Seeking Rents – The Podcast

Jason Garcia
  • 4.9 (59)
  • Politics
  • Weekly

"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

  1. 2d ago

    From abortion to rural boundaries: What’s at stake in the race for attorney general

    In this episode: Though the job doesn’t get nearly as much attention as governor, the Attorney General is one of the most important figures in all of Florida politics. The state’s highest-ranking lawyer has the power to investigate, litigate and prosecute — powers that have been used in the past to challenge electric utilities and phone companies but also to defend cruise lines, car dealers and Donald Trump. In today’s show, we take a closer look at two important ways that current Attorney General James Uthmeier is using the office: Backing developers that want to build subdivisions on rural land — and controlling what women can, and cannot, do with their own bodies. Show notes To make a donation to Seeking Rents, click here. Stories discussed in today’s show: Florida counties may be breaking law when classifying areas as rural to manage growth, AG says Attorney general questions legality of rural boundaries in Orange, Seminole Rural boundaries spared, but lawmaker to try again to curtail them Florida AG letter undercuts Sarasota County in Live Local legal fight They gave Uthmeier’s campaign $25,000. Then his office stepped in to help. Florida AG James Uthmeier pushes for fetal personhood and an end to all abortions in state Florida AG James Uthmeier On Fighting For Life In The Sunshine State Florida AG made sweeping claims in confidential abortion case Surrogacy is akin to slavery, Florida AG says, with big implications for families Uthmeier files $354 million lawsuit against Planned Parenthood for alleged racketeering, deception Texas, Florida sue FDA over abortion pill approval Florida's attorney general is trying to help Elon Musk's Tesla get out of a $243 million verdict Attorney General James Uthmeier is raising hundreds of thousands from firms he hired The bipartisan plot to take out Florida’s best senator (update) Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify Watch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

    From abortion to rural boundaries: What’s at stake in the race for attorney general

  2. Oct 19

    Deceit and deception on the campaign trail

    In this episode: Early voting has begun in Florida. So, too, have the eleventh-hour election schemes — particularly in the campaign for Attorney General, which just may be the most important race on the ballot in Florida this year. Allies of incumbent Attorney General James Uthmeier are trying to censor TV commercials that spotlight Uthmeier’s role in the $10 million Hope Florida scandal. At the same time, some of the same consultants behind the infamous “ghost candidate” plot are once again trying to take out challenger José Javier Rodriguez. Meanwhile, another statewide elected official on the ballot — Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia — is running a double-barreled campaign in which he’s using taxpayer money to boost his own name ID and special interest money to attack his opponent. And the Florida Realtors are lying about Amendment 3. Show notes To make a donation to Seeking Rents, click here. Stories and previous podcasts discussed in this show: Republicans want Hope Florida story silenced and jail for anyone who talks about it The bipartisan plot to take out Florida’s best senator (update) Florida AG made sweeping claims in confidential abortion case Surrogacy is akin to slavery, Florida AG says, with big implications for families Blaise Ingoglia is spending millions in taxpayer money on advertising as he runs for election Amendment 3 could increase home prices across Florida — and real estate agents love it Data center interests have put $30 million into Florida campaigns as Election Day approaches The investors behind the “Blue Ribbon Projects” bill are pouring money into state Senate races The races that will decide the fate of the supermajorities in the state Legislature Ron DeSantis took money from you and gave it to businesses. And you didn’t even notice. Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify Watch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

