According to the Palm Beach Post editorial board, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) attempts to interfere with the state legislature’s efforts to draw a new Congressional map are not only racist but also proof that he needs to “cheat” to stay in power.
The editorial points out that the unpopular governor, who is considering a presidential run, is pushing to construct districts that are even more “partisan” than those proposed by the state’s Republican lawmakers.
Image of Rick DeSantis via Flickr/Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, please visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2I[/caption] “Gov. Ron DeSantis to Florida: If your skin is dark, don’t vote,” the editors began their harsh assessment of the Republican governor’s attempts.
“The nonpartisan Princeton Gerrymandering Project, which analyzes redistricting nationwide to understand and eliminate partisan gerrymandering, rates DeSantis’ plan an ‘F’ for partisan fairness,” before accusing, “But that was the whole idea, to tilt the board to favor his party, rather than follow the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Florida’s Fair Districts amendments, which were meant to prevent such undemocratic game-playing,” the editors continued.
Image of Ron DeSantis via Flickr/Gage Skidmore is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
Adding, “If DeSantis follows through on his promise to veto the Florida Legislature’s maps and pushes the issue into the courts, he gains a chance to skew elections for years to come, if he succeeds in toppling precedents that favor fairness to minority voters.”
“A righteous politician might support policies that win votes by advocating equity and opportunity for all,” they suggested before getting right to the point and stating, ” In other words, if DeSantis and his party just did the right thing, they wouldn’t have to cheat. Instead, our governor crafts ever-more-intricate ways to shunt minorities away from ballot boxes, or in this case, toward ballot boxes in diluted districts where their votes won’t have much impact.”
Image of Ron DeSantis via Flickr/Gage Skidmore is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/[/caption] “There’s one reason for all of this and one reason alone: African-Americans know that by and large, Republican candidates don’t have their interests in mind, so Republicans seek out every slimy, legalistic way they can to minimize those likely Democratic voters,” they wrote before concluding, “Florida’s governor and the state GOP are entitled to make their best efforts to persuade others to the wisdom of conservative values. They’re not entitled to mess with voting rights and democracy. True conservatives understand that.”
Questions were recently raised about DeSantis’ net worth.
Image of Ron DeSantis via Flickr/Gage Skidmore is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/Back in July of 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis’ net worth increased by over 20% in his second year in office.
DeSantis recorded a net worth of $348,832 as of Dec. 31, 2020, up from $291,449 at the end of 2019, according to a financial disclosure on the Florida Commission on Ethics website. His only listed income is a taxpayer-funded salary of $134,181.
Image of Ron DeSantis via Flickr/Gage Skidmore is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/State legislators have until July 1 to complete annual disclosure reports, which normally describe their finances as of the previous year’s end. Late filers have until September to file their reports or face a penalty of $25 each day, up to $1,500
The forms ask for an estimated net worth, assets worth more than $1,000, liabilities worth more than $1,000, and income details.
mage of Rick DeSantis via Flickr/Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, please visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2I[/caption] Now let’s fast forward to today.
Ron DeSantis is now worth $52 million dollars. DeSantis is now one of the country’s wealthiest governors. The Florida State Treasury pays DeSantis a fixed $180,000 salary as Governor.
DeSantis is also the owner of some of the finest luxury automobiles and timepieces. DeSantis recently purchased a brand-new Lexus GX for $41,000 USD. In addition, he owns a $90,000 Land Rover Velar. He also reportedly owns a Lexus ES, a 1970 Chevrolet El Camino, a 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, and a 1961 Jaguar E-Type.
1965 Ford Mustang ShelbyDespite the fact that DeSantis lives in a government home, he has only a few real estate investments. Ron DeSantis (under his wife’s name) owns one of the most costly homes in Jacksonville, Florida. This estate has 7,000 square feet, 5 baths, and two pools. Ron DeSantis paid $8 million for his home, which now has a market worth of $22 million. The home features two swimming pools, 7 bedrooms. 8 bathrooms, a tennis court, and a home theater.
So exactly where did DeSantis gain $51 million in a period of one year? His June financial disclosures should be quite interesting, to say the least.
