via Billy Pulpit

Walt Disney World has spent nearly $2.5 million on political candidates and causes in Florida so far this election cycle, according to an Orlando Sentinel review of state records, as the giant resort attempts to influence elections from the Keys to the Panhandle.

Disney’s political spending in Florida has ballooned to unprecedented levels: It has spent nearly twice as much money as it had at this same point during the 2010 elections, and it has spent about six times as much as it did during the entire 2008 cycle.

Nearly 90 cents of every dollar that Disney has spent on Florida campaigns in this election has gone to Republican candidates or Republican-leaning interest groups, according to the Sentinel’s analysis. Republicans control the Governor’s Office and Florida Legislature.

The contributions range from hundreds of $500 donations to individual legislators — many issued through company subsidiaries such as Disney Photo Imaging LLC and Magic Kingdom Inc. — to a single, $250,000 check made out to a committee controlled by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Disney is part of an elite circle of big businesses underwriting campaigns across Florida. Only a handful of companies have spent more than $2 million so far on elections in Florida, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, U.S. Sugar Corp. and Florida Power & Light.