Ahead of a tense Democratic primary for a South Florida seat in Congress, a political committee promoting cryptocurrency and blockchain policy is spending big on advertisements attacking one of the candidates — and using fake Miami Herald headlines to make its case.
In television commercials and flyers directed at voters in Florida’s 24th Congressional District, Protect Progress cites three Herald articles in an attempt to cast Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert as a Trump-aligned politician who is supporting the president’s mass deportation crackdown.
But the ads warp the headlines. The actual Herald articles that reporters were able to locate, matching the dates on the ads, are not focused solely on Gilbert — and one doesn’t even mention him by name.
A 2022 article matching details cited in the ads describes how the Miami-Dade County Commission voted unanimously to give the Miami Dolphins $15 million for Hard Rock Stadium to host World Cup soccer games in 2026.
The actual Herald article does not mention Gilbert by name — but the TV advertisements and a flyer sent to voters’ doorsteps make it appear as though the entire story was about him.
“Oliver Gilbert Approves $15 million for MAGA Donor’s Company,” reads the fake headline, presumably alluding to Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who held a fundraiser in the Hamptons to boost Donald Trump’s failed 2020 reelection bid.
Another article, from June 2025, described chaos at a County Commission meeting over an existing agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It mentions Gilbert in one sentence, which notes that he asked to indefinitely defer a vote to modify the county’s agreement with ICE after a procedural move by the Commission made the vote unnecessary.
Yet, “Oliver Gilbert Dodges Vote to Oppose ICE” appears as another fake headline in Protect Progress’ ads.
The third fake headline focuses on Alligator Alcatraz — a now-closed state-run immigration detention facility in the Everglades. A clip of what appears to be a Herald headline reads “Oliver Gilbert Bankrolled by Alligator Alcatraz Contractor.”
The actual Herald article headline was “Congressional candidates clash over donations tied to Alligator Alcatraz.”
While the headlines misrepresent Herald stories, it’s true that Gilbert’s political committee Common Voices has accepted campaign money from CDR, a company that holds a number of government contracts, spreads political donations around widely and worked as a subcontractor at the immigration detention center. It’s also true that Ross cut a check to Common Voices the year after the County Commission approved the World Cup subsidies agreement for Hard Rock Stadium.
The point of contact for the PAC is listed as Brandon Philipczyk, the treasurer who has previously worked for Mike Bloomberg, the Florida Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee, and campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Nevada, according to his LinkedIn.
Philipczyk did not respond to requests for comment. Alex Mena, executive editor of the Miami Herald, declined to comment for this story.
Protect Progress has spent more than $22 million around the country this campaign cycle, mostly in support of Democratic candidates, according to Tech Influence Watch, a platform created to monitor the flow of money from tech companies to political candidates. But the political committee has also attacked some Democrats, and has disclosed spending more than $1 million to oppose Gilbert’s candidacy as voters cast ballots in Florida’s Aug. 18 primary elections.
Protect Progress isn’t affiliated with any of the candidates in the race. But Gilbert and his campaign have pointed the finger at opponent Kendrick Meek Jr.
The committee is affiliated with a PAC called FairShake, which was backed by a coalition of crypto companies, executives and investors, including Coinbase. Kendrick Meek Sr., a former congressman, sits on the Coinbase Global Advisory Council.
“It’s not just the headlines, everything about this ad is false and misleading. What else would you expect from crypto con artists trying to buy a Democratic primary? Trump’s tech billionaire buddies know I’ll be a voice for working families in congress,” Gilbert said in a statement to the Herald. “That’s why they’re willing to spend millions on lies to stop me.”
Meek Jr. and his campaign say they and the former congressman have nothing to do with the ads. Drew Hammill, spokesperson for the Meek campaign, said the focus on conflict with Gilbert is a distraction from the campaign gaining momentum.
“Our campaign strictly follows the law and does not coordinate with any outside groups’ spending in this race,” Hammill said in a statement.
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