this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
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A recent skirmish over the 1 percent's feces is currently being worked out by the Florida state legislature.

One of the places that Jeff Bezos lives is a man-made island off the coast of Florida called Indian Creek Village. The island is predominantly populated by other billionaires and is colloquially known as the “Billionaire Bunker.” In fact, if you’re not a billionaire, it’s quite difficult to get in. The bridge from the mainland to the island is closed to the public and protected by armed guards and a sophisticated security system.

However, if the island is almost entirely cut off from the rest of humanity, the island’s inhabitants still seem intent on sharing one thing with members of the outside world: their piss and shit.

Indian Creek doesn’t have the underground infrastructure to deal with its own poop, so the solution it came up with was to funnel it through Surfside into a wider regional sewage system. Unfortunately, Surfside didn’t want the poop unless Indian Creek was willing to contribute $10 million to the community for future sewer system improvements. Indian Creek has referred to this request as “extortion.”

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Sounds like the perfect location for a couple dozen daisy cutters.

[–] BigBenis@lemmy.world 97 points 22 hours ago (4 children)

For reference, $10M is 1% of $1B. Jeff Bezos is worth $225B, so that would be 1/225 of 1% for him to foot the bill. Considering there are many other multi-billionaires living on that island, that brings our fraction of a single percent of their collective wealth closer and closer to effectively zero.

The greed of billionaires is unfathomable.

[–] billwashere@lemmy.world 2 points 27 minutes ago

And that’s just him footing the bill. I’m assuming other billionaires on the island would help cover the cost. So essentially it would cost him couch change to just make it go away. Yep sounds about right.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 4 points 45 minutes ago

1/225 of 1% for him to foot the bill.

You don't become a billionaire by picking up your own tab.

[–] Initiateofthevoid@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

The greed of billionaires is unfathomable.

And the insane short-sightedness that is inevitably leading us all to climate collapse. Even when they think they're being smart, they're just idiots.

The island is predominantly populated by other billionaires and is colloquially known as the “Billionaire Bunker.”

Good luck surviving in your bunkers when you don't even manage your own waste. Whether society collapses or the people finally turn on you, the mainland sewage system isn't going to keep working for long. It's yet another example that they don't actually know what the hell they're doing.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 6 points 14 hours ago

It's on the East Coast of Florida. It won't survive much.

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 11 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

They all think by reading Atlas Shrugged they are equipped to live on their own little paradise island from the poors.

I believed in that book too. For like a year in my 20s, then I actually learned how the world works. These dumb asses never did. They learned how to take advantage of people, thats it.

[–] stopdropandprole@lemmy.world 3 points 34 minutes ago (1 children)

so many of the world's problems boil down to a handful of tech bros who made that book their entire personality.

congratulations on escaping the Rand death cult

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 23 minutes ago

Its pretty crazy when you think about it

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 2 points 36 minutes ago

Remember back in 2008, curiously right after Obama was elected and the conservatives were really feeling their neo-confederate roots, all the Republicans in my neighborhood started passing "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" amongst themselves. For some reason, nobody ever bothers to read "Anthem" or get to the back half of "I, Robot" in these groups.

They learned how to take advantage of people, thats it.

It's not a small skill. For every filthy rich oligarch, living off the accrued labor of thousands of proles, there are a hundred hustlers and influencers and drop shippers and mid-level MLMers who sling just enough slop around to make ends meet. For every drop shipper, there are a hundred factory workers churning out consumerist crap at pennies on the retail dollar, so the drop shippers have something hock.

Being at the top of an empire of greed and exploitation is a full time job. It's not all yacht cruises and prostitute orgies. You spend a bunch of time selling $10k glasses of water in the sweat tents of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. You spend a lot of time pissing out all that Ketamine while pretending to be the best Fortnite player on Earth.

[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 8 points 21 hours ago

Unfathomable is right. Especially when you consider that his net worth will continue to soar for the foreseeable future.

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 195 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Classic oligarch behaviour = billionaires removed about spending $10M to take care of their own feces.

[–] Vent@lemm.ee 146 points 1 day ago (2 children)

In actual human terms:

"Yes, I'll handle this problem for you, but I'll need $0.000001 to cover the cost of the shared infrastructure."

"Fuck off"

lobbies government to force you to do it for free

[–] frunch@lemmy.world 70 points 1 day ago

This really captures the reality of the situation, and is exactly what pisses me off most about these uber-wealthy: they are cheapskates to their very core and will not give up a penny without being a fucking Karen first

[–] sfxrlz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And it’s not like it’s really free. lobbying costs money as well

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 21 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (2 children)

The way they see it is a gamble: 10 million dollars for a fair deal or pay out 10 million dollars to some crooked lawyers for bribes and the pinkertons to get some dirt and leverage on neighboring community and walk away with extra power and a dumping ground for your piss and shit.

[–] lapping6596@lemmy.world 11 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I would bet they spent way less than 10 million. Lobbying in the US seems to generally a great deal compared to the value one receives.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 4 points 21 hours ago

Given musk didn't get his tax credit I'm not so sure. But he did remove all possible oversight from his companies so he can make them less safe, treat his workers worse, and make more fraudulent claims about his products. Its always about power and never cost effectiveness.

[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 6 points 23 hours ago

It's all about the power and influence.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 33 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Didn't know we had so many in one place. Why the fuck can't we get somebody to take it out.

