May 1, 1997
Sugar Daddie$by Gregory Boller Last October, when the Clinton campaign faced criticism from the GOP over contributions from the Indonesian Riady family, it tried to turn the tables by pointing to the vice chairman of Dole's campaign finance committee: Cuban-born sugar magnate José Fanjul of Palm Beach, Fla. Fanjul recently applied for U.S. citizenship, but his status as a legal resident makes him ineligible to vote. He and his family compensate with staggering contributions to Republicans -- and Democrats. Brother Alfonso even earned an invitation to a Clinton kaffeeklatsche attended by fundraiser Terry McAuliffe, among others. The Fanjuls' total giving has been consistently underreported because they give through an array of family members, companies, executives, and PACs. During the 1995-96 election cycle, members of the Fanjul family contributed $774,500 to federal campaigns. This total includes $135,500 in PAC money, $141,000 to candidates, and $498,000 in soft money from companies owned or controlled by the Fanjuls (see below). Add in $128,080 from the Fanjuls' closest advisers and senior executives and the Fanjuls' generosity totals $902,580. It's an excellent investment. In return, a grateful Congress maintains a sugar price support program worth approximately $65 million annually to the Fanjuls.
Hard Money From Fanjul Family and Executives |
| Individual | Flo-Sun PAC | Fla. Sugar Cane League PAC | Adam Smith PAC | Monday Morning PAC | |
| Alexander Fanjul | 13,500 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 1,000 | 0 |
| Alfonso Fanjul Jr. | 23,000 | 5,500 | 5,500 | 0 | 0 |
| Andres Fanjul | 14,500 | 10,000 | 5,500 | 1,000 | 0 |
| Cathie Fanjul | 8,000 | 12,000 | 5,000 | 1,000 | 0 |
| Emilia Fanjul | 16,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 4,000 |
| Emilia H. Fanjul | 3,000 | 0 | 1,000 | 0 | 0 |
| José Fanjul | 25,500 | 5,500 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 0 |
| José Fanjul Jr. | 11,500 | 0 | 2,500 | 0 | 0 |
| Nicole Fanjul | 13,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 1,000 | 0 |
| Luis Fernandez | 13,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Family Totals | $141,000 | $63,000 | $54,500 | $14,000 | $4,000 |
| Erik Blomquist | 7,500 | 8,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Van Boyette | 6,930 | 8,150 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donald Carson | 4,500 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Jorge Dominicis | 9,000 | 9,000 | 7,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Oscar Hernandez | 7,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Alberto Recio | 3,500 | 5,000 | 4,000 | 0 | 1,000 |
| José Valdivia | 7,500 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Executive Totals | $45,930 | $50,150 | $31,000 | $0 | $1,000 |
| Totals | $186,930 | $113,150 | $85,500 | $14,000 | $5,000 |
Soft Money From Fanjul Private Corporations
(1995-96 Election Cycle)
| Democrats | Republicans | Total | |
| Flo-Sun Land Corp. | 50,000 | 45,000 | 95,000 |
| Flo-Sun Sugar | 49,500 | 40,000 | 89,500 |
| Okeelanta Corp. | 10,000 | 63,500 | 73,500 |
| Osceola Farms | 30,000 | 30,000 | 60,000 |
| Flo-Sun Inc. | 30,000 | 20,000 | 50,000 |
| New Farm Inc. | 10,000 | 20,000 | 30,000 |
| New Hope Sugar | 5,000 | 20,000 | 25,000 |
| South Florida Industries | 5,000 | 20,000 | 25,000 |
| Florida Crystals Refinery | 15,000 | 0 | 15,000 |
| Florida Atlantic Land Corp. | 0 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| New Hope South | 10,000 | 0 | 10,000 |
| Sem-Chi Products | 0 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Kendall Sugar Cane | 5,000 | 0 | 5,000 |
| Totals | $219,500 | $278,500 | $498,000 |
Gregory Boller is an associate professor of marketing at the University of Memphis.
Source: Federal Election Commission
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