    Deceit and deception on the campaign trail

  3. Oct 9

    The tech bros are coming for Florida’s elections

    In this episode: The data center-backing billionaires behind ChaptGPT and a prominent right-wing tech investor are trying to tilt swing elections for seats in the Florida Legislature. So, too, are developers and real-estate investors behind some of the most sprawl-inducing bills to come through Tallahassee in recent years. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier claim vindication following an election-eve appellate court decision on the misappropriation of $10 million. But the Hope Florida ruling is not the absolution they say it is. Show notes To make a donation to Seeking Rents, click here. For more information on the Oct. 10 recording of WSLR’s “Talk of the Town” in Sarasota, click here. For more information on the Oct. 10 “Florida’s Resource Grab” forum in Sarasota hosted by the Social Justice Alliance of the Florida Suncoast, click here. For more information on the Oct. 14 town hall on Amendment 3 in Tallahassee hosted by the Askew School of Public Policy, click here. For more information on the Oct. 15 town hall on Amendment 3 in Clermont hosted by Braver Angels, click here. For more information on the Oct. 16 “Environmental Advocacy Symposium” in Orlando hosted by Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson, click here. Stories discussed in today’s podcast: Data center donors have spent more than $20 million in Florida ahead of the 2026 elections The investors behind the “Blue Ribbon Projects” bill are pouring money into state Senate races In the race for Florida governor, the fate of two sprawl-inducing state laws hangs in the balance Developer lobbyists secretly sought to maintain a law handcuffing local communities on growth Court erases Hope Florida grand jury report after shutting out anyone who would defend it Governor’s office paid a second law firm $111,000 as Hope Florida grand jury report was fought in secret Hidden consultants and hurried payments: Records reveal details of DeSantis’ campaign against abortion and marijuana amendments Blaise Ingoglia is spending millions in taxpayer money on advertising as he runs for election Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify Watch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

    The tech bros are coming for Florida’s elections

  4. Sep 30

    The story behind a shady land deal in Florida (update)

    In this episode: In June 2025, just a few hours before Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature finalized a new state budget, GOP leaders in Tallahassee slipped a sentence into the spending plan authorizing state officials to acquire a piece of property in the Panhandle through a popular land-preservation program. Three months later, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet used that little line in the budget to spend $83.3 million in taxpayer money on a tiny spit of vacant land owned by a prominent real-estate developer and Republican Party donor. Here’s the story of how Florida politicians pulled off a land deal that one longtime conservation leader called “a sham.” (Note: This is an update of a podcast that initially aired in November 2025. The three Cabinet members who voted to approve the $83 million land deal — Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson — are all now running for re-election.) Show notes To make a donation to Seeking Rents, click here. Stories discussed in today’s show: Florida lawmakers took instructions from a landowner’s lobbyist. Now Florida taxpayers will pay $83 million for four acres. Transcript of the Sept. 30, 2025, meeting of the Florida Cabinet Blaise Ingoglia is spending millions in taxpayer money on advertising as he runs for election Florida politicians may give Big Sugar legal power to go after activists and silence critics They said they wanted to help farmers. They really wanted to hurt environmentalists. Conflicting testimony and foggy memories: How the Hope Florida grand jury found wrongdoing but no wrongdoers The bipartisan plot to take out Florida’s best senator (update) Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify Watch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

    The story behind a shady land deal in Florida (update)

  5. Sep 25

    The Hope Florida cover-up

    In this episode: The Ron DeSantis administration has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money to hide the Ron DeSantis administration’s misspending of millions of dollars of taxpayer money. The governor and his allies have also been handing out promotions, appointments and contracts to people who played roles in what is now widely known as the Hope Florida scandal. Show notes To make a donation to Seeking Rents, click here. Exclusive: Taxpayers paid nearly $200,000 in legal fees for a witness the Hope Florida grand jury found “not credible” DeSantis staff quietly rehired jilted lawyers who helped secure the Hope Florida settlement Where are they now? Key actors in Hope Florida scandal got promoted Hidden consultants and hurried payments: Records reveal details of DeSantis’ campaign against abortion and marijuana amendments This story didn’t come up during the podcast, but it is an absolute must-read about an important — under-reported — aspect of the entire Hope Florida morass: How Hope Florida quietly hollowed out Florida’s safety net Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify Watch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

