Seeking Rents – The Podcast

In this episode: The largest private landowner in Florida is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Better known as the Mormon Church, it owns more than 600,000 acres around the state. About half of its land holdings are cattle ranchlands east of Orlando — where the the church has long-term plans to build the equivalent of a new city of 500,000 people. But voters in Orlando recently approved new rules meant to slow suburban sprawl on rural land. So the Mormon Church turned to Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature to step in. And the church had help.Show notesThe bills discussed in this show:Senate Bill 1118 — Land Use and Development RegulationsSenate Bill 180 — EmergenciesTime is a flat circle: Lobbyists for developers pushed Florida lawmakers to block rules meant to save rural lands from sprawlThe top 10 landowners in Florida: Land LordsReach more about the Mormon Church’s long-term development plans in central Florida (stories from the August 2017 issue of Florida Trend magazine):Ranchland to rooftops in central FloridaDeseret Ranch — the LandRural Florida’s players and their projectsTavistock’s Role in Developing Rural FloridaDuda's agribusiness development reachThis the second episode to come out of public records we obtained after the end of the Florida Legislature’s 2025 session. Here’s the first episode:Florida Passed Bills for Pigeon Shooters?! (YouTube)A Republican megadonor got caught hosting a pigeon shoot. Then he got Florida politicians to change the law. (audio)And here’s the podcast mentioned in this show about the erosion of home rule happening Florida and other Republican-controlled states:Your Town, Their Rules: How States Are Stealing Local Power (YouTube)Your town, their rules (audio)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

In this episode: In recent weeks, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — and aides he installed as attorney general and education commissioner — have bent local leaders in Orlando and Tampa to their will in disputes over mass deportations and book bans. They’ve done so by twisting laws and then threatening punishment under their twisted interpretations. But there are ways communities can fight back. Show notes908.104 — Cooperation with federal immigration authorities 908.102(6) — Definition of “sanctuary policy”Under duress, Orange County mayor signs ICE addendum to ward off threat of removal from officeSouth Miami mayor hopes lawsuit will help cities decide ‘without fear’ if ICE agreement worksHow Florida’s new education chief is rattling schools with public threatsJudge strikes down parts of a Florida law used to ban school library booksPenguin Random House LLC v. Gibson — Order (Aug. 13, 2025)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

In this episode: In February 2024, a pair of animal-rights groups used drone recordings to expose a massive pigeon-shooting event at a ranch in Okeechobee, Fla., owned by Troy Link, the CEO of Jack Link’s Meat Snacks and a major donor to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican politicians A little over a year later, DeSantis signed a new state law that criminalizes the use of drones to record people on private property. That law, records show, was written by lobbyists hired by Troy Link.Show notes:Pigeon Jerky: Florida Beef Jerky Magnate Blasted for Hosting Live Pigeon ShootHouse Bill 1121 – Unmanned Aircraft and Unmanned Aircraft SystemsQuestions 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

In this episode: Late last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 180, a sweeping new law intended to help communities better prepare for — and recover from — hurricanes. But developers around the state are now trying to use the new law to undermine local rules that help slow suburban sprawl. One industry group used Senate Bill 180 to sue a county in southwest Florida that raised fees on homebuilders. Another developer is threatening a similar suit in Orlando to eliminate protections for rural land. Did Tallahassee Republicans and industry lobbyists quietly work together to pull a fast one under the guise of hurricane recovery? Or are developers exploiting a well-intentioned law that was merely meant to make sure homeowners can rebuild after a storm?Show notesSenate Bill 180 – EmergenciesA few recent stories about the impact of Senate Bill 180:Legislature wants to make it impossible for local governments to build back better after hurricanesFlorida bill could block communities from rebuilding stronger after hurricanesFacing threat of lawsuits, Orange County may scrap its rural boundaryManatee receives threat of litigation over increased impact feesBurdensomely Vague IntentionsAnd two other stories mentioned in the podcast:Florida chafes under flood-protection rulesApple quietly lobbied to stop ‘Right to Repair’ bill, records showQuestions 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

In this episode: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is hiding $250 million in taxpayer-funded contracts tied to the new immigration detention camp Florida just opened in the middle of the Everglades. His hand-picked attorney general is showering public money on $875-an-hour lawyers. And his administration has been ducking auditors for nearly three years now. But Ron DeSantis wants you to think that its your local town council that needs to be audited.Meanwhile, the governor just did a big favor for a billionaire donor — and he did it in a way meant to make sure nobody else noticed. Florida workers will pay the price. Show notesThe tab for Florida's immigrant prison in the Everglades is $250 million — and counting'Alligator Alcatraz' Contracts Disappeared From a Florida State DatabaseMaxwell: Florida flouts auditing law on ‘emergency’ immigration spendingHouse Bill 1219 — Employment AgreementsLobbyist for a billionaire-run hedge fund wrote a bill allowing longer non-competes, records showA billionaire is showering cash on Florida politiciansQuestions 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

