Watchdog blogger accuses Keith Gross of being part of franchise scheme hurting Florida veterans

A GoFundMe account is alleging congressional candidate Keith Gross was involved in a scheme to defraud veterans.

But the Panama City Beach Republican insists he had nothing to do with the scams described on the website and in online videos.

An initiative called Franchise Truth For Veterans, spearheaded by business blogger and advocate Sean Kelly, has a GoFundMe page raising funds for research into franchise scams targeting veterans. A “#GrossInjustice” campaign specifically attacks Gross, who launched his campaign in January to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn.

“Keith Gross is a U.S. Army National Guard veteran, attorney, and businessman currently running as a Republican candidate for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District in the 2026 election cycle. He claims to be an ‘outsider’ candidate, who fights for Veterans, military families and everyday Americans,” the GoFundMe site reads.

“Where did he get the millions of dollars to spend on this and previous campaigns? Your contribution will fund a factual, documented report revealing what voters need to know.”

Kelly runs the website UnhappyFranchisee.com, which has scrutinized business opportunities that left some franchise owners struggling and fearing bankruptcy. That includes several Florida veterans who shared stories in a video about DonutNV. An email from Kelly says Gross’ law firm is representing the company behind that scheme.

Gross, for his part, said he isn’t involved in that case at all and has no ownership in any of the brands mentioned on the GoFundMe page.

“I am not the attorney of record for any of the listed brands. Other attorneys at my firm represent an unrelated brand which is currently suing Mr. Kelly for defamatory statements and extortionate tactics related to his publication of false articles about that client,” Gross told Florida Politics.

“My assumption is that this is Mr. Kelly’s way of lashing out against my firm’s client by attacking me personally. I will take appropriate action. I am not involved in any of these brands or the described legal matters and have always been a steadfast voice in favor of helping my fellow veterans. The entire fundraising pitch is unrelated to me and appears to list my name merely as an attention grabber.”

Gross recently reported his campaign in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District has more than $5 million in cash on hand, primarily thanks to a $5.7 million candidate loan from Gross. By comparison, GOP Primary opponent Austin Rogers, a former general counsel to U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, has more than $675,000 in the bank. Another GOP competitor, Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power, closed March with more than $298,000 in cash.

Kelly launched the GoFundMe page mentioning Gross on March 2, but it has not reported any donations. Kelly said he has worked for decades to expose schemes that victimize people.

“For 20 years, I’ve run UnhappyFranchisee.Com, a watchdog site that gives franchisees a voice to share their experiences and opinions about franchise investing,” he wrote on the campaign site.

“Over the years, I’ve seen too many veterans and their families—people who have already given so much — targeted by promoters of high-risk investments disguised as ‘Veteran-friendly’ or the ‘Best franchises for Veterans.’ These lists often include franchises with high turnover and failure rates, putting those who served at even greater risk.”