Captains for Clean Water, Everglades Foundation Received $600k in Government PPP Funds

The Everglades Foundation and Captains for Clean Water, left-wing environmentalist organizations located in the southern half of Florida, received large sums of taxpayer funds in the form of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans, detailed in a report by the Floridian.

The PPP is a taxpayer funded, government program meant to aid businesses who endured financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Everglades Foundation was founded by Paul Tudor Jones II, a liberal billionaire. He’s donated to two major Democrat Campaigns this year, Andrew Cuomo and Terry McAulliffe.

Last year, the Everglades Foundation raised nearly $11 million dollars. With $1.2 million in net income, they still applied for and received $566 thousand in forgivable PPP loans. 

Which means it’s free money on the taxpayers’ dime.

Captains for Clean Water also received nearly $80 thousand in the program, which effectively gives free money to businesses and organizations.

Conservatives are criticizing the program, questioning why left-wing activist groups are being funded by the government. 

Several Southwest Florida lawmakers condemned the Everglades Foundation and Captains for Clean Water for taking out PPP loans. 

“We can add the Captains for Clean Water to the long list of nonprofits that began as a movement, became a business, and ended up as a racket. With 11 employees feeding at the trough of taxpayer money, we need to ask a lot more questions on where this money is going. It seems they are much more focused on selling hats than saving water,” stated State Rep. Spencer Roach in a statement to The Floridian.

Rep. Roach’s colleague, State Rep. Mike Giallombardo, believes that the money given to these non-profits should have gone to the small business owners the program was initially supposed to help.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds told The Floridian that he was “shocked” to hear that the Everglades Foundation received the loan. “Why does an environmental advocacy group need PPP funds? This makes no sense,” question Donalds.

Recently, the groups have undergone scrutiny for their questionable dealings and politicized “environmental” efforts in Southwest Florida.

Brendon Leslie contributed to this story.