Ron DeSantis Suffers Huge Blow in His Battle With Disney
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has seen his favorability drop across the country as his nemesis, Disney, gets more popular.
DeSantis has been engaged in a feud with the corporate powerhouse ever since Disney spoke out against his "Don't Say Gay Bill" in 2022. The governor signed the bill, which bans the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in certain grades at Florida schools, into law.
DeSantis' popularity rating has fallen since November and almost half of Americans see him in an unfavorable light, according to a survey by polling organization Navigator.
Over the same period, Disney's favorability rating has remained high, with people siding with the corporation in its beef with DeSantis and nearly two in three Americans having a favorable view of the media giant.
The majority of people, across all ethnic groups, sided with Disney and believe it is in the right in the Florida governor's "crusade" against it.
Even worse news for DeSantis is that his favorability rating among Republicans has declined 19 points since November. One in five Republicans sided with Disney, believing the company is in the right.
In an act perceived as retaliation for Disney's opposition to the "Don't Say Gay Bill," DeSantis set his sights on the land where Disney World is situated in Orlando, Florida. He attempted to strip Disney of social privileges and tax breaks protected under the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which had allowed the company to essentially run as its own self-governing authority in Florida for more than 50 years.
The majority of people, across all ethnic groups, sided with Disney and believe it is in the right in the Florida governor's "crusade" against it.
Even worse news for DeSantis is that his favorability rating among Republicans has declined 19 points since November. One in five Republicans sided with Disney, believing the company is in the right.
In an act perceived as retaliation for Disney's opposition to the "Don't Say Gay Bill," DeSantis set his sights on the land where Disney World is situated in Orlando, Florida. He attempted to strip Disney of social privileges and tax breaks protected under the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which had allowed the company to essentially run as its own self-governing authority in Florida for more than 50 years.
But Disney managed to legally outmaneuver the governor, who has announced his intention to run for the Republican presidential candidacy in the upcoming 2024 elections.
DeSantis established the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to replace the Reedy Creek board— but its handpicked, five-person membership revealed their predecessors had signed a deal with Disney in February that severely restricts the new board's powers and essentially allows Disney to remain self-governing.
In May Disney said it would pull a proposed plan to build a $1 billion corporate campus in central Florida because of "considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project." If the project had gone ahead, it would have created 2,000 jobs in the state.
Disney has also filed a lawsuit against DeSantis, in which it accused him of attempting to punish the company over its opposition to the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which it argued violated its First Amendment rights.
He reacted by filing a motion to have the judge in the case, Chief Judge Mark Walker, replaced over a perceived lack of impartiality.
DeSantis has said there was "zero" chance that he would back down in his battle with Disney.
"They're not going to govern themselves. We the people are going to govern," DeSantis said in New Hampshire during a recent visit. "To put one corporation on a pedestal and let them be exempt from the laws is not good policy.
"It's not free-market economics and it's not something that our state is going to be involved in. We will not change from that. They can do whatever they want. I know people try to chirp and say this or that. The chance of us backing down from that is zero."
https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-florida-orlando-disney-1807228DeSantis signs bill banning direct auto sales... except for Tesla. Here's what it meansIf you're in the market for a new car in Florida and really hate haggling, you're out of luck.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation further nailing down the ban on most automakers from selling their vehicles directly to you without going through a dealer, with a notable exception: Tesla.
Not by name, and not exclusively. HB 637, "Motor Vehicle Dealers, Manufacturers, Importers, and Distributors," bans most direct-to-consumer vehicle sales if the automaker has ever sold any model through a franchise in Florida before (i.e. every major automaker). Manufacturers that didn't already have a dealership agreement in the state before the law are exempt, which includes Tesla and presumably other new EV brands such as Lucid, Rivian and Polestar.
Elon Musk is Tesla's founder and CEO, and he also owns Twitter, where the governor announced his presidential campaign during a glitch-ridden Twitter Spaces event in May.
The bill, which goes into effect July 1, also restricts a manufacturer's ability to control what a dealership can charge you and prevents automakers from using inventory to incentivize lower prices.
Here's what this means for you.
Can I buy a new car, truck or SUV directly from the manufacturer in Florida?Not unless it's a Tesla or other new brand, no, but you couldn't before, either. The new bill just clarifies and emphasizes what was already on the books. For all other new vehicles, you have to go through a dealer. According to HB 637:
"A licensee, a manufacturer, an importer, or a distributor, or an agent of the licensee, manufacturer, importer, or distributor, or a parent, a subsidiary, a common entity, an officer, or an employed representative of the licensee, manufacturer, importer, or distributor, may not directly or indirectly own, operate, or control, by contract, agreement, or otherwise, a motor vehicle dealership for any line-make in this state if the licensee, manufacturer, importer, or distributor has manufactured, imported, or distributed motor vehicles of any line-make which have been or are offered for sale under a franchise agreement in this state with an independent person."
"Any person who is not prohibited by this section from owning, operating, or controlling a motor vehicle dealership may be issued a license pursuant to s. 320.27."Why can't I buy a vehicle directly from a manufacturer in Florida?According to Dave Ramba, a lobbyist for the Florida Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) which championed the bill, “The attempt by auto manufacturers to cut out the dealer would only result in higher prices and less customer service to the public," Ramba told Florida Politics. "The new car dealer is the customer’s advocate when it comes to warranty work and service on a manufacturer’s product, and this bill will protect that.”
FADA says dealerships create "fierce price competition," prevent manufacturer monopolies, protect consumers with recall, warranty, and repair service, allow for test driving, simplify the complicated process of buying and registering a vehicle, provide many local jobs and generate tax revenue.
Critics say dealerships add an unnecessary middleman, pressuring sales tactics and layers of markup and fees that can range from a few hundred dollars to $20,000 or more per vehicle over the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). However, FADA has said that such fees would be added no matter who was selling the cars.
Opinions from Federal Trade Commission members have at various times over the last few decades recommended repealing prohibitions over direct sales, arguing in 2014 that this would likely "increase competition relative to the existing blanket ban on all other methods of selling cars" and stating in 2015 that these restrictions operate as a special protection for dealers that "is likely harming both competition and consumers." A Harris poll in 2016 found that 87% of American adults were unhappy about some part of the process of buying a vehicle at a dealership.
Why doesn't Florida's direct-to-consumer ban affect Tesla?Because Tesla lobbied for it.
Initially, HB 637, filed by Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, and the companion bill SB 712, filed by Sen.Bryan Avila, R-Miami Springs, would have banned all direct-to-consumer vehicle sales in Florida including Tesla but, according to Florida Politics, lobbyists for Tesla successfully negotiated new language for the bill to let them keep the Florida locations open. It may also have helped Tesla that the company successfully sued the state of Michigan a few years ago to sell there.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2023/06/16/elon-musk-tesla-exempt-florida-ban-on-direct-car-sales-dealerships/70329000007/
