DeSantis Business Wars: Disney, Covid, Taxes, ESG

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to kick off his presidential campaign on Wednesday night, testing his combination of pro-business conservatism and culture war populism across the country.

DeSantis, 44, to announce bid for Republican presidential nomination on Twitter Elon Musk Scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET.The announcement would cement DeSantis’ status as the former president’s top Republican rival donald trumphe has always maintained a leading edge in the main field.

Even before DeSantis pushed for a quick end to the coronavirus lockdown in the name of revitalizing Florida’s ailing businesses, he was trying to establish himself as a champion of economic growth.He has since credited the state’s low unemployment, population growth and economic Exceed national average.

At the same time, he was embroiled in political battles with some of the state’s top employers — most notably disney – and signed legislation targeting private business practices, some of which have been blockade inside the court.

DeSantis apparently sees no contradiction between his pro-business stance and his tough governance. “Corporation is not the same as free enterprise,” he said in a statement. speech Last September, “I think too many Republicans think that limited government basically means that what’s best for American business is the economy that we want to do.”

But some experts are skeptical that the governor is walking a tightrope.

“The Disney case in a way captures this nervousness about DeSantis as a candidate,” said David Primo, a professor of political science and business administration at the University of Rochester. “He’s trying to do something.” There’s this hydra-like element.”

A spokesman for DeSantis’ campaign did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

DeSantis lead sponsor of 52 bills in Congress, none of which became law, Spectrum News ReportOne of them is the “Drain the Swamp Act,” which aims to implement Trump’s campaign mantra by tightening the lobbying ban on departing officials.

A founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, DeSantis has also introduced legislation that would cut payroll taxes for retirement-age Americans, and he supports another bill Replace most federal taxes with a state sales tax. critic said such proposals, which resurfaced in Congress this year, would burden low- and middle-income Americans.

DeSantis resigned from Congress to run for governor in 2018, narrowly beating his Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum with Trump’s backing. That same year, DeSantis’ desire for higher office was evident among his supporters, Politico Report.

“He looks like a mainstream Republican — pro-business, very conservative on social and economic issues,” said J. Edwin Benton, a professor of political science at the University of South Florida.

“Suddenly, he had the ambition to be president. To do that, he knew he had to carve out a niche for himself.”

DeSantis came into the national spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic in September 2020 when he lifted All Florida social distancing restrictions for restaurants, bars and other businesses.

He also gained more power for himself.By May of the following year, DeSantis lifted the all Local Covid restrictions.Six months later, Governor prohibit Private employers are exempt from mandatory vaccination mandates.

In the process, DeSantis argued his actions were designed to protect the freedom of Florida businesses.

“No one should lose their job because of tough COVID mandates, and we have a responsibility to protect the livelihoods of the people of Florida,” he said in a November 2021 news release.

DeSantis’ stance clashed with public health experts at the time and drew harsh criticism, especially after Florida broke records wave Covid cases and deaths in 2021.But while the state has the third-highest number of Covid deaths in the country, its death rate per 100,000 people is lower than states with stricter lockdown rules like New York and New Jersey, according to The New York Times data.

DeSantis claims victorymaking his response to Covid a key part of what he now calls his “Florida Blueprint” for economic success.

In 2020, he quietly sign Controversial legislation requires some private companies to use electronic verification systems to check employees’ immigration status. He strengthened those rules earlier this month, sign the contract A bill requiring any employer with 25 or more employees to E-Verify.

In 2021, DeSantis signed a law allowing Florida to punish large social media companies such as Facebook And Twitter, banning political candidates. The legislation comes months after these companies and others kicked Trump off their platforms following the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol.Federal Court of Appeals has since ruling Social media laws are unconstitutional.

In the most recent legislative session, DeSantis signed a bill banning the automatic deduction of union dues from public employees’ wages.Florida Educational Association defendant DeSantis punished them for opposing his policies, and critics were quick to point out that the bill doesn’t apply to unions representing first responders. Police and firefighters unions are backing DeSantis’ re-election bid.

desantis also start a war against social consciousness ESG Investment Strategies, in his latest book, denounces this trend as an “attempt to impose the ideology of the ruling class on society through public companies and asset management”.

ESG is a broad concept that generally refers to investment strategies that prioritize environmental, social and governance factors and has become a major investment strategy. Target For conservatives seeking to root out the progressive influence of corporate culture.

DeSantis signed a bill in early May that prohibits state and local officials from making ESG-based investment decisions.This is just his latest work action For ESG.

The ESG initiative embodies the governor’s arguments against corporate influence and favoritism — themes he will re-use in his ongoing battle with Disney.

Among those critics is current Disney CEO Bob Iger, who did not lead the company when he took the job tweets In February 2022, the bill “would put vulnerable young LGBTQ people at risk.” Disney’s then-CEO Bob Chapek comes out as gay be opposed to The bill came less than two weeks later and announced donations to pro-LGBTQ rights groups. After the bill was signed, Disney vowed to help repeal the law.

DeSantis and his allies quickly took aim at Disney’s special tax district, an arrangement that has allowed the company to effectively govern its Orlando-area parks since the 1960s. In April 2022, DeSantis signed a bill to to dissolve The governing body, formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

The move has raised concerns that neighboring counties will struggle with the region’s spending and debt. In February, the Florida legislature held a special session and introduced a bill that would keep the district intact but change the name — and have DeSantis hand-pick its five board of supervisors members.

The next month, members of the governor’s board accused Disney of thwarting their power over the district by sneaking through an 11-hour development deal. Disney said it followed the correct process in drafting the deals and was pursuing them to protect its investments in Florida amid political uncertainty.

The board of directors voted to cancel those development contracts.Iger, who returned as Disney CEO last November, noted in a recent interview Earnings Conference Call Other Florida corporations also operate in the District.

Disney is suing the state of Florida, alleging that DeSantis orchestrated a “targeted government retaliation campaign” that now threatens the company’s business. The company said in its federal civil suit that the law was “designed to target Disney and Disney alone.” The board has countersued in state court.

The fight shows no signs of stopping and is coming back into the spotlight with every new business update from Disney, such as the company’s recent announcements retirement plan Create an employee campus in Florida.

Primo, a political science professor, told CNBC that the ESG and Disney fight “reflects the way DeSantis appeals to a populist base while keeping the overall thrust of Florida policy very business-friendly.”

Primo said he was “counting on being able to do both.”