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New at Seeking Rents: A new state law touted as a way to “protect” Floridians from the impacts of giant data centers may actually be accelerating the development of giant data centers around the state. jasongarcia.substack.com/p/new-law-ha...

New law has Florida 'open for business' for AI data centers, utility execs sayCompanies that sell electricity love Florida's new data center development law.jasongarcia.substack.com

Florida Power & Light increased projected electricity demand from hyperscale data centers and other "large load" customers by 33% – from 6 gigawatts to 8 gigawatts by 2032 – after Ron DeSantis signed a new law that utility execs say will spur data center development in Florida.

The parent company of TECO (Tampa Electric Co.) loves Florida's new data center law, too. Emera Inc.'s CEO told investment analysts that the law "sets a clear path for data center development."

Execs at utility giant Florida Power & Light say the new data center law that Ron DeSantis signed in May will actually *encourage* data center development in Florida. From FPL parent NextEra Energy Inc.'s Q2 earnings call last week:

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier used his office earlier this year to help Fontainebleau Hotel in its bid to build an onsite waterpark despite local opposition. The famed hotel is owned by billionaire Jeffrey Soffer – who also owns a casino that donated $25K to Uthmeier.

New: Data center interests have spent more than $22 million on campaign contributions in Florida ahead of the 2026 elections. Roughly a quarter of the money ($5.8 million) has been spent boosting Byron Donalds, the leading Republican candidate for governor. jasongarcia.substack.com/p/data-cente...

New: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is trying to help Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. avoid paying $243 million to victims of a fatal car crash involving the company’s Autopilot driving technology. jasongarcia.substack.com/p/floridas-a...

Florida's attorney general is trying to help Elon Musk's Tesla get out of a $243 million verdictFlorida in Five: Five stories to read from the past week in Florida politics.jasongarcia.substack.com

State economists have developed city-by-city estimates of the fallout from Amendment 3, the proposed constitutional amendment that would drastically cut and cap property taxes in Florida. Ie: The city of Orlando would lose ~$100 million in annual revenue by year 5. edr.state.fl.us/Content/conf...

Lobbyists for Braman Management, the car dealership company led by Miami billionaire and GOP megadonor Norman Braman, got Florida lawmakers to pass a law intended to thwart a potential distribution deal between a Spanish carmaker and a rival dealer group. jasongarcia.substack.com/p/a-favor-fo...

A favor for a billionaire car dealer and Republican megadonor, tucked inside a transportation lawA new law meant to make car companies sell through more middleman car dealers was pushed behind the scenes by Braman Management, the Miami dealership company founded by a GOP megadonor, records show.jasongarcia.substack.com

New: Cities, counties and towns across Florida could lose close to a quarter of their annual property tax collections, if voters approve a state-backed ballot measure this fall that would cut and cap local property taxes: jasongarcia.substack.com/p/state-back...

State-backed ballot measure could wipe out a quarter of local property tax collectionsFlorida in Five: Five stories to read from the past week in Florida politics.jasongarcia.substack.com

New: A law meant to end abusive sales practices in pet stores was weakened by lobbyists for a national pet retailer that sells 8,000+ puppies a year in Florida — and that donated $50,000 to top Florida politicians just before the 2026 legislative session: jasongarcia.substack.com/p/a-national...

A national chain selling puppies for profit lobbied to weaken new rules for pet stores, records showPetland Inc., which had a key provision stripped from Florida's new pet-store law, gave $50,000 to top politicians in Tallahassee just before the start of the 2026 session.jasongarcia.substack.com

Hello, friends in northeast Florida! I'm headed to Jacksonville on Friday for a live event with @craigtimes.bsky.social and Chadd Charland of the "Welcome to Florida" podcast. We'll be at Happy Medium Books Cafe from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Join us! happymediumbookscafe.com/events/welco...

Welcome to Florida and Seeking Rents Live Podcast Event - Best bookstore café in Jacksonville, FL | Happy Medium Books CaféJoin best-selling Florida author Craig Pittman and Chadd Charland from the "Welcome to Florida" podcast along with Florida's No. 1 government watchdog Jasonhappymediumbookscafe.com

This is a tax break for Floridians serving as ambassadors... ...and Donald Trump just nominated state House Speaker Danny Perez to be Ambassador to Brazil.

New: Tucked inside the Florida Legislature's new "tax package" is a potentially lucrative perk for a few Donald Trump appointees jasongarcia.substack.com/p/a-new-tax-...

A new tax break for Trump appointeesFlorida in Five: Five stories to read from the past week in Florida politics.jasongarcia.substack.com

There's a lot in this list....

New: A tour of Florida's new state budget, from money for Mike Huckabee to tax cuts for casinos: jasongarcia.substack.com/p/a-tour-of-...

A tour of Florida's new state budget, from money for Mike Huckabee to tax cuts for casinosA look at some of the more interesting line items, tax breaks and policy changes embedded in the $115 billion budget that Florida state lawmakers will approve tomorrow.jasongarcia.substack.com

Update: A spokesperson for Guidry reached out Tuesday morning to say he did not lobby for the measure and has no present plans to sell more land to the state. "His company had nothing to do with the request or the language and currently has no plans to sell land to the state."

New: A brand-new company backed by a venture capital fund connected to right-wing billionaire Charles Koch could get $2 million from Florida taxpayers under an eleventh-hour earmark that top lawmakers have agreed to add to the new state budget. jasongarcia.substack.com/p/a-koch-con...

A Koch-connected school choice contractor could get $2 million from Florida taxpayersA last-minute budget earmark pushed by House Speaker Danny Perez orders the hiring of a vendor to implement a new system of federally funded private school scholarships.jasongarcia.substack.com

Florida is about to start down the road to using artificial intelligence to determine eligibility for food stamps. State lawmakers agreed to add this procurement language to the new state budget during a late-night meeting yesterday:

A bit of nice budget news: The Florida Senate added back funding for renovations at the Central Florida Zoo, which has been hit with ~$200K in unexpected costs caring for a group of dangerously sick sloths that were rescued from the failed "Sloth World' tourist trap in Orlando.