Gruters' Vending Machine Politics Is Why Florida Is Unaffordable

Put the money in, and the legislation comes out. In a wide-ranging interview with WTSP, Kelly Kirschner explains how Florida’s property insurance crisis shows exactly how Gruters vending machine politics works, and why families are paying for it. As Jason Garcia reported this summer in Seeking Rents, Sen. Joe Gruters carried a bill taken word for word from the lobbyist for a Chicago insurance company. He delivered the lobbyist’s talking points on the Senate floor, the bill passed, and the Governor signed it. Then Sydney Gruters’ campaign collected $670,000 from the property insurance industry. Meanwhile, homeowners and condo owners across Southwest Florida are watching their rates climb as much as 15% a year. Kirschner asks the question at the center of this race: who is our government serving? He has a record that answers it. As Sarasota commissioner and mayor, he passed the most comprehensive municipal campaign finance reform in Florida, took on FPL, and clawed back millions of dollars for taxpayers. His campaign takes no corporate PAC money. In Congress, he will co-sponsor legislation to undo Citizens United and get dark money out of our elections. The district has been carved up twice in four years. Kirschner is running a lean, volunteer-powered campaign across all six of its counties, and his message is resonating with Democrats, independents and Republicans alike. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Learn more at https://kellykirschner.com/ #KirschnerForCongress #KellyKirschner #FL16 #LetsFixThis Chapters 0:00 Why Kelly Kirschner is running 0:44 Money in politics and Citizens United 1:44 Gruters vending machine politics: insurance money in, rate hikes out 2:36 Meet Louie 3:06 Roots across the district 4:52 Reaching Republican and independent voters 5:52 The contrast: a record of service 7:09 On the doors 8:15 Peace Corps lessons and a lean campaign 9:19 Campaigning across six counties 11:06 Money, AI-generated ads and campaign finance reform 12:17 The congressman he looks up to: Dan Miller 13:07 Reaching immigrant and Latino communities 13:49 New College and public education 15:36 Why he can make a difference: tariffs and health care