Forget Disney; Ron DeSantis Has a Surprising New Target

Disney  (DIS) - Get Free Report and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have been feuding for some time in a dispute that arguably began with Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act.

DeSantis signed it into law on March 28, 2022. It bans public school teachers from talking about sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Disney, which employs many LGBTQ+ workers, opposed the bill and called it discriminatory.

DeSantis then attempted to strip Disney of its special tax district status, which gives it control over its own land and services near Orlando.

Disney successfully challenged this move in court, although DeSantis did replace the district's oversight board with DeSantis appointees.

The company has defended its stance as being consistent with its values and mission of creating inclusive entertainment for everyone.

A New Law Stirs Controversy in Florida

Now, a different bill in Florida, recently signed by DeSantis, is getting the attention of labor advocates.

It amends the Florida Minimum Wage Act.

Jason Garcia, a journalist who writes about how businesses influence public policy in Florida, had some notes about the new law that he posted to Twitter.

"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed a bill sought by billionaire owners of Major League Baseball teams that cuts minor league baseball players off from the minimum wage," he tweeted.

He followed that up with a few more comments on the social media platform.

"One day after this legislation was filed in Tallahassee, Joe Ricketts, the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade whose kids own the Chicago Cubs, gave DeSantis a $1 million donation," Garcia wrote in one. 

"Major League Baseball hired the lobbying firm owned by one of DeSantis' biggest Florida fundraisers and that now employs DeSantis' former chief of staff," he posted in another. 

In a final tweet, Garcia suggested the bill forced players to take some action that he considered a sign of progress.

"Silver lining: Minor league players unionized for the first time last year -- and signed their first labor contract just before Florida lawmakers passed this bill," he wrote. "So the impact should be relatively limited ... although cutting anyone off from minimum wage protections is gross." 

Some Details On the Legislation

The Florida Senate website explains that SB 892 would exempt border patrol agents and salaried baseball players from the Florida Minimum Wage Act.

"The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour," Newsweek reported.  "However, in 2020 the state of Florida passed a constitutional amendment that raised the state's minimum wage to $10 an hour and raised the rate by $1 per year until 2026, when the state's minimum wage will reach $15 an hour."

"This means that Florida's minimum wage is notably higher than the federal minimum wage and MLB owners may have been required to pay minor league players more than the federal minimum in Florida," it continued.

"Florida's minimum wage is now $11 and will rise to $12 on September 30 but the legislation approved by DeSantis means the MLB will continue to be able to pay minor league players less than the federal minimum wage," Newsweek reported.

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