In this episode: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just slashed millions of dollars in funding for river restoration, public radio, and well-behaved inmates who want to phone their families. But the Republican governor also approved pork-barrel projects supporting the Inter Miami Major League Soccer team, owners and breeders of thoroughbred racehorses, and a giant real-estate developer near Daytona Beach. We take a closer look at what DeSantis decided to veto — and, more importantly, what he chose to approve — in Florida’s new $115 billion state budget. Show notesPeople in Florida prisons will get free calls for good behavior in new programFree prison call program rewarded good behavior, cost taxpayers zero. DeSantis killed itRon DeSantis just pocketed nearly $1 million from an industry he helpedAfter a personal meeting, and a $10,000 donation, DeSantis approved a $10 million earmarkFlorida lawmakers may unleash a last-second expansion of school privatizationA billionaire is showering cash on Florida politiciansFlorida taxpayers will help fund a lavish pay package for a new university presidentA few quotes referenced in the show from Ron DeSantis’ June 30th budget news conference: Schools of Hope charter schools“We got an overhaul to our Schools of Hope program. So you’re going to have groups — like there’s a group in New York City, Success Academy, and they’ve been able to do very well in New York City, which is very tough because the unions want to kill charter schools up there and the elected officials are negative — they’re going to be able to go in the most dire areas of Florida and open up these schools and potentially change people’s lives for the better…I’m glad we were able to work with the Legislature to get that through in this extended session.”Civics Seal of Excellence teacher training“We created this Civics Seal of Excellence program. We created a 50-hour course — well, we didn’t, we got scholars from, like, Hillsdale, Heritage Foundation, all these places, and they devised this programming, basically lectures — about all these different things that went into the formation of the country and the values and principles that made us a unique experiment.” New College of Florida takeover“We made sweeping appointments to the Board of Trustees, they replaced the president with a conservative who had been the commissioner of education under our administration in the first term, and now, all of a sudden, they’re bringing in these professors that are, like, really, really strong. And that is being transformed almost into, like, our version of a Hillsdale College.”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

In this episode: In the morning, Ron DeSantis celebrated the opening of an immigrant detention camp built on Everglades land he commandeered using emergency powers under what is now a nearly three-year-long “state of emergency” in Florida. In the afternoon, he vetoed a bipartisan bill intended to limit corruption in his administration by stopping him from interfering in future elections and making it harder for his aides to squeeze lobbyists for cash. It was a day that underscored just how much power the state of Florida has allowed to become concentrated in one person. Show notesRepublican Donors Cash In on ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Immigrant CampFlorida Taps Contractors With No Detention Experience for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’DeSantis vetoes bill aimed at limiting corruption in officeThe best and worst of Florida's 2025 session (so far)House Bill 1445 – Public Officers and EmployeesQuestions 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

In this episode: Florida’s attorney general defied a federal court order and bragged about it on TV. A trio of appellate court judges colluded to strike down a state law. The board of education ordered a school superintendent to break the rules and ban more books. And the governor seized property to build an immigrant prison in the Everglades. Each of these would be an extraordinary story on its own. But taken together, they show just how far the authoritarian state has expanded in Florida. Show notes: Judge finds Florida attorney general in contempt over immigration lawHow a Florida court took unusual steps to limit abortion access for minorsAs Hillsborough book battle unfolds, other districts wonder who’s nextFlorida seizes Everglades land to house detained migrants in ‘Alligator Alcatraz’Read the federal judge’s order finding Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in contempt of court Read Uthmeier’s legal briefs and the Florida appellate court’s opinion in a case permitting parents to force their kids to give birthWatch comments from Board of Education members ordering a school superintendent to ban more books and see the list of books they wanted bannedQuestions 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

