A plastic flower company connected to China is facing a serious complaint due to a significant donation made to a Republican Super PAC. PassionForest LLC, an 11-month-old company that sells artificial flowers, contributed $500,000 to the SOS America PAC in October 2022. However, the Campaign Legal Center, a political watchdog group, has raised concerns about the legitimacy of PassionForest’s business activity.
According to the complaint, PassionForest’s Amazon storefront, which primarily sold artificial flowers, had mostly shut down. Currently, only two out of its 21 products are listed as available on Amazon. The Campaign Legal Center alleges that this raises suspicions about PassionForest’s status and suggests it may have been created solely for the purpose of making the donation.
Adding to the controversy, a trademark application for PassionForest was filed in the U.S. just four days before the company was registered in Delaware in November 2021. The address listed on the application corresponds to the Tianhe District in Guangzhou, China, leading to concerns that the company may have been used as a conduit for potentially illegal foreign contributions to the Super PAC.
Furthermore, the Miami New Times reported that a week after the $500,000 donation was made, the patents related to PassionForest were shut down in China, casting further doubt on the company’s legitimacy.
The SOS America PAC, which received the donation, is currently under scrutiny because of its fundraising sources. However, it’s important to note that neither the Super PAC nor Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who is being promoted by the PAC’s AI chatbot, are named in the complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The motive behind PassionForest’s substantial contribution to a relatively unknown mayoral candidate remains unclear. Critics have speculated that the affiliation between Miami, a city known for its international connections and real estate development, and the Tianhe District in Guangzhou, China, where PassionForest’s address is located, may be more than a coincidence. However, no evidence has been presented to support such claims.
It is worth emphasizing that this opinion piece is based on reporting by Naomi Feinstein of the Miami New Times. The goal is to present a balanced view of the situation without making any unsubstantiated allegations.