Fucking mass shooters and terrorists bombing and they always target schools and, churches, etc. Why not for once target a place like that?

[–] GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

According to the quote they have taken precautions, the peasantry is not allowed on the island. And to make sure they dont try, they have armed guards and security systems in place.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Didn't say be easy, but I doubt its not has hard as they won't you to believe. All one has to do is either infiltrate the place, or pay a few guards off. Doubt they are getting paid all that well.

[–] Mirshe@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

From having heard stories from people in the area, it is worse than just guards. Guys in speedboats in full tactical gear, cameras and sonar sensors and all sorts of shit that can tell how close you are, where you are, from a mile out from the shore, and dispatch people there in minutes. It is legitimately a cyberpunk gated community.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 9 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

What about a drone and just dropping sone bombs onto the place.

[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 13 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

If the Ukrainians can do it to russian airbases, it should be doable to the island. But it costs money. And the type of people who have that kind of money see themselves living on that island some day.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 8 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Well then us poors should pool our money and start fighting back. Where rhe fuck are the anarchist and far left people at? I'm sure we can do this.

[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 2 points 54 minutes ago

Actually I googled it. The most expensive was listed at $30k. I thought I had read a much higher number previously. And the less expensive are $1k. But you do need pilots, and you need overwhelming numbers. That said, far more doable than I thought.

[–] GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

Not paying your enforcers well enough to make sure they are loyal would probably be the dumbest mistake anyone with wealth and/or power can make.

Not saying it cant be done of course, but it seems a bit more involved than climbing over a fence after giving the guard some cigarrettes.

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[–] FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 42 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

In an effort to fight this grave injustice, the community’s village council subsequently traveled to Florida’s State Capitol to lobby on behalf of the toilet-related concerns. The Times notes that Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is a member of Indian Creek Village and is on the council.

The lobbying appears to have worked, as the Times reports that a large transportation bill recently approved by the state legislature now includes a “new legal measure prohibiting municipalities from blocking or charging for the installation of certain sewer lines — like the one Indian Creek wants to build, for example.” The bill now only has to be signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis. Charles Burkett, the mayor of Surfside, told the Times that he was blindsided by the legislative effort to resolve the matter.

Sometimes I think we need some pirates to attack the island.

[–] RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works 9 points 22 hours ago

Gonna take a lot of plumbers to set up the new sewer system, curious if any like sporting green.

[–] P1nkman@lemmy.world 95 points 1 day ago (2 children)

So multiple billionaires refused to hand out $10m.

Let's say there's two billionaires of them living there, they both have $1b, and they both pay $5m each, which would equal to 0.5% of their wealth.

It would be like someone with $10k giving away $5.

I'm hungry, when do we eat?

[–] voracitude@lemmy.world 31 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

Not "giving away". Spending, for services. Which just makes it even more audacious.

[–] Cobrachicken@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Yea, but it'll add up, will all their places/houses/retreats... Can't have that.

[–] bookmeat@lemmynsfw.com 67 points 1 day ago

The truth about billionaires is they're actually poor. Most of their wealth is tied up in loans or illiquid assets. They can't afford to spend the money unless they can take out another loan against their other loans or implied wealth.

Ha ha ha. Kidding. They're just assholes.

[–] Rancor_Tangerine@lemmy.world 22 points 21 hours ago

It's only 1-2 miles off the coast. A fixed wing FPV drone could make it there and back with no issue. Or just there with an issue.

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 74 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Force closure of the bridge, enforce a no fly zone. Cut them the fuck off until they learn.

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago

Make sure as many as possible are home first.

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[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 15 points 22 hours ago

I work in municipal government in a different enclave for the super-rich (I don't get to live here, of course). We aren't 100% billionaire, but we do have several billionaires and 100% are multi-millionares.

We also don't have the ability to test our own sewage and instead contract with a neighboring municipality.

But we pay for it. Anyone connecting has to pay impact fees. So if a sewer treatment plant costs 50 million dollars and a compound uses up 0.1% of its overall capacity had to pay 50 grand up to hook into the system, and any service line expansions required to reach their house must be paid for by the developer.

[–] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 28 points 1 day ago

This is far more symbolic than intended.

[–] bloup@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

When I was a child, I wanted everything. But by the time I had become an adult, I had realized along the way that having lots of things actually means having lots of burdens and the only way to have lots of stuff without it actually making you unhappy is if you find a way to make your problems everybody else’s problems too, and get them to take care of it for you. This is why I think that we need to cultivate a new social norm where anybody who is perceived as being interested in acquiring great wealth is seen as nothing more than a baby-minded individual that wants to turn the entire world into their mommy because they can’t even wipe their own ass

[–] burgerpocalyse@lemmy.world 8 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

what kind of name is Indian Creek village?

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 11 points 21 hours ago

for me it's the chef's kiss of American imperialistic racism and genocide reference of which everyone used to be proud

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[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sure would be a shame if some enterprising soul put together an improvised FAE and introduced the residents to aerosolized exothermic reactions

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[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 8 points 22 hours ago (1 children)
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[–] notso@feddit.org 8 points 22 hours ago

Let them eat poop.

[–] riskable@programming.dev 11 points 1 day ago

Apparently billionaires do give a shit. A lot of it. An entire island of shit... Trickling down to the next layer down of ~~hell~~ rich people.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Didn’t even bother to grow a handlebar mustache.

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