Washington Post editorial board: DeSantis attacking free speech for targeting Tampa Bay Rays

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ jab at The Tampa Bay Rays, and other companies such as Disney, is a threat against "free expression" and "free enterprise," and reaffirms his disregard for free speech, The Washington Post editorial board argued this week.

DeSantis has publicly stated that he does not support the use of taxpayer funds to support professional sports stadiums, but the board is slamming him for allegedly tying his veto of $35 million in funding for a new training and youth sports facility to the Ray’s public comments decrying gun violence and support for new gun legislation. 

"This cannot become normal. We cannot become numb. We cannot look the other way. We all know if nothing changes, nothing changes," the team tweeted in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting. The team also pledged $50,000 to Everytown for Gun Safety, which supports gun control. 

"It's inappropriate to subsidize political activism of a private corporation," DeSantis said of the veto.

DESANTIS SIGNS BILL ADDRESSING SCHOOL SAFETY IN WAKE OF UVALDE SHOOTING

FILE: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at Miami's Freedom Tower, on Monday, May 9, 2022, in Miami.  (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

The board admitted it agreed with DeSantis’ decision not to support sports teams with taxpayer money, but claim that the governor’s decisions are indicative of punishment against specific companies that express views to which he disagrees. The board noted that he did nothing when Disney and the Rays were donating to GOP campaigns. 

"It is one thing to decry corporate influence in politics. It is another to selectively revoke state benefits when companies disagree with the governor," the board wrote. "A beneficiary of corporate free speech in the