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 notes

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Stories discussed in today’s show:

The DeSantis decisions: Quiet wins for homebuilders and car dealers

Billionaire Ken Griffin pours money into Byron Donalds’ campaign for governor

Meet the billionaire pushing taxpayer-funded school vouchers

The billionaire trying to reinvent Florida schools has a $7.5 million bet on Byron Donalds

The Scale of Billionaires’ Campaign Donations is Overwhelming U.S. Politics

Lobbyist for a billionaire-run hedge fund wrote a bill allowing longer non-competes, records show

Lobbyists for a billionaire and a charter network pushed Florida lawmakers to expand a school privatization program, records show

A 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 benefits

The Fontainebleau wanted another favor from the Florida Legislature

New law has Florida ‘open for business’ for AI data centers, utility execs say

Florida judge refuses to boot Fishback from the ballot, won’t ‘decide the race’

Bills discussed in today’s show:

Senate Bill 686 – Agricultural Enclaves

Senate Bill 484 – Data Centers

House Bill 399 – Land Use and Development Regulations

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