# Florida Crystals **Florida Crystals** is a sugar company based in West Palm Beach, Florida, and the main American business of the Fanjul family. The Fanjuls built a sugar fortune in Cuba, left after the revolution, and started again on land near Lake Okeechobee in 1960. Through their holding company, Fanjul Corp., they now own Domino Sugar and its refineries and hold a 35 percent stake in Central Romana, the largest employer in the Dominican Republic. The family has funded both parties for decades. In 2026 a former White House adviser named the sugar industry's money as the reason a food policy died. ## Who runs it The company is led by brothers Alfonso "Alfy" Fanjul Jr. and José "Pepe" Fanjul, with other family members. The brothers have long divided their politics. Alfy raised money for Democrats, including Bill Clinton. Pepe gives to Republicans and hosted a fundraiser for [[Donald Trump]] in May 2024. Secretary of State [[Marco Rubio]] thanked the family for its support in his memoir. ## Money to Trump's political operation | Date | Recipient | Amount | |---|---|---| | 2024-07-30 | Make America Great Again Inc. (C00825851) | $1,000,000 | | 2025-01-15 | [[MAGA Inc]] (C00892471) | $1,000,000 | | 2025-02-27 | MAGA Inc | $1,000,000 | | 2026-07-23 | MAGA Inc | $1,000,000 | The three contributions of the 2025–26 cycle are covered in [[Florida Crystals 3M to MAGA Inc]]. The company also appears on the list of donors to the [[White House Ballroom Project]] that the *Washington Post* published in October 2026. ## Decisions that went its way - **Import ban lifted.** In 2022, [[Customs and Border Protection]] blocked sugar from Central Romana after finding indicators of forced labor on its plantations. The Trump administration modified the order in 2025 and shipments resumed. A watchdog report in August 2026 found conditions unchanged. Central Romana disputes the findings. The episode is covered in the [[Trump Corruption News Log]]. - **A food definition that stalled.** In 2026 the White House held back a federal definition of ultraprocessed food that Health Secretary [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]] wanted to publish, and blocked a letter in which he backed a petition to declare some refined carbohydrates unsafe. The White House cited legal and trade concerns. ## The "sugar money" allegation In November 2026, former Kennedy adviser [[Calley Means]] said that when he pushed for action on sugar, chief of staff [[Susie Wiles]] told him, "I need sugar money," meaning industry donations for the midterms. Wiles denies it and no one else has confirmed the remark. In the accounts reviewed here, Means speaks of the sugar industry in general and not of a named company. Florida Crystals is the sugar company whose seven-figure gifts to the President's super PAC are on the public record. See [[MAGA vs. MAHA]]. ## See also - [[Florida Crystals 3M to MAGA Inc]] · [[MAGA vs. MAHA]] · [[MAGA Inc]] - [[Marco Rubio]] · [[White House Ballroom Project]] · [[Trump Corruption News Log]] - [[Donor Network Hub]] · [[Conflict of Interest]]