A social media group chat called “Save Florida Hemp” created last month reveals frantic attempts by leaders in the hemp industry to raise millions of dollars for the Republican Party of Florida shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the hemp bill that would have killed the industry.
In the WhatsApp chat, hemp executives informed business owners, distributors and other participants in the industry on June 25 that they had met with key leaders in the Republican Party of Florida and that they must collectively raise $2 million in 72 hours and another $3 million over six months in order to stay afloat. The money was to be wired directly to the party’s bank account, which was included in the chat.
“We just had a very serious meeting with Evan, Bill, Jeff Aaron — The chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, executive director of the Republican Party of Florida, and the chief litigator for the governor himself,” wrote a message repeatedly sent by executives under nicknames like “King Bubs” and “Zombi Dallas” to the chat. “We know nothing in life is free and neither was this veto. We are currently seen as Desantis’ allies to defeat the recreational ballot initiative. Our lobby team made promises to rally some serious funding to stand with him on this. He chose Hemp as his champion and now we’ve got to deliver.”
Participants in the conversation, which was reviewed by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, included executives from Arvida Labs, the South Florida-based development company for Mellow Fellow, and Honest PP&D, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hemp products. Leaders kept a running tally of donations, with top donations of $250,000 from both Mellow Fellow and Honest PP&D. Members were instructed to wire money to the Republican Party with “hemp stakeholder” in the description.
The Republican Party has received scrutiny previously because its top two members, Evan Power and Bill Helmich, also work as lobbyists for the hemp industry. The suggestion of a quid pro quo was raised on Thursday when a hemp grower donated $100,000 to DeSantis’ Florida Freedom Fund weeks after he vetoed the hemp bill that was strongly opposed by the industry and would have imposed strict regulations.
But the parties involved defended the group chat’s fundraising efforts Friday, denying that they brokered any kind of deal. Hemp industry leaders described the effort as a “thank you” and an attempt to stay afloat despite a “monopoly” sought by Florida’s medical marijuana industry.
In response to questions over the party’s involvement Friday, Power, Aaron and DeSantis’ office denied the existence of any quid pro quo deal with the hemp industry over the veto.
“There was no deal,” Power told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
He said that he had met with executives after the veto in his capacity as Republican Party Chair and not as a lobbyist, describing it as a routine meeting.
“It was just like the hundreds of other meetings I have on a regular basis,” he said. “I asked for money to move the party forward in a position for winning the election.”
Power did not recall who attended the meeting. “I do probably 10 meetings a day,” he said. “I can’t remember half these meetings any longer.”
The Governor’s Office also denied any suggestion that the veto was offered in exchange for the money.
“This is false,” Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern said in a statement. “Governor DeSantis vetoed SB 1698 because the bill would impose debilitating regulatory burdens on small businesses, as he made clear in his veto letter.”
He did not address the specific allegations made in the WhatsApp group chat or respond to questions over whether DeSantis’ staff met with members of the hemp industry about raising money.
Jeff Aaron, an attorney with GrayRobinson who has defended DeSantis in multiple legal challenges and was said to have attended the meeting with hemp executives, described the idea that the veto was paid for as “ridiculous.”
“My client, FHAA, and I applaud Gov DeSantis for vetoing a bill that would destroy thousands of small businesses,” said Aaron, referring to the Florida Healthy Alternative Association, the group for which Power lobbies. “The insinuation that FHAA promised any monies in exchange for a veto is ridiculous. FHAA supports and will continue to support Florida Republicans because their leadership and policies have produced the top economy in the nation and have made Florida a beacon of freedom.”
Leaders in the group chat told members that the Governor’s Office has real-time access to the list of those who donated.
“His office has real time access to this list with [another participant] and myself and is seeing these names and every contribution,” one message read. “We want every shop, distro, chain, brand, copacker and manufacturer on that list regardless if it’s $500 or $500,000. It shows strength in numbers, economic impact, voting impact, and most importantly the names personalize not only the individual effort but also the individual story of the American Dream.”
Some appeared to warn that those who did not donate would be blacklisted.
“There’s many in this chat that have business in FL that haven’t donated,” wrote Arby Barroso, a senior executive at Arvida Labs. “Soon the list of those who are helping to save florida will come out. But there will also be a list of those who didn’t. We all know there’s a sacrifice here, but without the sacrifice, the future of our businesses will not exist. I hope everyone understands that.”
“The final list will help us retailers decide who we should order from going forward,” wrote another participant under the nickname Nabil.
“Make that list,” wrote a participant named Jay Uvape. “Call it the black list and post it everywhere so everyone can see who profits off our industry but truly doesn’t support it. We shouldn’t give them another dollar of business moving forward after this.”
Speaking with the South Florida Sun Sentinel Friday, Barroso said his messages were not intended as a threat.
“It was more of a rallying call that we need to support each other,” he said. “Never a threat. I’m a small business guy, I’m threatened by my wife everyday. That’s the only threat that I get.”
Barroso and other executives described themselves as the underdogs: A group of small businesses trying to join together against the “monopoly” of medical marijuana companies like Trulieve, a “David vs. Goliath kind of thing,” Barroso said.
“If we had the collective power of tobacco companies or pharmaceutical companies where we could just go to lobbyists and raise $40 million like Trulieve has done, it would be great,” he said. “But we don’t. We’ve gotta go door to door and create chats and have conversations with small businesses.”
Valery Angel, an executive account manager for Arvida Labs who was also active in the chat, echoed Barroso’s comments.
“I think the money raised is just in support of DeSantis,” she said. “As a kind of an encouragement or thank you for trying to protect the small business industry that entails all the smoke shops that’s all it is.”
Angel said she became an active participant mostly because she wanted to keep her job.
“I just want to continue to live here and be able to work,” she said. “As do many of the people in that chat.”
Not every small business owner felt the same. Some people who were added to the chat described feeling pressured to donate their savings while bigger companies could more easily fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some were afraid to give their names out of fear that they would be blacklisted.
“It’s all about money and politics,” said Carlos, who runs a smoke shop in Pembroke Pines and was added to the group.
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