    The Hope Florida cover-up

  6. Sep 19

    The sickness infecting Florida state government

    In this episode: A new investigation reveals that Florida was secretly confining immigrants in cages the size of phone booths inside its infamous prison camp in the middle of the Florida Everglades. Meanwhile, the state attorney general and politically ambitious judges are colluding to weaponize family-law courtrooms and use them as fronts in their crusades against women’s healthcare and LGBTQ+ rights. Plus: A new developer-backed law out of Tallahassee is roiling local communities by unleashing more suburban sprawl. At the same time, cities, counties and towns are bracing for a property tax ballot measure that would open up huge deficits in local government budgets. They may sound like separate issues. But agricultural enclaves and Amendment 3 are two sides of the same coin. To make a donation to Seeking Rents, click here. To watch the First Coast Connect discussion on Amendment 3, click here. To watch the Talking Central Florida discussion on Hope Florida, click here. For more information about the Urban Land Institute Central Florida’s Oct. 1 panel on Amendment 3, click here. To reserve tickets to the Oct. 10 recording of WSLR News’ “Talk of the Town” roundtable about the influence of PACs and dark money in local elections, click here. To see how your elected representatives in Tallahassee voted on the agricultural enclaves bill, click here for the vote sheet from the House of Representatives and click here for the vote sheet from the Senate. Stories discussed in today’s show: ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detainees were held in cages the size of a phone booth Florida AG Candidate Jose Javier Rodríguez wants probe of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ after DHS findings Surrogacy is akin to slavery, Florida AG says, with big implications for families Florida judge who questioned surrogacy appointed to appeals court by DeSantis Florida AG made sweeping claims in confidential abortion case St. Johns County denies 4,462-acre Davis agricultural enclave New law has developers poised to build on thousands of acres of farmland around Florida Tallahassee wants total power to decide who pays taxes in Florida — and who gets a free ride Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify Watch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

    The sickness infecting Florida state government

  7. Sep 12

    Nobody likes to lose

    In this episode: Earlier this year, Ron DeSantis and state legislators enacted a new law forcing Florida’s public nonprofit insurance company to set up a program pushing condo owners into higher-priced private insurance. The law was written in part by lobbyists for an insurance brokerage led by a billionaire megadonor that wanted to make money managing the new program on the state’s behalf. But that company just missed out on the contract for the job. Plus: Lobbyists for real estate agents are bankrolling a ballot measure that could drive up home prices (and agent commissions). And the Hope Florida scandal continues to shake up Florida’s November elections, as Attorney General James Uthmeier and U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody try desperately to dodge question about their roles in the $10 million scheme. Show notes To make a donation to Seeking Rents, click here. Stories discussed in today’s show: An insurance company led by a billionaire megadonor wrote a law pushing Florida condo owners into higher-priced property insurance Amendment 3 could increase home prices across Florida — and real estate agents love it Real estate agents just put $10 million into campaign to pass property tax amendment The net tightens around key figures in the Hope Florida scandal Conflicting testimony and foggy memories: How the Hope Florida grand jury found wrongdoing but no wrongdoers Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify Watch the show: YouTube Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

    Nobody likes to lose

  8. Sep 8

    The bipartisan plot to take out Florida's best senator (update)

    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: José 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. (This is an update of a podcast that initially aired in July 2022. The story has become newly relevant now that the guy many people know simply as “JJR” is running for attorney general — against James Uthmeier, the politician at the center of the Hope Florida scandal.) Show notes To make a donation to Seeking Rents, click here. For more information about the Urban Land Institute Central Florida’s Oct. 1 panel on Amendment 3, click here. The webinar with Welcome to Florida cohost and candidate for Florida House District 15 Chadd Charland about the importance of state government will be held Wednesday evening (Sept. 9), starting at 8 pm. To join the Zoom conversation, click here. Stories discussed in today’s show: Operatives working with FPL plotted primary challenge for Miami senator Powerbrokers: How FPL secretly took over a Florida news site and used it to bash critics Firm working for FPL took control of news site, let execs influence coverage, records show ‘Unsettling,’ ‘un-American’: FPL consultant obtained personal information, surveillance photo of journalist Nate Monroe Dark power: How FPL, other utilities neutralize opponents, grow profits Conflicting testimony and foggy memories: How the Hope Florida grand jury found wrongdoing but no wrongdoers Questions or comments? Send ‘em to Garcia.JasonR@gmail.com Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe

    The bipartisan plot to take out Florida's best senator (update)
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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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