Ron DeSantis scored another victory after stripping Disney of its special status, saying on the final stop of a South Carolina multicity swing that the company no longer “runs Florida.”
While speaking out against what he says is “the agenda of the left promoting transgenderism,” the Florida governor hailed his policies that have halted the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in the Sunshine State’s public schools.
At each stop of his tour Wednesday, DeSantis focused on a few key issues: gender and sexuality as it pertains to minors and athletics, education, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments, particularly as it pertains to what he claims Florida has finally been freed from Disney’s clutches.
“In Florida, we made sure that gender ideology has no place in our K through 12 schools,” DeSantis said to cheers from the crowd of more than 500 people. “Teach kids math, teach them English, teach them the basics. Don’t teach them things that aren’t true and could be very, very harmful to them.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Disney no longer ‘runs’ Florida thanks to his leadership
The governor welcomed his wife and Florida first lady Casey DeSantis onstage on Wednesday for an interactive talk during the final stop of his three-city swing across South Carolina.
“The left didn’t like it when we did it, the corporate press didn’t like it when we did it, and Disney didn’t like it.”
“You know, they ran Florida maybe 50 years before I got on the scene, but they don’t run Florida anymore,” he said of Walt Disney Co.
DeSantis made it a huge priority over the past year to overhaul the Reedy Creek Improvement District, as its sheer existence gave Disney unprecedented powers over the land where its theme park and resorts are built.
The governor named a new five-member board for the newly named Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — and those on the panel are working to make sure Disney doesn’t get preferential treatment over other companies in the state.
The board received a briefing from investigators on Wednesday showing that deals Disney made with the old board to protect the district’s special status are void because they failed to follow Florida laws during the required notice period.
DeSantis made his last stop of a busy day in South Carolina by speaking to one of his largest crowds yet at a church in the northwestern part of the early primary contest state.
About 500 people made it to the room where DeSantis gave his remarks — some seated and some standing — but a second overflow room was set up at the last minute for another 500-plus attendees to hear before his speech from the governor.
Others stood outside in the atrium of the church to hear what the potential 2024 candidate had to say. DeSantis’ team told DailyMail.com that about 1,500 people passed through security for the event.
DeSantis spent his speeches Wednesday railing against Disney, the “awakened” leftist agenda and transgenderism
Locals wanting to voice their opposition to DeSantis and his visit to South Carolina lined the streets leading to the church before his arrival.
Some protesters held signs reading “We say gay,” in clear demonstration against the Florida governor’s bill that would ban education about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Florida Department of Education passed a new rule requested by DeSantis that expanded the ban to all classes of Florida public schools, where it had previously been limited to third grade.
Other posters outside the First Baptist North Spartanburg Church accused DeSantis of being a “fascist.”
“It’s wrong for a teacher to tell a student that maybe they were born in the wrong body or that their gender is a choice,” DeSantis said during his remarks in Charleston, South Carolina earlier Wednesday morning.
“So let’s not let that happen in Florida,” he said. “Disney objects to that, so be it, we’ll do that.”
Disney’s then-CEO came out against parental rights in education after DeSantis signed into law, sparking what has now been a year-long war between the company and Florida’s governor.
Meanwhile, Republican voters are still waiting for DeSantis to announce his long-awaited presidential nominee.
Florida’s governor continues to cross the country exploring a presidential run under the guise of a book tour for his memoir The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival.
Florida’s governor continues to cross the country exploring a presidential run under the guise of a book tour for his memoir The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival
Before heading to Spartanburg, DeSantis began remarks Wednesday in a room of about 300 people in Charleston, which included a fireside-style conversation with his wife and Florida first lady Casey DeSantis.
After stopping at a local coffee shop, the governor headed to Summerville, South Carolina for a private press event hosted by the Dorchester County GOP.
South Carolina state senator Josh Kimbrell introduced DeSantis to Spartanburg by saying, while “Florida is where wake goes to die…in South Carolina we do our best not to even land it at the airport.”
“Even if he doesn’t run for president… he changed America forever,” he said of Florida’s governor.