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☆ DeSantis' hand-picked board is trying to claw back 'superior authority' over Disney World after the previous board hamstrung its power
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis' board is trying to claw back its power over the Disney World special district. Disney had stripped its governing board of power in an attempt to render DeSantis' board powerless. DeSantis' hand-picked board has drafted a proposal that would give it "superior authority" over. Ron DeSantis' hand-picked board is trying to claw back "superior authority" over Walt Disney World after the company's previous board hamstrung its power, according to a proposal viewed by the Orlando Sentinel. And now, in his latest move, DeSantis filed a resolution dubbing his own board the "superior authority" over the entire Disney World district, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

☆ Florida is ground zero for moving scams where companies demand extra fees — or steal your stuff
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Moving company scams are on the rise, and almost half originate in Florida. But the Sunshine State is also increasingly home to scammers operating fraudulent moving companies targeting Florida residents and people across the country. No one's regulating," Susan Chana Lask, a New York-based consumer rights attorney who settled a lawsuit last year with a Florida-based moving company, told Insider. Her office announced last November that it had shut down 19 fraudulent moving companies and recovered $27 million in fines and restitution from the scammers. The sharp increase in moving scams across the country has also prompted the Biden administration to announce it's taking action.

☆ DeSantis says he's considering adding new taxes and tolls at Disney World to punish the company over its power play
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ron DeSantis acknowledged Disney had "tried to pull a fast one" over control in Florida. Ron DeSantis of Florida has pledged he isn't done with trying to control Walt Disney World. He pledged that the company, which had benefitted from a special carve-out for decades, would eventually pay its debts and taxes. DeSantis said the legislature would void Disney's actions and also consider taxes on hotels, new tolls, and developing properties. Ron DeSantis made at Hillsdale College.

☆ DeSantis leaves everyone on a cliffhanger on his retribution over the Disney power play: 'Buckle up'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis acknowledged Disney had "tried to pull a fast one" over control in Florida. Ron DeSantis of Florida has pledged he isn't done with trying to control Walt Disney World. DeSantis didn't say what would come next in his battle with the family-favorite company, a feud that first began in early 2022. First DeSantis signed a bill into law in April 2022 to dissolve the Reedy Creek district that oversees Disney. On his book tour stops, DeSantis frequently boasts about taking on Disney over the Parental Rights bill, which he said was necessary to protect children.

☆ California, three other states join U.S. bid to stop JetBlue-Spirit merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - California and three other states on Friday joined the U.S. Justice Department lawsuit aimed at preventing JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) from buying rival discount carrier Spirit Airlines (SAVE.N) for $3.8 billion. In addition to California, Maryland, New Jersey, and North Carolina signed on to the lawsuit filed in early March. "We look forward to litigating this important case alongside our state law enforcement partners to stop JetBlue from eliminating its rival, Spirit," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki said in a statement. Adding state attorneys general to the lawsuit could mean extra staffing for litigation, and additional expertise regarding potential effects of the deal on particular states. Reporting by Diane Bartz and David Shepardson Editing by Chris Reese and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Florida insiders react with shock, amusement, and dread after Disney outmaneuvers DeSantis to keep most of its power
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It appears Walt Disney World won't be losing power over its land after all — at least not yet — following a high-profile battle with Republican Gov. "It was a pretty brilliant move by the outgoing board to basically take all the power away," one Florida-based lobbyist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Insider. Ron DeSantis got married at Disney World in 2009. Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida who co-authored the book "Politics in Florida," told Insider. The company told Insider in a statement that it was "discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums."

☆ DeSantis warns Disney World he'll take a third swing at them after the company wrote in a loophole that collapsed his takeover plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

DeSantis warned that Disney hadn't seen the last of their feud: "There's more to come." "There's a lot of little back and forth going on now with the state control," DeSantis said, the audience booing at the mention of Disney. The governor-appointed board is talking to lawyersIn his new book, DeSantis has a chapter about the dust-up with Disney and how he retaliated against the company. He even revealed that he and his wife, Casey DeSantis, got married at Walt Disney World — a fact first reported by Insider. "The media STILL doesn't realize that Governor DeSantis always thinks 10 steps ahead," Christina Pushaw from the governor's rapid response team wrote on Twitter.

March 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday upheld a Florida law barring people under age 21 from buying a gun, rejecting a challenge by the National Rifle Association gun rights lobby group. Two Republican state lawmakers have introduced a measure to lower the age to 18, as it was previously. Federal law already imposes a 21-year age requirement for handguns. A federal judge in 2021 upheld the law, finding it was a kind of "longstanding" restriction that courts had upheld in the past. The 11th Circuit panel decided on Thursday that this one was, pointing to more than a dozen 19th century state laws barring people under 21 from buying guns.

March 8 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday agreed with the state's Republican attorney general that the policy of President Joe Biden's administration to release many people who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexican border rather than detaining them violates U.S. immigration law. Republican critics have called the policy "catch and release." The judge agreed with the argument made by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, who challenged the policy. Moody sued DHS in 2021, claiming its policy, officially known as Parole Plus Alternative to Detention, violates a U.S. law called the Immigration and Nationality Act. Federal immigration law allows DHS to "parole" migrants rather than detaining them "on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit."

