ORLANDO, Fla. – Floridians are taking to social media to announce that they are boycotting Publix after the grocery store chain financially backed "proud NRA sellout" gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam.
The movement comes after the Tampa Bay Times reported that the retailer's leaders donated $670,000 over the past three years to Putnam, which includes a $100,000 donation in April. Putnam has served as the state's commissioner of agriculture since 2010.
Putnam filed to run for governor in May 2017, then about two months later, he tweeted that he is a proud National Rifle Association sellout. The Republican gubernatorial candidate has also made comments about his disapproval for a law passed after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that raises the minimum age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21, the newspaper reports.
"As one of the largest employers in the state of Florida, and with the majority of our stores and our corporate headquarters located here as well, we have a significant interest in our home state. As the hometown candidate, Publix has supported Commissioner Putnam since he ran for the state House of Representatives," Publix officials tweeted to several customers who've posted about the boycott.
Officials with the grocer have also clarified in social media posts that they have never financially supported the NRA.
Among those who plan to buy their groceries elsewhere are Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg and Pulse nightclub shooting survivor Brandon Wolf.