Below is a transcript of notes shared on Facebook by one attendee during the Sarasota County Board discussion of what to do about Rumble, the alt-right online platform that somehow discovered Sarasota (through Enterprise Florida, according to Commissioner Ziegler).
Here's the "trending" page on Rumble taken the day before the hearing:
Last fall, the Board gave the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota the OK to explore a prospective deal that would give $825,000 tax dollars as incentive to the company to move its headquarters here. A building has been identified as Rumble HQ on Longboat Key, but does not appear to yet be occupied. No money has yet been approved - the deal is still in the works.
On March 29, 2022, citizens attended the Board meeting seeking to speak to the issue. They were concerned that this platform, which consistently trends toward nonsense about the last presidential election being stolen and similar themes, would receive tax dollars. Prior to the meeting, over 1500 citizens had signed a Petition calling for any deal with Rumble to be quashed.
There was also disgust that Rumble offers one of the only platforms where Russian Television (RT) can be accessed outside of Russia. RT is Putinganda, a myopic self-justifying view of the invasion of Ukraine where even the word "war" is not permitted to be used.
A contingent of Ukrainian citizens, mostly from North Port, attended the meeting, some with flags. One man from Ukraine spoke eloquently about the deep division between Ukrainians and Russians. He said Russian media always lies, and worried that it would take footage from platforms like Rumble, twist it to its own purposes, and use it to support Putin's effort to overpower Ukraine.
Instead of beginning the official meeting with Open to the Public, Commission Chair Al Maio asked the Board to discuss what to do regarding the EDC idea of awarding tax dollars. The discussion became protracted as Commissioner Ziegler presented all the reasons he sees as valid to incentivize a media platform like Rumble to come to the county - jobs, basically.
Eventually Maio allowed a few citizens to address the issue, but told others who had come to speak that they would have to wait until later in the day - possibly to the end of the meeting.
Below are brief notes on the Board discussion leading up to the curious way in which two Commissioners' proffered motions to resolve the Rumble morass tumbled, or fumbled, into a bumbling virtual stalemate.
Notes from the BCC meeting, taken live 3.29.22:
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Commissioner Detert at beginning of meeting moves that the County takes no further steps toward offering a tax dollar incentive to Rumble for moving to Sarasota County. Seconded by Cutsinger.
Commissioner Ziegler taking a large amount of time going through the presented justifications for bringing Rumble to Sarasota - without actually taking a stand on the motion.
Ziegler wants to amend Detert's motion - he wants the Board to discontinue all economic incentives via the EDC. Moran, who has been critical of the EDC in the past, supports Zig's amendment. Detert speaks against Zig's amendment and does not wish to make a decision on all economic incentives today.
Commissioner Ziegler's amendment to the motion passes 3-2 (Cutsinger, Zig, and Moran for, Detert and Maio against).
Ziegler is now saying he will oppose Detert's motion - he sees people opposing Rumble as "cancel culture" and advocating false information.
Detert's motion is up for a vote, but now she is saying that having passed Zig's amendment, her motion is moot. The county atty says they still need to vote on the main motion, which included Zig's amendment.
Detert's motion FAILS (Moran, Ziegler, and Cutsinger vote no). This cancels Ziegler's motion - he just voted against his own amendment.
Ziegler moves to table the discussion to end all economic incentives until the Board's next meeting. Maio seconds.
Detert says the EDC should be invited to the meeting at which ending all taxpayer incentives will be discussed.
Board unanimously approves motion to postpone discussion of taxpayer incentives.
In brief: the Board punted. There was no decision about Rumble, and none on the amendment to cancel all economic incentives. The Board's dodge has put discussion and any decision on the Rumble taxpayer incentive off to a later meeting.
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When available, a link to the official video of the Board meeting will be posted here.
Background:
WUSF / NPR
New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/business/media/rumble-social-media-conservatives-videos.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/parler-rumble-newsmax.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/technology/parler-app-trump-free-speech.html
