Stop Using Governorship to Bully Businesses and Critics

Target: Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida

Goal: Do not unfairly take punitive action against businesses that share different political views.

A governor who touts his commitment to freedom of speech and small government has been extra-busy in recent weeks using and abusing his position to fly in the face of both ideals. Florida governor Ron DeSantis, with his eyes likely on a future presidential bid, has always courted controversy. Now he is seemingly making a habit of punishing a wide range of organizations that do not share his political views, from Disney to the Special Olympics.

For example, recently the state’s professional baseball team, the Tampa Bay Rays, sent out a statement on its Twitter account calling for gun safety reform in the wake of the Uvalde massacre. Very shortly thereafter, a proposed training facility in the Tampa Bay region that would have also served as a venue for youth athletics was stripped of funding by DeSantis. This move echoes a similar retaliatory strike made against one of the state’s largest employers, Disney, after leaders of that entity criticized Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. This bill limits classroom instruction on issues of sexual and gender identity.

Not even special needs children were spared from DeSantis’ politically motivated wrath. When organizers of the Special Olympics announced they were implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the next games to protect vulnerable populations, the governor responded by threatening a nearly 30 million-dollar fine. The cold-hearted threat forced the committee to amend its public health policy. DeSantis had similarly threatened the cruise ship industry and state schools with similar retribution.

It seems the governor is a fan of censorship and government intervention as long as he is the one wielding the power. Sign the petition below to demand Governor DeSantis reverse his blatantly hypocritical stances and start backing up his words with actions.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Governor DeSantis,

“This is political, it’s about using government power to control.”

“You just have so many threats to freedom nowadays. And you see it in a number of different ways. We’re going to stand up for freedom.”

It appears, Governor, that one of the biggest threats to freedom and government abuse within the state of Florida is you. You rail against censorship while misusing your position to punish businesses that speak their minds about gun violence, equality, healthcare, and any other issues you want to ignore. You talk about a “council of censors” while rubber-stamping laws that restrict what can be taught in classrooms and the medical choices individuals make for themselves and their children. And you wax poetic about the government staying in its lane, especially when it comes to the regulation of businesses, while intimidating, threatening, and punishing businesses that want to implement policies to protect their employees and consumers.

Athletes, special needs kids, and Mickey Mouse himself were your latest targets. Who’s next, Governor, in your hypocritical posturing to score cheap political points? Florida is no “escape hatch” from authoritarianism. Under your leadership, state politicians are writing the rule book on the practice. Please take your own advice and stop abusing your power to promote censorship and iron-fisted government rule.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: US Secretary of Defense