pitting some of the state’s biggest business lobbying groups against advocates for children and environmental activists. Plus a new “Stand Your Ground” law, but to shoot black bears. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe
2024-01-1111 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastThe Florida Legislature 2024: No health insurance for youIn this episode: The Florida Legislature opened its 2024 session on Tuesday, a news-filled first day that included a pledge to keep Florida one of the worst states in the nation for health insurance coverage. Learn more in a quick Day One recap that also has updates on lobbying by big-box stores to incarcerate more shoplifters and by police officers to avoid accountability — but also promises to preserve access to mail voting and to consider a public option for hurricane insurance. Contact: Garcia.JasonR@gmail.comFollow: Twitter Follow the show: Apple | Spotify...
2024-01-1016 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastBillionaires and big corporations unite in Florida…to squeeze 40-hour workweeks out of high school kidsIn this episode: Sixteen- and seventeen-year-old high-school students in Florida could be made to work overnight shifts and 40-hour workweeks under a bill being lobbied through the state Legislature. The legislation was written by a think tank financed by a billionaire donor to Ron DeSantis, and it’s being pushed by lobbyists for chain restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, Outback and Olive Garden. It’s the latest example of billionaire-backed foundations and big-business front groups joining forces to squeeze working families in Florida. Further Reading:* House Bill 49 — Employment and Curfew of Minors* Washingto...
2023-12-1918 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastRetail giants like Walmart, Target and Home Depot want to put more people in prison in FloridaIn this episode: Lobbyists for rent-seeking retailers like Walmart, Target and Home Depot are pushing policies in Florida that send small-time shoplifters to prison for many years — and then make it harder for them to get back on their feet when they finally get out. It’s an example of short-sighted, self-interested corporate lobbying that prioritizes protecting the profits of a few above all else. And it is blocking bipartisan reform efforts in the Florida Capitol that could help more workers find sustainable careers, bring prices down for consumers, and save money for taxpayers.Further Reading:...
2023-12-0922 min
Más Cabrona que BonitaEl asombro y la inspiración constante con Jason SilvaJason Silva es un obsesivo optimista del futuro con una habilidad para encontrar momentos de inspiración e hilarlos como historias. Él se auto-describe como un adicto al asombro y sus contenidos, como él, buscan siempre transmitir y generar este sentimientos con quienes conecta. En este episodio exploramos el camino que lo llevó desde la casa de su madre y sus inicios haciendo grabaciones con sus primos, hasta la televisión y la creación de una plataforma que le ha permitido crear contenido que ha llegado a millones. Tocamos temas como la realidad, los estados alterados de la consci...
2023-11-081h 01
Seeking Rents – The PodcastRigging the rules: How the state of Florida helps some special interests skip out on property taxesIn this episode: We go deep inside the gears of government to show you how the state of Florida, urged on by lobbyists for the state’s biggest businesses, has rigged the rules around property taxes in a way that helps special interests keep tax breaks they squeeze out of Tallahassee — even when those tax breaks are unconstitutional. (For a written version of this story, click here.)Further reading:* Seeking Rents: Ron DeSantis tried to give $25 million to a gun company* Florida Supreme Court: Sebring Airport Authority v. McIntyre (2001)* Florida Supreme Cour...
2023-09-2529 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastHow the state of Florida tries to control speech about Black people, women and LGBTQ+ people — under the guise of 'individual freedom'In this episode: Inside a federal courtroom in Atlanta, a lawyer for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just made a remarkable confession: The state is trying to prevent private employers from talking to their own employees about things like systemic racism and gender inequality. It’s part of a broader effort by the DeSantis administration to control what Floridians can say, hear and learn about groups that have been historically disenfranchised — like Black people, women and LGBTQ+ people. There’s a reason why Ron DeSantis and his backers don’t want people thinking about this stuff. (Editor’s note: This is a podca...
2023-09-0519 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastRon DeSantis goes union-bustingIn this episode: Days before he launched his campaign for president, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping law making it much harder for many Florida workers to band together in unions and collectively bargain for better pay. It takes direct aim at hundreds of thousands of public-sector employees in Florida, from public-school teachers to municipal garbage collectors. But it also threatens to suppress pay for people working in the private sector, too — especially women. This new law was the culmination of more than a decade of lobbying by big-business front groups and billionaire-funded think tanks. And it’s even...
2023-08-0523 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastHow the 'Free State of Florida' works with business lobbyists to keep wages lowIn this episode: Florida’s tourism industry runs on a low-wage workforce. And the state’s biggest tourism businesses, from Walt Disney World to Outback Steakhouse, fight hard to suppress pay for workers — whether that means cutting off unemployment assistance for jobseekers or litigating against local living wage laws. They’ve had help from a long line of Florida governors, from Jeb Bush to Rick Scott to Ron DeSantis.Further reading:* Wall Street Journal: States that cut unemployment benefits saw limited impact on job growth* Tampa Bay Times: Florida ended unemployment benefits early. Did peop...
2023-07-2521 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastThe 'Free State of Florida' just took rights away from 1.5 million FloridiansIn this episode: The state of Florida has long been a harsh place to rent an apartment, with industry-backed laws that give landlords enormous power over their tenants. But things had been getting better: Over the last few years, cities and counties around the state have passed dozens of local laws that provide some basic rights to renters and help keep families from being forced into homelessness. But with the stroke of a pen, Ron DeSantis just took all those rights away.Further reading:* The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz: #BecauseMiami: Mamacita Lolita
2023-07-1121 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlood the swamp: Ron DeSantis keeps dragging Florida backwards on campaign-finance reformIn this episode: Before Ron DeSantis was elected governor of Florida, the state and some of its local communities passed a series of laws that were supposed to reduce the influence of money in politics. But DeSantis has rolled back many of those reforms — from a local ordinance that tried to keep Super PACs out of city elections to a state law that made it harder for Florida politicians to hide their donors from the public. It’s become a major legacy for DeSantis, who is now running for U.S. President: More money for politicians, and less transparency for...
