The Toronto-based video platform Rumble announced Tuesday that it will be setting up its U.S. headquarters in Sarasota County, Florida. Rumble said in a press release that the company has signed a five-year lease for a property in Longboat Key, Florida, and estimated that it will invest more than $50 million in the state over the next several years.
Because of its commitment to free speech, Rumble has become a popular choice in recent years for conservatives. The independent and privately-owned video platform allows users to host, manage, and distribute videos, as well as, create feeds and monetize their content—but without engaging in partisan censorship like Google-owned YouTube.
“Moving to Longboat Key is a win-win for Rumble and the Sarasota community,” Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski said in the press release. “Sarasota County is growing rapidly, and we are excited to be part of the growth.”
He continued: “We plan to fill 20-25 new positions in Florida immediately for our US headquarters with many more planned for the future. This move positions us to continue providing a platform to content creators without the threats from big tech monopolies. We are excited to invest in Florida in the coming years while we continue to grow Rumble.”
Although it is widely seen as a conservative platform, Rumble in August welcomed eight prominent left-of center voices to its video-sharing platform: Tulsi Gabbard, Glenn Greenwald, Bridget Phetasy, Matt Orfalea, Siraj Hashmi, Mujahed Kobbe, Shant Mesrobian and Zaid Jilani.
“These prominent new voices add to Rumble’s deep pool of content talent and further enhance the platform’s breadth and depth of offerings to our viewers,” the company said at the time.
Rumble’s decision to set up shop in Florida comes as Canada’s parliament considers federal legislation that expands the country’s Broadcasting Act to apply to all streaming audio or video content on the Internet.
Bill C-10 seeks to impose new taxes and/or content production requirements on all internet streaming services.
The legislation has raised alarms on both the left and the right. Marxist Toronto journalist and activist Andray Domise surmised on Twitter that Rumble’s move is in direct response to Bill C-10.
For months, Cory Doctorow, Michael Geist, the EFF, and many others have been raising the alarms on the opaque and unaccountable process through which the Liberal government is attempting to curb speech rights in Canada:https://t.co/xQgdfpPBg0
— Q (@Qban_Linx) November 2, 2021
After discussions with local officials and stakeholders, Rumble chose Sarasota County because of the area’s “friendly business climate; its close proximity to Tampa,” and the potential for future development, according to the press release.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rumble to Florida, and we support its mission to promote free expression and stand up to Big Tech censorship,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “Over the past year, we have seen businesses flock to Florida from across the country because, as long as I am Governor, our state will be free and built for opportunity. We wish Rumble all the best in their endeavors in Florida, and we look forward to watching their success.”