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - JetBlue Airways Corp (JBLU.O) said on Monday it believes there is a "high likelihood" the U.S. Justice Department will file an antitrust lawsuit this week to block its $3.8 billion takeover of low-cost rival Spirit Airlines Inc (SAVE.N). JetBlue said in a statement that it accounted for the possibility of a lawsuit when it provided a timeline to close the deal in the first half of 2024. JetBlue prevailed in a months-long bidding war for Spirit Airlines after the ultra-low-cost carrier accepted its offer in late July. JetBlue Chief Executive Robin Hayes said on Monday he expected a government lawsuit to stop the deal and that the company would fight it, the Wall Street Journal reported. JetBlue is also awaiting the outcome of a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department which asks the court to force JetBlue and American to scrap its Northeast Alliance.

Companies TikTok FollowWASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - A group of 45 state attorneys general in the United States on Monday demanded Chinese-owned social media app TikTok produce subpoenaed materials sought in an ongoing nationwide consumer protection investigation. On Monday the states urged a Tennessee state court to compel TikTok answer requests for information. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, is facing renewed scrutiny worldwide over its proximity to the Chinese government and protection of user data. Like other social media apps, TikTok has also faced criticism for not doing enough to shield teens from inappropriate content. Parents will now also be able to set custom time limits for their teens' TikTok usage depending on the day of the week, the company said.

Companies TikTok FollowWASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - A group of 45 state attorneys general on Monday demanded Chinese-owned social media app TikTok produce subpoenaed materials sought in an ongoing nationwide consumer protection investigation. The states are seeking to review internal TikTok communications to determine whether the company engaged in deceptive conduct that harmed mental health of TikTok users, particularly children and teens, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said. On Monday the states urged a Tennessee state court to compel TikTok's requests for information. Reporting by David Shepardson,Editing by Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Florida can punish local governments and officials that try to pass gun restrictions that are tougher than state laws, Florida's top court affirmed on Thursday. The Florida Supreme Court, by a 4-1 margin, rejected local officials' argument that they were immune to the penalties, which the court found were within the state's power to impose. Florida in 1987 passed a law stating that state gun control law preempts, or overrides, any local gun control measures. The local governments and officials sued the state to challenge a 2011 state law that authorizes the state to penalize local leaders for passing gun control measures that are subsequently struck down by courts for conflicting with state law. A trial court ruled in favor of the local officials, but the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld the 2011 law in 2021.

☆ DeSantis casts himself as a national leader at his inauguration amid 2024 speculation, promising Florida will 'carry the torch' of freedom and fight 'woke'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Florida Gov. The Florida inauguration offered a split screen from the national conversation back in Washington, DC, where Republicans performed poorly in the midterms. Florida Gov. Zackary Atkins hangs a street sign with the name of Florida Gov. Retired broadcaster Gene Deckerhoff, who was the voice of the Florida State Seminoles for 43 years, was the MC for the event.

☆ Florida homeowners got swindled by brokers who paid them a paltry sum in cash upfront for the rights to sell their properties for 40 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Florida brokerage had offered homeowners upfront cash payments in exchange for exclusive rights to sell their property. Florida's attorney general alleges MV Realty's 40-year homeowner agreement is "deceptive" and "unconscionable." Roy Brightwell, 70, is one complainant that the Tampa Bay Times interviewed about his experience with MV Realty. The lawsuit claims that MV Realty's agreement is illegal under Florida law because it does not meet the statutory requirements for liens. When asked about the pending litigation, a spokesperson for MV Realty responded to Insider suggesting that the practice is perfectly legal.

☆ Florida's attorney general says Americans from blue states are moving to the Sunshine State because it's tough on crime: 'It's not rocket science'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Isabella Zavarise | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Florida AG Ashley Moody says Americans are moving to Florida because it's a law and order state. Americans have flocked to the Sunshine State largely due to its low taxes, and business-friendly policies, according to the state's CFO, Jimmy Patronis. Using data from the FBI's 2018 Uniform Crime Reporting Program, USA Today ranked states from lowest violent crime rate to highest. Florida ranked 21st with a violent crime rate of 384.9 per 100,000 people, while California — the most populous state — ranked 14th with a violent crime rate of 447.4 per 100,000 people, according to the news outlet. New York was 25th on the list with a violent crime rate of 350.5 per 100,000 people.

Brian Kemp to become the state’s first Black governor — she’d also be the first Black woman in the country’s history to hold a governor seat. In Maryland, Rep. Anthony Brown could be the state’s first Black attorney general if he defeats Republican Michael Peroutka. Smaller historic races include Rep. Karen Bass’ bid to become Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor. Flowers would be the first Black woman to hold the office in Alabama, and she’s already made history as the first Black woman from either major party to win the nomination for governor. If successful, she would be the first Black woman elected to the chamber in the state’s history.

☆ Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida's Gulf Coast, canceling Biden rally and bringing Ron DeSantis his biggest storm test as governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency in Florida as the response kicks into high gear. "We know we are going to have some major impacts throughout the state of Florida," said DeSantis, a Republican. DeSantis' emergency declaration also allows Floridians to bypass typical time limits on prescriptions and stock up early. In a press conference Monday afternoon in Largo, Florida, state Attorney General Ashley Moody reminded businesses that Florida law prohibits them from price gouging supplies people will need. "Our entire county is going to feel some type of impact," Cathie Perkins, director of Pinellas County Emergency Management, said at the Largo press conference.

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