Ryan Nicol
As Matt Caldwell continues his campaign for Agriculture Commissioner, he wants to make one thing clear: he’s no fan of BS.
Bullsugar, that is.
The environmental advocacy group is focused on political activism surrounding algal blooms in and around Lake Okeechobee.
However, the group has come under fire in the past for false claims about the blooms and a failure to disclose its donor list.
As part of the Ag. Commissioner race, Bullsugar reached out to Caldwell to fill out a questionnaire regarding his stances on the bloom problem.
“We need strong leadership in Tallahassee to get us on the right track to fix this mess,” read an email to Caldwell from the group.
Bullsugar, as its name suggests, has particularly targeted the sugar industry, blaming farmers for contributing to the blooms.
Caldwell did not hold back in his response, taking the group to task for inflammatory rhetoric.
He first posted his letter on Twitter, saying “One of the most obscene groups in Florida sent me a ridiculous questionnaire yesterday.”
In it, he wrote: “From the base vulgarity of your name to the harassment and abuse hurled toward fellow Floridians to the constant stream of twisted misinformation spread to the public, your organization has all the hallmarks of a hate group.
“Having your organizing principle as the hatred of the ‘other’ is a wholly unacceptable premise for any organization, whether the ‘other’ is Jews, migrants, or, in your case, farmers.
“Your continual suggestion that all of the flood water that historically sat west of I-95 in Wellington, Davie, and Miami Lakes can somehow be shoved into a farmland area less than half that size is so patently ludicrous, it only serves to prove your organization’s adherence to the ‘Big Lie’ strategy so typical of hate groups.”
This is a continuation of barbs between Bullsugar and Caldwell. In the past, the organization has called Caldwell a “champion of polluters” due to his advocacy on behalf of farmers.
Still, Caldwell argues he will be focused on solutions as Agriculture Commissioner.
“I will continue to collaborate with those groups who are truly interested in a restored and ecologically functional Everglades.”
