Rich Waltzer, a top donor to Gov. Ron DeSantisā 2024 presidential campaignā, once bragged that his company made a fortune selling drinks to Fidel Castro ā and insiders say the situation is getting awkward.
, Waltzer, āwhen asked to name his beverage company’s best customerā Waltzer breezily name-dropped Cubaās longtime dictator, who died in 2016.
āHe’s paying cash up frontā¦It doesn’t get any better than that,ā Waltzer said of Castro.
Waltzerās company, Splash Tropical Drinks of Fort Lauderdale — which has since rebranded to Procurement Systems, Inc. — sold $1 million in cola and juice concentrates, ice cream and daiquiri mixes over a four-year period under a law passed in 2000 to allow US firms sell food and agricultural products to Cuba.Ā
While the program had humanitarian roots, it drew scorn from Miamiās Cuban exile community — a powerful Republican enclave that has long pushed for the economic isolation of Cubaās communist regime.
While some high-profile donors like Ken Griffinš³ and Stephen Schwarzman have moved away from DeSantis, Waltzer and his wife Brooke lately have been touting their support.
āWe spent the weekend at #steineriksonlodge in ź§#deervalley #utah as complimentary guests of Governor DeSantis!!!!,ā Brooke Waltzer posted on her Instagram account earlierš³ this week.
āHe hosted 70 of his top individual donors in the country. We rank #6 in Florida andš #17 for the country.ā
While it’s unclear exactly how much money the couple donated, the fact that DeSantis has accepted cash from someone who did business with the Cuban government is rankling some Floridians, insiders told On The Money.
āIt is absolutely concerning tš²hat one of Ron DeSantisā top bundlers has openly bragged about profiting off of Fidel Castro and his ą¶£communist regime,ā GOP fundraiser Caroline Wren told On The Money.
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āGovernor DeSantis is absent from Florida amid an insurance crisis — fundraising from a man who worked hand-in-hand with a government that oppressed hundreds of thousands of Floridians,ā Wren said.Ā
While Waltzerās wife is pushing their GOP donor bona fides, he hasnāt always advocated for Republican candidates. In 2009, he encouraging attendees to donate to Democrats in the hopes they would end the embargo ļ·½on Cuba.
Waltzer has also donated toš“ the New Cuba PAC which advocates ending any embargo on trade with the commšunist regime.
The Deer Valley event hosted by DeSantis in Park City, Utah, earlier this week raised eyebrows among the fundraising class who felt it was egregious to spend money on š«a resort stay the same week DeSantis is firing staffers to save campaign cash.
āItās ironic to now hear DeSantis is scalingā back spending theš ŗ same week he hosts a $90,000 event at a five-star Deer Valley resort,ā Wren added.
A spokeswoman for DeSantis dšidnāt respond toš¬ a request for comment.