Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to veto legislation setting aside $35 million for the Tampa Bay Rays’ spring training facility after the team made an openly political endorsement of gun control following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
News of DeSantis’ decision was broken by OutKick, a sports media company, earlier this afternoon. The outlet said the move came as a direct result of the baseball team’s brazenly political endorsement of gun control on Twitter.
On Twitter the sports team revealed that it donated $50,000 to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control organization that was formed in an event featuring former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and openly supports banning “assault weapons.” The professional baseball team also urged its fans to donate to gun control groups.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 26, 2022
If DeSantis moves forward with the veto, it could signal the potential 2024 presidential contender is willing to take on more high profile companies that wade into the American culture war.
The move comes amid DeSantis’ ongoing feud with Disney, which broke from the Republican governor after he signed a parental rights bill aimed at ending grooming in public schools.
Disney promised to spend millions fighting the Florida law, and DeSantis responded by instructing the Florida legislature to reexamine Disney’s special autonomous status at its theme park in the state. Despite the move meaning a large corporation could pay millions more in taxes, it was largely opposed by Democrats.
When the Florida House of Representatives ultimately passed legislation to strip Disney’s special tax status, Democrats were recorded wailing in anguish in the legislature.
Democrats in the Florida House of Representatives can be heard yelling & shrieking after lawmakers voted to remove Disney’s special tax status—a privilege it held for 55 years. Disney employs 38 lobbyists in Tallahassee & donates generously to politicians. pic.twitter.com/ak7rBbB2vw
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 21, 2022
While the feud is ongoing, Disney Chief Corporate Officer Geoff Morrell resigned in April after only being on the job for three months, potentially signalling there is discord among the company’s executives. Morrell was the first person to fill the COO role, and he was charged with “communications, government relations, public policy, philanthropy and environmental issues” for the company. Previously, he served as the Pentagon Press Secretary for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
DeSantis frequently polls second to 45th President Donald Trump in 2024 Republican polls.
