Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced last week that the state is trying to protect consumers from the left-wing policies of liberal bankers.
Patronis noted in a recent press release that 117 banks throughout Florida signed an agreement to not discriminate against their customers because of politics.
“I desire economic freedom for all Floridians, and we simply cannot stand by as the leadership in Washington fails to protect citizens from political targeting,” Patronis said in a statement.
Read: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz Says House Speaker Johnson’s Job Is Secure. For Now.
“Florida remains a safe haven for freedom, where citizens can rest assured that they will not face discrimination from our financial institutions.”
According to the CFO’s office, the banks’ pledge dates back to last year, when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill regarding financial institutions seeking to become Qualified Public Depositories, or QPDs, in the state.
QPDs are banks that can legally accept money moved around by agencies under state or local governments.
House Bill 3, which DeSantis signed last year, says a bank can be disqualified as a QPD if the bank engages in “unsafe and unsound practices” that include canceling services to customers based on their personal beliefs for politics, religion or other factors.
DeSantis’ office noted at the time that Florida was leading a group of almost 20 states that allied to resist the “proliferation” of ESG policies.
“In Florida and across the nation, we’ve heard from law-abiding small business owners and consumers who’ve been denied access to financial services because of where they work or what they believe in,” said DeSantis.
Read: Florida GOP Registration Edge Nears 780,000
“Through this legislation, Florida will continue to lead the nation against big banks and corporate activists who’ve colluded to inject woke ideology into the global marketplace, regardless of the financial interests of beneficiaries.”
QPDs will have to certify that they are in total compliance with the law’s requirements, Patronis’ office noted.
This is big business for such banks.
A state database identifying the current QPDs reports that the 117 banks hold roughly $34 billion in public funds as assets.
The list includes a gamut from small local banks, such as the Bank of Belle Glade, to Wall Street’s heaviest hitters, like Bank of America, Citibank and Wells Fargo.
“With the continued rise of Environmental and Social Governances (ESG) infiltrating our economic institutions, I am extremely happy to see the positive effects of HB 3,” Patronis said in a statement.
Read: Trump Retires His Nickname For Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Following Endorsement
“These 117 QPDs have officially made a commitment to put returns over politics. They understand that if they de-bank customers over political persuasion, they are threatening their own bottom lines.”
Since this law has gone into effect, we’ve had banks approach us to say that they reject woke-ism, and that they are ready to step up if a bank falls short of its commitment to Florida,” he added.
“I am proud that we now have safeguards like this that will allow Floridians to do what they want with their hard earned cash, without having to worry about a sudden denial or cancellation of services.”
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.