Cape Coral supplements mogul who got $132K tax break from city cited as top COVID-19 'disinformation' spreader
Frank GluckThe owner of a 104-employee Cape Coral health supplements business that received $132,000 in local tax breaks in 2019 and a $282,500 federal pandemic bailout loan last year was the subject of a New York Times report over the weekend that called him “the most influential spreader of coronavirus misinformation online.”
Joseph Mercola, a 67-year-old former family practice physician who operates Mercola.com Health Resources and is a well-known figure in the anti-vaccine movement, denied he was spreading false information and threatened to sue the Times over the report.
"The NY Times is spreading disinformation, they have been sent legal notice," he tweeted Monday.
Mercola is among the so-called “Disinformation Dozen,” a group collectively responsible for 65% of the anti-vaccine content shared on social media, according to a March report from the Washington, D.C.- and London-based Center for Countering Digital Hate.
Mercola relocated the headquarters of his 24-year-old business, Mercola, from Illinois to a 60,000-square-foot location at 125 SW Third Place off Pine Island Road in 2018. His company is the 16th largest employer in Cape Coral, according to city figures.
He also operates The Mercola Market & Cafe, a retail store in Cape Coral that features Mercola-branded food and supplements.
The City Council in 2019 agreed to provide his company a $1,500 incentive for each new job, as well as any jobs, relocated to Cape Coral, up to $132,000. The city uses his move as a top example on its website of why Cape Coral is an "ideal choice" for businesses.
City spokeswoman Maureen Buice said officials are aware of the New York Times report. When asked about the city's reaction to Mercola's history of vaccine denialism alleged in the report, Buice said: "Mercola has invested millions in our community and brought more than 100 good-paying jobs to the city."
Mercola has received all $132,000 and the terms of the incentive plan were satisfied, she added.
Records also show that Mercola Consulting Services LLC, an affiliated consulting firm with offices in Cape Coral and Manila, Philippines, was awarded a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan on April 28, 2020. The firm describes itself as "specializing in Internet Marketing, Software Development, and IT Infrastructure."
The company's website further notes: "We support Dr. Mercola’s efforts to provide you with valuable health information, partner with like-minded health organizations and initiatives, and create a sustainable world for you and your family."
Mercola revealed in a 2017 affidavit that he's worth in excess of $100 million, according to the Washington Post. That report also noted that Mercola had donated more than $2.9 million to the National Vaccine Information Center, a prominent anti-vaccine group.
The Times' report characterized Mercola this way:
“An internet-savvy entrepreneur who employs dozens, Dr. Mercola has published over 600 articles on Facebook that cast doubt on Covid-19 vaccines since the pandemic began, reaching a far larger audience than other vaccine skeptics, an analysis by The New York Times found. His claims have been widely echoed on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.”
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It also quoted Kolina Koltai, a researcher of conspiracy theories at the University of Washington, who described him as a “pioneer of the anti-vaccine movement.”
“He’s a master of capitalizing on periods of uncertainty, like the pandemic, to grow his movement,” Koltai told the Times.
Mercola declined an interview with the USA TODAY Network - Florida but agreed to answer questions via email. When asked if he believes the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and if the public should get them, he said:
"I do not believe the people harmed from these vaccines are receiving the exposure they deserve and information which includes severe reactions and deaths, is being deliberately censored."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and extremely effective in preventing hospitalization and death from the novel coronavirus and its known variants.
Mercola also said the nation's Vaccine Adverse Reporting System (VAERS) had documented hundreds of thousands of "adverse reactions" and thousands of deaths. Though, as vaccine experts note, the VAERS system relies on self-reporting and documents medical events that may have nothing to do with vaccinations.
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Mercola on Monday also tweeted out a copy of his lawyer's letter to the Times calling out what he claims are falsehoods.
A Mercola representative in a separate email also called the Center for Countering Digital Hate a "dark money group" whose study on disinformation has not been peer-reviewed.
The Times report also noted that Mercola removed anti-vaccine postings from his Facebook page. One of those was reportedly titled "Could Hydrogen Peroxide Treat Coronavirus?"
When asked about that, Mercola wrote to the USA TODAY Network - Florida: "I left Facebook for over a year, I completely deleted the entire history of our posts after resuming activity on Facebook. There was nothing selectively removed, I deleted our entire archive."
The Food and Drug Administration sent Mercola a warning in February about his marketing of supplements as a treatment for COVID-19.
The Biden administration has called on social media platforms to remove medical disinformation, which it argues is endangering people by making them afraid of safe and very effective COVID-19 vaccines.
"These 12 people are out there giving misinformation. Anyone listening to it is getting hurt by it. It’s killing people. It’s bad information," President Biden told reporters on July 19 at the White House, seemingly referring to the Center for Countering Digital Hate's list. "My hope is that Facebook, instead of taking it personally, that somehow I’m saying Facebook is killing people, that they would do something about the misinformation, the outrageous misinformation about the vaccine."
Mercola posted a response on his website with the headline: "President Biden Demands Mercola Be Banned From Social Media."
In it, he blasts the government's criticism as an attack on free speech. He also notes that the vaccines are still only authorized under "emergency use" provisions of federal regulations.
"Government officials are also breaking several laws by incentivizing Americans into participating in medical experimentation, and collaborating with private companies to require personnel to participate in medical experimentation," his post adds.
The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging again nationally as the rates of vaccinations have slowed. This has been aided by a quickly spreading and highly contagious delta variant and relaxed mask and social distancing guidelines, experts say.
Mercola is not licensed to practice medicine in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health. A voice mail message on his cell phone says that he has not seen patients in 15 years.
He does hold a medical license in Illinois. It notes no violations.
Michael Braun contributed to this report.
Frank Gluck is a watchdog reporter with The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Connect with him at fgluck@news-press.com or on Twitter: @FrankGluck