Disney, FPL, Big Sugar also backing Putnam
Contributors escaped consumer backlash directed at Publix
Publix isn’t the only iconic Florida brand supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam, who has drawn criticism for proclaiming himself a “proud NRA sellout.”
Other big-name interests, including Walt Disney Co., have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into Putnam’s campaign coffers, according to an analysis of campaign finance reports by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Publix faced a public relations nightmare with Parkland students calling for a boycott and staging die-ins because of the Lakeland-based grocer’s backing of a gun-friendly candidate for governor.
That pressure spurred Publix to place a moratorium on political giving.
Since 2015, Walt Disney Co. and its affiliates have contributed at least $824,442 to Putnam’s political action committee, Florida Grown, and to his campaign account, according to the latest filings. That’s more than the $736,000 Publix, and people affiliated with the company, contributed during the same time span.
Other powerful interests have supported Putnam. Florida Power & Light Co. — the state’s largest utility provider — gave $587,060 and U.S. Sugar Corp. contributed $560,000.
But so far, Disney and Putnam’s other top contributors have escaped the consumer backlash directed at Publix.
Ladd Everitt, director of One Pulse for America, said his group launched a campaign on April 17 targeting Disney for its support of Putnam. So far, 170 people have contacted Disney, asking the company to re-evaluate its support. A Disney spokeswoman said Wednesday she is checking the company’s stance on the group’s request.
One Pulse for America, which seeks to address gun violence, formed after the 2016 massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando that killed 49 people.
But the group’s campaign hasn’t produced the same results as the die-ins led by Marjory Stoneman Douglas student and gun-control advocate David Hogg.
“It could be something as simple as David Hogg tweeted about Publix,” Everitt said. “The March for Our Lives students have a huge platform.”
Putnam is the only candidate for governor to receive corporate money from Disney and Publix, according to the Sun Sentinel’s analysis.
Putnam, 43, has held the post of agriculture commissioner since 2011. In that role, he oversees a department with sweeping responsibilities that span from inspecting grocery and convenience stores for cleanliness to fielding consumer complaints to processing applications for concealed weapon licenses.
Disney also has given thousands of dollars to candidates running for state Senate and House seats this year, most of which are Republicans.
But despite that support, Disney has fought against bills supported by the National Rifle Association. The company sought to be exempted from a 2008 Florida law that made it illegal for busi-