Charlie Kirk was influential in bringing Rumble to Longboat Key

Chris Pavlovski and Charlie Kirk sat together in an old boardroom in a for-lease Longboat Key office building years ago.

Kirk, an influential political commentator who gained fame within the conservative movement for his unapologetic views, was co-founder of Turning Point USA and an early investor in Rumble. He drove with Rumble Chairman and CEO Pavlovski up and down the Gulf Coast looking for a new home after the company decided to move its Canada headquarters.

There in that jade-green-carpeted room, a big decision for the fast-growing media platform was made.

“We were looking out over the water and (Kirk) looked at me and said, ‘Hey. This is Rumble’s headquarters. It’s got to be,’” Pavlovski said. And so it was.

Kirk bought a unit in the Beaches of Longboat Key condo off Longboat Club Road in 2019 but, according to Pavlovski, spent most of his time at another home he owned in Phoenix. He also had an apartment in Arizona.

Kirk was assassinated Wednesday while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.

Rumble, a video platform launched in 2013, moved its headquarters to Longboat Key in early 2023, bringing dozens of high-paying tech jobs to the south end of the island, a rarity on the Key. Pavlovski said he knew he wanted the headquarters to be in Florida because Gov. Ron DeSantis is a fierce advocate of the First Amendment. Pavlovski has family in Venice and would visit often, and thinks the Gulf Coast of Florida is the most beautiful place on earth. He was already hoping to find a home in the area when he and Kirk stumbled upon office space on Longboat Key.

The company’s ethos is centered around free speech and not stifling controversial opinions, said Pavlovski. That lack of moderation and censorship is what brought a rush of conservative lawmakers, influencers and media companies to the outlet in 2020 and after, including Kirk whose “The Charlie Kirk Show” channel amassed more than 1.6 million followers.

“He could express himself authentically and freely. You couldn’t express some beliefs about the election or COVID on YouTube or other outlets at the time,” Pavlovski said. “He obviously cared a lot about free speech. That’s where we connected. But he also was a very big family person. He was an honest, good man. He started out as an investor, but he became a friend.”