2023-07-0319 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastA mining company gave lots of money to Ron DeSantis. Now DeSantis is helping the company turn toxic waste into profit.In this episode: In west-central Florida, a bit inland from Tampa Bay, The Mosaic Co. makes billions of dollars every year scraping phosphate rock out of the ground and turning it into fertilizer at chemical factories. But in doing so, the Fortune 500 mining giant generates millions of tons in toxic waste. Now, Mosaic wants new laws and taxpayer subsidies that could let the company turn its toxic waste into profit. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is helping — and cashing Mosaic’s campaign checks.Further reading:* Tampa Bay Times: Radioactive roads? Tampa fertilizer giant Mosaic wants to star...
2023-06-1922 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastFlorida’s tourism industry has taken billions from residents of Florida’s biggest tourism town — and now it wants moreIn this episode: The city of Orlando, home to Disney World and Universal Studios, raises hundreds of millions of dollars every year from a tax on hotels. But while other communities spend hotel taxes on public safety, environmental preservation and affordable housing, Orlando spends all its money propping up tourism businesses and sports billionaires. It’s the result of decades of lobbying by Disney, Universal and other big tourism businesses — and of compliant politicians, from the local county commission to the state Legislature. But change may finally be afoot.Further reading:* Orlando Sentinel: Hoteliers, Keys figh...
2023-06-1117 min
The Actor FactorEpisode #21 Actor Jason DouglasBrad & Diego are in the studio with shape shifting, Hollywood Character Actor Jason Douglas. With over 300 Film & Television credits, Mr. Douglas sits down to tell us when & how it all started, and how this epic resume got so massive! www.imdb.com/name/nm0235103Like our Podcast? Wanna Support with a Donation of any size?venmo - @BradAshtenWe thank you for your patronage & Keeping the arts alive!Audio Engineered by Britton SparkmanTheme Music by Evan Michael H...
2023-04-1246 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastGov. DeSanta Claus delivers a Christmas gift to the insurance industryIn this episode: Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed a draconian rewrite of Florida’s property insurance laws that will give homeowners less time to file claims, make it harder to sue companies that won’t pay those claims, and force hundreds of thousands of Floridians to pay higher prices. It’s bitter medicine that the governor says is necessary to save his state’s ailing insurance market. It’s also the biggest bet of DeSantis’ career.Further reading:* Tampa Bay Times: Will rates go down? Answering questions from Florida’s insurance session* Orlando Sentinel: DeSa...
2022-12-2024 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastBig businesses are leading an assault on local democracy in FloridaIn this episode: Nearly 60 percent of voters in Orlando, Fla., just passed a referendum calling for rent control in one of the most unaffordable housing markets in the country. But they’re probably not going to get it. That’s because Florida leaders have passed a landlord-friendly state law that blocks cities and counties from enacting local rent control. Meanwhile, lobbyists for everyone from real-estate developers to Walt Disney World have used state politicians to prevent local voters from making changes on everything from worker benefits to water pollution. (Read a written version of this story here.)Furt...
2022-11-1719 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastMinimum wage is on the ballot in this year's elections in FloridaIn this week’s episode: You might not know it, but minimum wage is back on the ballot again this year in Florida — in the form of legislative elections around the state that could decide the fate of a Big Business-led effort to wipe out local wage laws. In this week’s episode, we take a closer look at that and other important economic issues that you never hear about in campaign commercials, but which voters are deciding when they cast a ballot in a state House or state Senate race. Plus, some voters have the chance at a do-ove...
2022-10-2817 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastInside the $5 billion deal that Gov. Ron DeSantis' political appointees gave to Florida Power & LightIn this week’s episode: Late last year, a small group of people appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed utility giant Florida Power & Light to raise electricity rates by roughly $5 billion over the next four years. But this record-setting rate hike is even more generous than you think. Today, we’re talking about equity ratios, ROEs and RSAMs — and how you’re paying more for power because of them. (Transcript)Further Reading:* Miami Herald: Residential customers to bear brunt of $1.5 billion FPL rate hike* Floridians Against Increased Rates: Initial brief before the Florida...
2022-08-3118 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastThe bipartisan plot to take out Florida's best senatorIn 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 governor — but is now out of office thanks to a ghost. (Transcript) Further reading: * Orlando Sentinel | Floodlight: Operatives working with FPL plotted primary challenge for Miami senator* Miami Herald: Powerbrokers: How FP...
2022-07-2918 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastThe Florida Legislature did a big favor for Publix — at the expense of Publix workersIn 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 before giving them a break on gas prices? (Transcript.)Further reading:* Tampa Bay Times: DeSantis’ aide first pitched October gas tax break, emails show * Seeking Rents: Ron DeSantis proposed delaying a ta...
2022-07-2116 min
Seeking Rents – The PodcastRon DeSantis took money from you and gave it to businesses. And you didn’t even notice.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:* Seeking Rents: In his first term as governor, Ron DeSantis has raised taxes on Floridians by more than $1 billion* Orlando Sentinel: Lobbyists for Amazon, Walmart and other big b...
2022-07-1420 min