Yet another Florida Republican is saying no to money from the mouse.
State Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff on Thursday announced that she was returning campaign contributions from Disney just days after the entertainment company bashed a new law protecting parents’ rights.
“Parents, who are their children’s first teachers, should always have a voice and decision-making rights in the education of their children,” the DeLand Republican said in a statement.
“I stand with Governor [Ron] DeSantis, [Florida House] Speaker Chris Sprowls, and most importantly Florida’s parents, in support of their parental rights and the ability for them to make decisions regarding the education of their children.”
Fetterhoff was sending back $2,000 contributed to her campaign by Disney Gift Card Services and Disney Destinations LLC, The Capitolist noted.
Fetterhoff becomes the third Florida House Republican this week to return Disney’s contributions.
The first was Rep. Joe Harding, the primary sponsor of the Parental Rights in Education bill, the measure at the heart of the brewing feud between Disney and GOP lawmakers.
As The Free Press reported, the Williston Republican did so after Disney announced that the bill, which DeSantis signed on Monday, should never have passed and that the company would work to repeal it in the Legislature or get it overturned in court.
Harding returned $3,000.
“As a company whose primary audiences are young children and families, Disney has let us down through their complicity with the false narratives pushed by liberal media, who have repeatedly mischaracterized the content of my legislation,” Harding said.
“Some radical elements of our society are embracing an idea that parents are unsuited to be parents and that schools have a primary role in determining when and how young children are exposed to sexual topics,” he added. “I invite Disney to reconsider its position and join forces with those of us who support parents first.”
Dade City GOP Rep. Randy Maggard soon followed, giving back $5,000 to Disney.
“The Parental Rights in Education Act says that at the youngest ages, K-3rd grade, only age-appropriate material can be taught to students in the classroom,” Maggard said.
“This legislation protects Florida’s youngest schoolchildren and protects the parent-child relationship. I am disappointed to see Disney go along with the disinformation narrative of political activists when they know it to be false. I stand with Florida families and with the parents and families in my district.”
Disney, which has a significant LGBTQ workforce, has said it will stand with its employees against the new law, which prohibits school districts and teachers from implementing classroom lesson plans that discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3.
Recent polls show that large majorities support the new law. One poll revealed that 52 percent of Democratic voters in Florida support DeSantis on this measure.
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