I'm sure you could find singular examples in any state. That's how exceptions work.
In Florida, though, my experience has been that corruption is far more endemic and culturally accepted.
There's a reason no president has ever come from Florida politics -- despite being the 3rd most populous state (more people than NY!) -- the skills and acceptable approaches down here don't fly in the rest of the county.
F.ex. the publicly-regulated utility covering most of the state (FPL) financed a third party candidate (up to $3m) in a state senate race. That candidate didn't campaign, but did happen to have the same last name as the incumbent, who had been critical of FPL and pushed reform efforts. The incumbent lost by 32 votes. [0]
Or the (again regulated-FPL-adjacent) takeover attempt of the sole remaining city-run utility company in Florida (JEA) that collapsed in a flurry of federal charges over kickbacks and undeclared secret bonus clauses. [1]
And this is just "business as usual" in Florida.
Shady stuff happens in other states, sure, but at least people elsewhere have the decency to be ashamed about what they're doing.
Although problematically, most are measured as having strong anti-corruption laws, which would likely increase the number of convictions and journalist coverage of corruption (thus, stronger laws = more visible corruption).
In Florida, though, my experience has been that corruption is far more endemic and culturally accepted.
There's a reason no president has ever come from Florida politics -- despite being the 3rd most populous state (more people than NY!) -- the skills and acceptable approaches down here don't fly in the rest of the county.
F.ex. the publicly-regulated utility covering most of the state (FPL) financed a third party candidate (up to $3m) in a state senate race. That candidate didn't campaign, but did happen to have the same last name as the incumbent, who had been critical of FPL and pushed reform efforts. The incumbent lost by 32 votes. [0]
Or the (again regulated-FPL-adjacent) takeover attempt of the sole remaining city-run utility company in Florida (JEA) that collapsed in a flurry of federal charges over kickbacks and undeclared secret bonus clauses. [1]
And this is just "business as usual" in Florida.
Shady stuff happens in other states, sure, but at least people elsewhere have the decency to be ashamed about what they're doing.
[0] https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2022/07/22/operatives-workin...
[1] https://stories.usatodaynetwork.com/moneyandpower/home/