SARASOTA -- After a lot of grumbling, Sarasota commissioners vote not to end a potential agreement that could pay a streaming platform for bringing jobs to Sarasota County.
Last fall, county commissioners voted to approve incentives for a company that was thinking of moving its headquarters to Longboat Key. Online petition campaigns popped up after media reports revealed the company was Rumble. The streaming platform is favored by many conservatives for video distribution, and it describes itself as being "immune to cancel culture." Many of its opponents in Sarasota County are complaining that Rumble has continued streaming a Russian news channel after the invasion of Ukraine.
Several commissioners wore Ukrainian flag lapels to the meeting. Commissioner Christian Ziegler said he supports Ukraine and that he believes Russia is our enemy. But he said that many of the opponents of Rumble are singling out the platform to promote a partisan agenda. He accused them of "a form of cancel culture" by pushing for the vote. "The same people who are screaming about Rumble are the same people that think you should burn flags and all this other stuff, which is protected in America and shouldn't be," Ziegler said. That led to catcalls from the audience and an admonition to the crowd from commission chairman Alan Maio.
Commissioner Nancy Detert introduced a motion to dump the incentive proposal for Rumble, saying that since it relies on remote work, it would be hard to say whether any jobs are actually being created in-county. Her motion was turned down, but commissioners will take up a motion by Ziegler to end the incentive program entirely.
Photo: Canva