How big tech is trying to influence Florida's elections

News and commentary for Floridians and all Americans concerned about the future of our democracy

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Enormous data centers that suck up the water supply and cause electric rates to skyrocket are wildly unpopular.

But that isn’t stopping tech giants from using their money and influence to get their way— especially here in Florida.

While I am on the road this week, I’m still keeping up with news worth sharing, and I commend independent journalist Jason Garcia’s report on how Facebook is meddling in Florida elections.

Here’s a sample:

Meta Platforms — the Big Tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram and a leading developer of hyperscale data centers — just launched a campaign to fill the Florida Legislature with politicians friendly to the artificial intelligence industry.

The Mark Zuckerberg-led corporation is already funding advertisements on behalf of one key lawmaker: Rep. Mike Redondo, a Republican from Miami who is in line to become speaker of the Florida House of Representatives in a few years.

Redondo is part of a House GOP leadership team that killed a proposed “AI bill of rights” earlier this year that would have, among other things, exposed AI companies to heavy financial penalties if they permitted children to use chatbots without oversight from parents.

House leaders also weakened a law regulating large data centers just before passing it in March — via a last-minute amendment removing a provision from the bill that would have forbid local governments from signing non-disclosure agreements that hide the identities of data center operators like Meta.

You can read the full report and subscribe to Jason Garcia’s Substack newsletter here:

See you soon

I’m on a two-week sabbatical, but will be back before the Florida primary election. In the meantime, I hope to use this space to share articles of interest from guest contributors from time to time, such as today’s article.

I hope you found it thought-provoking. If so, please feel free to share it with friends.

Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.

The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement through original reporting and commentary as well as shared stories such as today’s.

Currently, Tropic Press reaches more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.

You can help spread the word.

Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.

With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.

Thanks.

J.C. Bruce