IV. Dark money groups ramp up counterattack against SB2508 opposition, scramble to ‘put lipstick on the pig’

After unprecedented opposition from the public against Senate Bill 2508, it appears the sugar industry is hard at work attempting to sway public opinion in their favor.

Several Florida Senators have been the vessel for advancing the sugar industry’s agenda through pro-sugar bill 2508. You can read all about that here:

The sugar industry invested heavily in the last campaign cycle:

As the bill makes its way to the budget conference between the House and Senate next week, an effort is underway to fabricate support for the bill and minimize the resistance being amplified through groups like Captains For Clean Water.

These tactics are easy to identify and resurface regularly in various forms and messages, but the strategy is always the same — manufacture doubt, spread propaganda, sow confusion, discredit opposition. Here’s what they’ve been up to this week:

Captains For Clean Water released a film to expose the Florida Senate’s motives behind pro-sugar bill 2508. The evening the film was released, the Florida Channel accused Captains of violating Florida statute by using their footage from a Senate committee meeting. They are attempting to force Captains to take the film down. The Florida Channel is funded and operated by the Florida Legislature and located inside the Florida State Capitol. Snippets from the Florida Channel media is often used by politicians of both parties for social media.

Washington DC based dark-money groups are attempting to re-brand 2508 in a positive light and rally measurable support through texting/phone call campaigns and direct mailers. Their messaging boasts “commonsense water protections” endorsing that 2508 will “Protect water quality” “Keep our Everglades protected” and “Save our water rights from Washington Bureaucrats”… and put it right in the grip of Sugar’s friends in the Florida Legislature. There is nothing in the legislation that protects the state's water rights from the federal government. It strips power from the local South Florida Water Management District (whose volunteer governing board members cannot accept campaign contributions)

Proxies posing as independent reporters, pseudo environmental groups, and angry "advocates" whose talking points all mirror the interests of the sugar industry have been activated on social media. They consistently spread misinformation and attack groups fighting this legislation.

The goal is to confuse the public into inaction or in support of their agenda. Their efforts are characterized by unsupported claims/accusations without data or credible sources, attacking groups that are making progress, and posting fabricated narratives to discredit or slander organizations making progress.

As the bill heads to the budget conference between the House and Senate, Captains For Clean Water and their supporters will continue to stay loud and expose the political schemes for what they are—attempts by one powerful industry to maintain their control over Florida’s water management at the expense of all others.

Now is the time to use your voice! Sign our petition to voice your opposition to Senate Bill 2508 and share it with everyone you know. Public pressure is the key to stopping this bill. Get loud, share Captains content on social media, and stay engaged until we’re successful in protecting Florida’s waters against this harmful bill.

For information and interview requests, contact Alycia Downs, Director of Education & Awareness, alycia@captainsforcleanwater.org.