In this episode: They say a budget reflects your values. And if that’s true, state lawmakers in Florida sure do value culture wars. The new state budget pours more than $100 million of taxpayer money into culture-war crusades — including cash for anti-abortion activists, new book-banning software, and an “economic freedom” center that invented an award for Ron DeSantis and praises Donald Trump’s tariffs. Show notesA few recent Seeking Rents stories on Florida’s new $115 billion budget: In Tallahassee, a feast of tax breaks for businesses – and table scraps for everyone elseFlorida lawmakers may unleash a last-second expansion of school privatizationFlorida taxpayers will help fund a lavish pay package for a new university presidentLawmakers just slashed Ron DeSantis' budget for high-priced lawyersQuestions 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

In this episode: Florida lawmakers are springing some last-minute surprises as they inch toward a final budget deal — including a potentially massive charter school expansion. An update from Day 100 of the Florida Legislature’s 60-day-session. Yes, you read that right. Show notesThe bills discussed in today’s show:House Bill 1267 — Education Senate Bill 1708 — EducationHouse Bill 1115 — Education (specifically this amendment) House Bill 1427 — Nursing Education Programs (specifically this amendment)Senate Bill 2510 — Prekindergarten Through Grade 12 EducationSenate Bill 2514 — Health and Human ServicesHouse education budget offer — Conforming Bill (SB 2510)House healthcare budget offer — Conforming Bill (SB 2514)Senate administered funds budget offer — Budget 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

In this episode: Across the country, state-level politicians are hollowing out home rule, robbing communities of the freedom to make their own choices, and seizing power for themselves. They are doing it by weaponizing a legal tool known as “preemption.” Katie Belanger of the Local Solutions Support Center, an advocacy group that fights for home-rule rights, joins the show to talk about what preemption is and how states are abusing it.Show notesLSSC’s roundup of some of the most egregious preemptions that have passed around the country in 2025A brief history of abusive preemptions in FloridaAnd a case study: No water, no shade: How homebuilders, farming companies and construction firms got politicians to reject heat rules for outdoor workers in FloridaQuestions 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

In this episode: Ron DeSantis made a college lower its standards so he could make a middling politician its president. He tried to use a university presidency as a dumping ground for another politician no one liked. It was just a matter of time before political goons came for the state’s most prestigious school, too. Meanwhile, in Tallahassee: Lawmakers are finally negotiating a new state budget, while the governor flails away online.Show notesMaxwell: Politics at Florida universities is really about the griftOut-of-state employees, a Paris trip, missing vehicles: Florida legislators question spendingFlorida Crossroads – OcklawahaQuestions 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

In this episode: The Florida Legislature has agreed to give giant tax breaks to businesses — and table scraps to everyone else. The Republican Party of Florida is defending a law that takes rights away from its own voters. And Florida’s governor is cashing in on his veto power.For show notesThe bills discussed in today’s show:House Bill 1205 — Amendments to the State ConstitutionHouse Bill 6017 — Recovery of Damages for Medical Negligence Resulting in DeathHouse Bill 105 — Pari-mutuel WageringA New Crackdown on Ballot Initiatives Unnerves Florida OrganizersRead Florida Decides Healthcare’s complaint in the lawsuit against House Bill 1205Questions 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

In this episode: Ron DeSantis is once again flexing political muscle in Florida, seizing control of more state universities and joining forces with the state’s Big Business lobby. But after yet another attempt to develop conservation land collapsed in controversy — and amid a new criminal investigation into DeSantis’ “Hope Florida” charity — it’s clear that Florida’s governor can’t get away with everything any more. Show notes: The Florida Senate gave Ron DeSantis an inch. He's taking a mile.Maxwell: DeSantis in hot seat with Hope Florida probe and “Free Kill’ veto Who was behind Florida’s latest public land deal? DeSantis won’t say. Criminal investigation launched related to Hope Florida, prosecutors sayHouse Bill 6017 — Recovery of Damages for Medical Negligence Resulting in DeathQuestions 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

In this episode: Well, everyone knows the Florida Legislature’s 2025 session broke down in dysfunction. What this podcast presupposes is…maybe it didn’t? Show notesThe bills discussed in today’s show:Senate Bill 1620 — Mental Health and Substance Use DisordersHouse Bill 913 — Condominium and Cooperative Associations Senate Bill 56 — Geoengineering and Weather Modification Activities Senate Bill 1388 — Vessels House Bill 1205 — Amendments to the State Constitution Senate Bill 498 — Trust Fund Interest for Purposes Approved by the Supreme CourtHouse Bill 1549 — Financial Institutions House Bill 173 — Interest on Trust Accounts Program Interest RatesHouse GOP demands text messages, emails from DeSantis administration in spending probeLawmaker says DeSantis administration is withholding Hope Florida recordsBanks lobbyists want to slash funding for legal support programsQuestions 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