Ron DeSantis’ most recent actions serve as a case study to what his governorship has been: hypocritically taking credit for the work of President Biden and Democrats’ American Rescue Plan, while using the governor’s office to punish those he considers political enemies and failing to deliver for working Floridians.

Instead of working on behalf of everyday Floridians, DeSantis has fostered a state economy that delivers for his corporate friends, where 1 in 5 corporations pay no taxes in Florida, and the billionaire donors supporting his campaign at an “extraordinary” level.

Sarasota Tribune: “Florida analysis found dozens of billionaires and billionaire family members with a net worth of $275 billion have donated to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reelection effort, a level of billionaire support one expert called ‘extraordinary.’” 

Axios: “DeSantis has generally been a friend to the business sector, Anderson notes, with some of his billionaire backers benefitting from moves such as a tax break on racing tickets he approved last month.”

Tallahassee Democrat: “One in five of the wealthiest corporations in Florida paid zero corporate income tax in 2020, according to a report published Thursday by the Florida Policy Institute. The report is a damning indictment of Florida’s corporate income tax law and was released hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on Florida’s “Freedom First Budget,” which Democratic lawmakers decried Thursday as a favor to corporations.”

And while DeSantis takes credit for the work of President Biden and Democrats, he has used his power to punish organizations he deemed as his enemies and not sufficiently deferential to his political goals.

CNN: “DeSantis blocks state money for Tampa Bay Rays training facility after team tweets against gun violence”

Rolling Stone: “Florida Gov. Ron Desantis and his administration have used their authority to essentially punish organizations he deems to be insufficiently conservative. One of their latest targets is the Special Olympics. Jay O’Brien of ABC News reported on Friday that the governor threatened to levy an eight-figure fine against the Special Olympics if it didn’t drop its Covid-19 vaccine requirement for its games in Orlando this weekend.”

Rolling Stone: “DeSantis Brags About Florida Budget That Includes Billions in Federal Funds He Opposed”

This comes as Floridians are facing skyrocketing housing prices, some of the highest health care costs in the country, and now potentially a huge tax increase for hundreds of thousands of Floridians.

CBS News: “Florida is the least affordable place to live in the U.S.”

CBS News: “Meanwhile, with both rents and home values growing at dizzying rates, it makes it that much harder for renters to even consider buying a home.”

NPR: “DeSantis wanted to punish Disney. Repealing its tax status may hurt taxpayers instead”

WUSF: “Study finds employees in Florida pay among the highest rates for health insurance”

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