Governor Ron DeSantis declared that Florida is where woke goes to die.
DeSantis just showed he meant business.
And Ron DeSantis made one major announcement that will have the woke mob running for their lives.
One of the key policy weapons in the woke arsenal is environmental social and governance (ESG) investing.
Woke corporations use ESG principles to manipulate state pension funds and other financial institutions in red states into adopting the Left’s tax-and-regulate climate change regime.
Under Ron DeSantis’ leadership, Florida is the first state to push back on this attempt to end-run Republican-controlled legislatures.
During a press event staged at Florida Southwestern State College DeSantis detailed a series of new proposals to curb ESG in the Sunshine State.
DeSantis explained that leftist elites used ESG to impose the left-wing agenda items that Democrats could not win at the ballot box.
“By applying arbitrary ESG financial metrics that serve no one except the companies that created them, elites are circumventing the ballot box to implement a radical ideological agenda. Through this legislation, we will protect the investments of Floridians and the ability of Floridians to participate in the economy,” DeSantis stated.
DeSantis added that this “measure to protect Florida’s investments from woke environmental, social, and corporate governance.”
CBS News 12 reports the proposed rules changes entail:
- Prohibits big banks, trusts, and other financial institutions from discriminating against customers for their religious, political, or social beliefs — including their support for securing the border, owning a firearm, and increasing our energy independence.
- Prohibits the financial sector from considering so called “Social Credit Scores” in banking and lending practices that aim to prevent Floridians from obtaining loans, lines of credit, and bank accounts.
- Prohibits banks that engage in corporate activism from holding government funds as a Qualified Public Depository (QPD).
- Prohibits the use of ESG in all investment decisions at the state and local level, ensuring that fund managers only consider financial factors that maximize the highest rate of return.
- Prohibits all state and local entities, including direct support organizations, from considering, giving preference to, or requesting information about ESG as part of the procurement and contracting process.
- Prohibits the use of ESG factors by state and local governments when issuing bonds, including a contract prohibition on rating agencies whose ESG ratings negatively impact the issuer’s bond ratings.
- And Directs the Attorney General and Commissioner of Financial Regulation to enforce these provisions to the fullest extent of the law.
In the first two decades of the 21st century, leftists executed a stunning capture of corporate boardrooms and the financial services sector.
Banks now routinely discriminate against firearms dealers and online payment processors kick conservatives off their platforms.
The Left understands politics is just one lever of power in America.
Democrats now see they can press their cultural and institutional advantage to achieve the political goals they cannot secure through winning elections.
But Ron DeSantis is not going to let Democrats get away with it.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
