Raising 'Sugar-Cane': Investigative Report Follows the Money Trail
(Posted October 4, 2011 08::40 am) | Part II
By Les Coleman
BELLE GLADE, FL - In South Florida, sugar cane is king. Courting political favors is high on the sugar agenda, led by Flo-Sun, a holding company for Domino Sugar.
Flo-Sun is controlled by the Fanjul family, who came
to Florida from Cuba after the revolution that ended in
1959. Brothers Pepe' and Alfonso have doled out
thousands of dollars to support Florida congressional
and state office holders who have sweetened the sugar
bottom line. Former Florida GOP Congressman Adam Putnam
received $61,000.
When Putnam was named State Agriculture Commissioner, he
voted to delay a ban on sugary drinks in Florida public
schools.
David Guest, Florida managing attorney (regional
director) for the public interest law firm Earthjustice,
has been tracking Big Sugar's influence in Florida
politics, and says it has long been a major one.
"Historically, there has always been a close connection
with one of the biggest industries in the state, surely
the most concentrated, very influential. During Rick
Scott's inauguration, right there is the front row was
Bob Coker from U.S. Sugar."
Robert E. Coker is vice-president for public affairs at
the United States Sugar Corporation
After taking office last January, Governor Scott opposed
an Army Corp of Engineers project in the Everglades that
would take back land from sugar cane growers.
So far in 2011, the Fanjul family's Flo-Sun company has
spent $345,000 lobbying while U.S. Sugar has spent
$80,000.
Florida sugar interests have proven skillful at getting
their way, especially when it comes to the U.S. Farm
Bill. David Guest says they get a very good price for
their product.
"Well, I know one fact, that sugar's so high it's well
above the price support system. The sugar companies
would sell to the federal government any sugar that they
couldn't sell, at the rate of 22 cents a pound. At the
time the world price was 10 cents a pound."
Florida sugar has good reason to sweeten the political
campaign process with contributions. As we previously
reported, the move by the industry to produce biofuel
ethanol, in competition with U.S. Midwest corn
producers, could drive up sugar prices worldwide and
make Florida-based sugar cane growers and processors,
like the Fanjul brothers, very happy.
This investigative report was produced with cooperation from The American Independent News Network.