BIG SUGAR MONEY IS TOXIC: Just ask Ken Pruitt. By Geniusofdespair

Adam Locke: the Lone Candidate for St. Lucie County Property Appraiser with Ken Pruitt Dropping Out

Admitting he has no chance to win, Ken Pruitt, who has been a lobbyist for Big Sugar (Florida Crystals), has dropped out of the Property Appraiser race against Adam Locke. Pruitt has been the Property Appraiser for 6 years and he was the former President of the Florida Senate. Certainly he was a force to be reckoned with, but Big Sugar has done him in.

One of the reasons Adam Locke decided to run is because he is worried about the potential decrease in property values of the houses that line the waterfront of St. Lucie County. The dumping of polluted sugar water from Lake Okeechobee to the coast is destroying the pristine St. Lucie water bodies and, thus, hurting tourism,  jobs and property values. Locke has been campaigning on fairness for all homeowners while Ken Pruitt was taking money from polluters. Pruitt saw he was in a losing battle with Adam Locke.

Ken Pruitt

Pruitt angered the Treasure Coast Newspapers when he refused to discuss whether he would keep his "lucrative lobbying business" or give it up and be a full-time county property appraiser. Pruitt's sugar client was a big beef of the newspapers' editorials.

Anyway, at the moment Locke has the Property Appraiser post locked up. This is an example of how toxic sugar money is to a politician. The environment will win on this one. Let's hope other candidates with sugar ties go down the drain.