Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's move to revoke Disney World's special tax status this week over its criticism of his "Don't Say Gay" legislation drew the ire of the Miami Herald editorial board.
In an editorial published on Wednesday, the Miami Herald editors described DeSantis's actions as "an act of pure vengeance" in direct retaliation of its opposition to his bill.
"This is the stuff of Richard Nixon and his enemies list," the editors write. "DeSantis is using the levers of government to crush his enemy."
The editors also take aim at the excuses being given by DeSantis's allies about how he's not really retaliating against Disney.
"House Speaker Chris Sprowls defended the governor’s move, saying the House has long contemplated this action," they write. "That doesn’t pass the smell test. In the war between Disney and DeSantis, this isn’t a grenade, it’s a precision missile strike, and it’s aimed right at Central Florida."
The editorial closes by imploring legislatures to check DeSantis before he does more to misuse his power to attack his foes.
"Now we have DeSantis’ frightening misuse of power," they write. "It must stop here, and that starts with lawmakers stiffening their backbones. Today, it’s Disney. Tomorrow, who knows?"
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