Publix Heirs Are Maxing Out Donations to Donald Trump's 2020 Campaign

[Demovictory9]

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/publix-jenkins-family-heirs-are-donating-to-trumps-2020-campaign-11238481

Publix Heirs Are Maxing Out Donations to Donald Trump's 2020 Campaign

Progressives, critics, and basically all people with moral backbones and souls this week are furious at Stephen Ross — the multibillionaire owner of the Miami Dolphins and the gym chains Equinox and SoulCycle, as well as an investor in many other ventures — for quietly planning to host a fundraiser for Donald Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. After Dolphins receiver and civil rights activist Kenny Stills called out Ross for his garbage politics, critics have been urging people to boycott Ross' companies.

But heirs to a prominent Florida corporation have, so far, escaped the same scrutiny. According to a review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, multiple heirs of Publix Super Markets founder George Jenkins have sent max federal donations to Trump's 2020 campaign in the past few months.


According to FEC records, three of Jenkins' heirs, who sit on the board of the nonprofit George Jenkins Foundation, have funneled max contributions to Trump this year: Jenkins' daughter Julia Jenkins Fancelli and his grandchildren Gregory Fancelli and Leslie Fancelli Sonatori.

The records show that Gregory Fancelli donated $2,800 to both Trump's primary and general election campaigns, as well as $5,600 to the Trump Victory political action committee February 27. The same day, Leslie Sonatori and her husband Matteo also donated $2,800 each to Trump's primary and general election campaigns.

Barely a week later, their mother got in on the action: March 5, Julia Jenkins Fancelli dumped $2,800 into Trump's primary and general election accounts and then $5,600 into the Trump Victory PAC. (New Times was not able to reach the Fancellis for comment. Julia Jenkins Fancelli did not answer multiple phone calls last evening to numbers listed under her name.)

According to a Lakeland Ledger story from November 2018, Julia Jenkins Fancelli grew up in Lakeland, Florida, and met her husband Mauro while on a study-abroad year in Florence, Italy, while she was a University of Florida student. Their son Gregory Fancelli, meanwhile, is a ponytailed businessman who "restores historic bungalows throughout the central Lakeland area," according to the Ledger. In 2015, Forbes said the Jenkins family was worth $6.8 billion, making it the 43rd richest family in America at the time.

The three heirs together run the George Jenkins Foundation — a nonprofit separate from Publix Charities, the official philanthropic arm of the supermarket chain. According to online records, the George Jenkins Foundation was formerly called the Fancelli Foundation. (The name of the charity was changed in 2016.) The foundation has mostly given to a spate of Christian and otherwise religious nonprofits, including donations to Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army, and tons of local charities in and around Lakeland.

[Laurian]

1. Well, shit. My "go to" grocery store.

Clean, clean, clean and the workers there are super friendly and always willing to help.

I’m in a small college town with few acceptable options, but I’ll be checking out other stores.

[raccoon]

2. Me too. nt

[hlthe2b]

6. None in CO, but when I saw them all over Atlanta, all I could think when I saw the name was

PUBIX.... (I think I ruined it long ago for my sister who shops there)...LOL

[Ilsa]

8. I know. And the 2-for-1 deals are not just on

stuff no one ever uses. They do BOGOs on regular stuff like pasta, sauces, cereal, nuts, popcorn, coffee, bacon, fruit, desserts, bread, pretty much almost everything.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

10. Publix is employee owned.

And still a top place to work. These people are heirs to the Publix fortunes. They're not on the board of directors.

[Laurian]

12. Thanks! I'm very relieved.

[snowybirdie]

3. Aldi

moved across the street from my local Publix. I like it and it's much cheaper. Bye, bye Publix.

[packman]

4. Shit - I love to shop at Publix

This sorta takes the hard edge off it

The foundation has mostly given to a spate of Christian and otherwise religious nonprofits, including donations to Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army, and tons of local charities in and around Lakeland.

[Hortensis]

5. Lucked out here - it's more expensive and farther than Kroger.

Contemptible.

[GulfCoast66]

7. I'll still shop there. Best grocery ever.

You don’t have to dig very deep in any multi billion dollar corporation and you will find republican donors.

Publix is known for being a good place to work. I know several people who work there and all love it.

2 of my co-workers have kids that worked there in High School, throughout college then got one as department managers. They both now are store managers.

Their stores brand stuff is as good as national brands for Wal Mart prices. My wife did a comparison when we were going through a lean spell.

[rockfordfile]

13. Terrible store. Usually theirs products are close to expiration dates

The produce is not fresh. Terrible company. The company supported the racist and bigoted right-wing Governor.

[GulfCoast66]

19. Where, may I ask do you shop?

Publix has the best customer service in the business and surveys of employees rate it as one of the best places to work in Florida.

[uponit7771]

9. Jus damn !!! He ruins everything

[Dr Hobbitstein]

11. The operative word here is "heirs". Publix is employee owned.

These 3 individuals are not on the Publix board of directors, and have no influence in the company. They are just heirs of George Jenkins.

Continue shopping at Publix. They are a great company that treats their employees fairly.

[rockfordfile]

14. This shows how racist and un-American they are. Giving to pos like trump

[Dr Hobbitstein]

17. Not Publix. They didn't give anything to Trump.

But yeah, these 3 heirs of George Jenkins are asshats.

[GoCubsGo]

15. They have been giving me fewer and fewer reasons to shop there...

I used to love shopping at Publix. Used to be my favorite grocery store. Then they stopped doubling coupons. Then they started charging 10-20% more than everyone else. I went in this morning to pick up a few sale items. Couldn't get through half the aisles, as they were obstructed by shelf stockers--who should have had that done before the store opened. Everything I went in for was out of stock, which seems to happen more and more frequently, lately. I put the one item I had in my cart back and walked out. Screw 'em. This news makes it more likely I will continue to take my money elsewhere.

[JCMach1]

16. No more.Publix when I am at home

[Dr Hobbitstein]

18. Publix did NOT donate to Trump.

These heirs are NOT part of Publix.