In this episode: Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature has finally agreed on a new state budget, following a flurry of last-minute spending deals — most of them negotiated behind closed doors and sealed late on the Sunday night of a holiday weekend. The eleventh-hour additions to Florida’s $115 billion spending plan include provisions that could let the state buy more property from a big developer and donor; steer a $2 million education contract to a Koch-backed company; and pave the way for the use of artificial intelligence in an anti-hunger program that feeds nearly 3 million Floridians. Plus: Ron DeSantis signs a bill written by lobbyists for a mining company that recently donated $50,000 to his Super PAC. And the devolution of Florida’s public university system into a pure political patronage machine continues.

Show notes

Register here for the Seeking Rents + Welcome to Florida live event in Jacksonville

The stories referenced in today’s show:

A tour of Florida’s new state budget, from money for Mike Huckabee to tax cuts for casinos

A last-minute budget measure could let Florida buy more land from a donor the state paid $83 million to last year

A Koch-connected school choice contractor could get $2 million from Florida taxpayers

Florida may hire an AI vendor to help decide which hungry families get grocery assistance

Companies linked to a Trump appointee are seeking money from Florida taxpayers — and giving money to Florida lawmakers

Florida is cutting funding for transit — and exposing the true cost of business tax breaks

A management firm is poised to profit off plan to divert local property taxes to charter schools

A right-wing news network lobbied Florida lawmakers to defund fact-checkers, records show

Last-minute legislation could give more money to Publix, 7-Eleven and Circle K — but less to Florida students

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

Get full access to Seeking Rents at jasongarcia.substack.com/subscribe