Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took a break from the campaign trail to sign the state’s budget. It’s a relatively benign act that every governor nationwide must do. But, as is always the case, the devil is in the details, and in this budget, the details are messy.
The $177 billion budget is the largest in Florida’s history. It carries with it several items that DeSantis personally wanted so that he could brag about them on the campaign trail. Among the things are $12 million for flights to carry migrants to other states, $25 million to turn Florida’s New College into a model conservative public university, and $100 million to expand the state guard into a 1,500-person, well-armed force.
But tucked deep in the budget are the legal expenditures for Florida. Gov DeSantis has signed several controversial laws, and the state has had to pay to defend those laws in court. And now that the budget is law, we are getting a better idea of how much money is being spent and where exactly that money is coming from.
First, the cost. Florida has spent millions defending laws like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” and a recent law restricting gender-affirming care. But Florida’s legal issues with the Walt Disney Company are just getting started, and the state will need to shell out millions more to defend the governor and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in its fight with Disney.
Last year alone, Florida spent $17 million in legal fees to defend the governor’s controversial laws. In this year’s budget, $16 million is earmarked for legal expenditures to support these laws. Of that money, $6 million is expressly set aside to defend Florida Governor Ron DeSantis against lawsuits, including the one filed by Disney.
Disney is suing the governor and DeSanti’s handpicked board, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District for stripping away its self-governing power when it removed its special district, the Reedy Creek Oversight District. Disney also claims that DeSantis infringed on its First Amendment rights by punishing Disney World for speaking out against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Disney is claiming government retaliation against the Company and the case is now in federal court. However, the Walt Disney Company was able to embarrass Gov DeSantis with the “King Charles III” clause, for all practical purposes stripping his board of its control over the district and only allowing it to have a say in basic infrastructure and other basic services.
The state is picking up the table for DeSantis’ hourly legal fees. But, where is that money coming from? Florida has seen record tourism since it opened after Covid, which had led to record revenues for the state, but even that wasn’t enough to pay for DeSantis’ priorities. The money is coming from Americans across the country.
State House Majority Leader Fentrice Driskell, a Tampa Democrat, told CNN:
One out of every three dollars Ron DeSantis spends is from the federal government. So he should be praising Joe Biden.
DeSantis is using Covid relief money and money from Build Back Better, the infrastructure law passed last year, to help fund his priorities in the state. DeSantis’ predecessor and current Florida senator Rick Scott has called that money a “slush fund” and has urged America’s governors to return it to the federal government.
With no sign of returning the money to the United States Government, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis plans to continue using it for his priorities in Florida, allowing him to brag on the campaign trail. So, the next time you head to Walt Disney World, enjoy what Florida offers. You’re paying for it.
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.
