The Syndicate strikes back

When it became apparent in 2018 that the Citizens Amendment for Single Member District Voting could win at the ballot box, the development interests in Sarasota County spared no expense. Within a few months, the syndicate raised over $155,000 to squelch the citizens' initiative. Where'd all that money come from?

The major contributors, according to the Superintendent of Elections site are:

• The Argus Foundation (exec. director Christine Robinson)
• The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
• The Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association (exec. director Jon Mast)
• Gulf Coast Builders Exchange
• Pat Neal
• Benderson Development Co. Inc.
• Taylor Morrison, builder at Skye Ranch
• Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce

Who got the cash?

Direct Mail operators and political marketeers:

• Political Ink, inc. - Washington DC
• Strategic Digital Services - Tallahassee, FL.

What came of this?

Under the (ripped off) rubric of Stop! Stealing our Votes, the ads swarmed:

One ad used in this negative campaign was remarkable: It mounted the lie that voters should oppose Single Member District voting because it would give more power to developers (!). 

Sarasota's esteemed business leaders were not above this level of public disinformation - i.e., fake news.

Pretending to oppose the very interests that in fact you are working to advance is known in the world of strategic digital media as "astroturfing." It might also be called bullshit.

What did the Syndicate find so frightening about single member districts? Did the possibility that citizens might choose their representatives based on real knowledge of who their candidates were and what they stood for scare them because it meant the Syndicate would cease to control the major planning, zoning, financing and infrastructure decisions facing Sarasota County?

The thought of having an Board that wouldn't rubber stamp Pat Neal's roads, Benderson's fake critical area plans, or Gabbert's special exceptions must have been terrifying, because they paid and paid and lied and lost. The citizens Amendment won all five districts and virtually every precinct, including precincts that are supposed to be heavily Republican:

After working for more than a year to collect enough signatures to get the proposed Sarasota County Charter amendment on the ballot, leaders of the Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections (SAFE), won 59.84% of the 193,439 votes cast on that measure - Sarasota News Leader

Argus et al were not pleased. It wasn't long before the County, with the aid of a fictive mapmaker who turned out to be disgraced political operative Bob Waechter, concocted fictive reasons to redistrict all five districts. Conveniently along the way, the Hail Mary Waechter Map to Save Mike eliminated two prospective candidates known to have considered opposing Moran in District 1.

And that in turn brought a Federal lawsuit, accusing three Commissioners -- Detert, Maio and Moran -- of racist motives to carve minorities out of Moran's district. The suit is expected to be heard this spring.

 ~ Stay Tuned ~

Screenshots from Sarasota County's Supervisor of Elections site:

Astroturfing Sarasota

Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants. Wikipedia

A group is buying ads on Facebook to mimic the look and style of STOP! - a Sarasota civic group that has worked to put residents back into the city of Sarasota's planning process.

Yourobserver.com: A new political group, whose name includes the word “STOP!” in all-capital letters with an exclamation point, says it’s rallying against uncontrolled growth and the pervasive influence of developers on local officials. 

The group is called “STOP! Stealing Our Votes,” a political committee formed to campaign against a proposed county charter amendment that would create single-member districts for the Sarasota County Commission. Ahead of the November referendum, the group has paid for Facebook ads that claim big developers are backing the amendment. 

All of this is a source of concern for a different group: STOP!, the citizen activist group formed in 2016 to advocate for changes to the city’s development regulations. On Wednesday, STOP! issued a press release accusing STOP! Stealing Our Votes of intentionally misleading voters with its name and messaging.

The civic STOP! group has returned fire with its own "STOP! Stealing Our Name! blitz:

Who are the operatives behind the Astroturf? Not surprisingly, it's a familiar Sarasota claque that is opposed to lots of things, but NOT to developers.

Yourobserver: [Russ] Bobbitt, president and CEO of the Purmort & Martin Insurance Agency, claimed the political committee represented a broad coalition of opponents to the proposed charter amendment. He declined to name any other individuals connected to the group. The political committee has not yet filed a financial report with the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections.

We can update: The committee has now filed a financial report -- the "broad coalition" turns out to be the usual mokes:

The Argus Foundation often speaks of its leadership, vision, and high-minded dedication to the betterment of Sarasota. More astroturfing?