Canizaro has developed more than $1 billion in Big-Easy real estate and is the chair of First Bank and Trust. He became one of the nation’s top individual “soft money” donors to the Republican National State Elections Committee in 2000 when he wrote it a $240,000 check. Of the check he said, “You have to participate in government if you want to get something out of it.” Indeed. A ’97 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) audit criticized Canizaro for heading a local housing authority committee that awarded a $493,865 contract to Robert Tucker, who sat on the board of Canizaro’s bank. HUD investigated why the contract went to a big contributor of New Orleans’ mayor instead of equally qualified lower bidders. Canizaro was one of 250 wheeler dealers to whom the city quietly gave free VIP parking space at the New Orleans airport in the late 80s.