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Governor criticizes corporate ‘wokeness,’ points to ban on ESG in state pension and Disney governance changes
Summary
The governor criticized corporate DEI and ESG initiatives, said Florida banned ESG in its $250 billion pension fund and eliminated some DEI programs in public universities, and recounted imposing a state control board over Disney’s special arrangements in the state.
The governor used his address to criticize what he described as a partisan or ideological shift in corporate America and to summarize Florida actions taken in response. He said the state banned ESG investment considerations in its pension fund, eliminated certain DEI programs at public universities, and asserted that a large entertainment company (Disney) had previously exercised disproportionate control over its local government arrangement.
Why it matters: Taken together, the measures the governor described reflect a state effort to limit what he called "corporate wokeness" and to reallocate oversight over entities that had special arrangements. Pension policy and state oversight of large private employers can have broad economic and political effects.
Details: The governor described Florida as "the first state in the country to kneecap ESG," said the pension fund is roughly $250 billion, and called the elimination of DEI in some public-university settings a necessary step. He said the state established a control board to alter the special treatment a company had received and asserted that, despite political conflict, major investment continued in the state (he cited "investing 18 billion more dollars").
Quotes: "We were the first state in the country to kneecap ESG. We banned it in our pension fund," the governor said. On the company dispute: "They controlled their local government. ... So my view was ... we should not be subsidizing that as a state."
Limits of the record: The transcript attributes these policy descriptions and dollar figures to the governor. It does not include the legal citations for the pension rule, details of the control board's authority, or independent confirmation of the investment figures cited.
