Hotel perks: ‘Corruption’ for some, not others

Last week, the Florida Supreme Court suspended a Miami judge for 90 days without pay for failing to report free stays at luxury hotels — gifts that put her husband, a building inspector, in jail.

The inspector is awaiting trial on public corruption charges — accused of taking “free hotel stays and gifts from the RIU hotel chain in exchange for favors to help speed up renovations at the company’s South Beach resort,” according to the Miami Herald. Sounds pretty clear, doesn’t it? Public officials can’t take free things from businesses that want favors from them.

Yet Florida legislators take free hotel rooms — along with free meals and theme park tickets — from theme parks that need legislative favors year after year.

And nobody bats an eye ... much less busts out the handcuffs.

Over the past decade, Universal Orlando alone has donated more than $1.7 million worth of hotel rooms, tickets, VIP tours, food, drink and more to both parties. The parties can then turn around and give the freebies to legislators as part of fundraising events. It’s legalized laundering. Republicans get their turn to play at Universal this Saturday.

An invitation notes that GOP members of both the House and Senate have been offered “VIP Tours of Universal Studios,” a “CityWalk Dinner Reception,” primo seats for a Mardis Gras parade and more.

Want to join them? Well, you can … if you’re willing to pay anyway. Instructions tell lobbyists who want to cozy up with legislators to make all checks to the GOP’s House and Senate campaign efforts,

Think about how convenient that is for lobbyists. They get VIP access to the rides — and the lawmakers they hope to influence right before the legislative session. It’s like a fast pass to impropriety.

The theme parks (Disney donates, too) have long said there’s nothing improper about the gifts. Universal once told the Sentinel that its parties are simply “a great opportunity to showcase our

destination.”

Well, they pay for that opportunity. State records show that Universal has given more than $1.4 million worth of freebies to the Republican Party of Florida and more than $300,000 to the Democrats over the past decade.

Why so much more to GOP? Not necessarily because Spider-man and Harry Potter are Young Republicans, but because Republicans are the power party in this state — and best positioned to do favors.

(Also keep in mind: Those freebies are just the “in-kind” contributions. Universal and its parent company give big chunks of cash to the parties as well — $20,000 and $50,000 at a time. Disney cuts checks twice that size.)

If you’re wondering what kind of favors legislators might be able to do for Universal, think about tax breaks … millions of dollars worth.

Six years ago, the Sentinel blew the lid off a particularly ridiculous break that allowed Universal to avoid paying millions in taxes by claiming it was part of a “highcrime” neighborhood.

If you’ve never thought of Wizarding World and Seuss Landing as “highcrime,” you’re not alone. They’re not. But thanks to a flaw in legislation designed to help impoverished communities, Universal and its hotel partners were able to take advantage of $8 million worth of these not-sotargeted tax breaks.

Yes, subsidies meant to spur development in struggling communities instead helped Universal build four-star hotels and pad its profit margins as revenues crossed the $1 billion mark.

Well, after people found out, they went nuts. And legislators vowed to change the law.

Only guess what (never) happened?

Somehow these legislators — you know, the ones who enjoy regularly comped rooms and freebies at Universal — never got around to closing that loophole. Even when legislation was drafted, it never managed to attract enough votes to pass. I wonder why. Now, technically, I don’t know that the lawmakers will be getting all their goodies for free at this weekend’s fun-fest. I know they have in the past. I also know I asked both the House and Senate offices what portion, if any, legislators would pay themselves — and neither office would answer the question.

Maybe — for a completely refreshing change — every one of these politicians will decide to pay their own way for every room night, dinner bite and wine sip they take. Sure. But if they don’t — as they haven’t in the past — maybe one of these legislators can go explain to that South Florida judge (the one whose husband was arrested for taking free hotel rooms) why their free hotel rooms are so different.

Because their gift was laundered?

Because the theme park gave their suite to a committee before the committee gave it to the lawmaker?

Because they don’t think anyone can prove a quid pro quo?

Sure. Whatever you want to tell yourselves … over your “in-kind” dinner and drinks.