Publix, Black Book Bash organizers dispute sponsorship claims ahead of Jacksonville event

Conflicting accounts are surfacing ahead of a Jacksonville event celebrating Black authors, as organizers of the Black Book Bash claim Publix pulled its sponsorship at the last minute — a claim the grocery chain firmly denies.

The controversy began after organizers released a video on social media, alleging Publix had backed out as a title sponsor just days before the event, forcing them to dip into personal funds to keep things going.

However, Publix told News4JAX that it never agreed to sponsor the event in the first place.

“We’re disheartened,” a communications director for Publix said during a phone interview. “After conducting a thorough investigation, we concluded that Publix never agreed to sponsor or serve as the title sponsor of this event.”

The disagreement has sparked online