Florida’s Ron DeSantis slams NAACP travel advisory as ‘stunt’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was not amused by the NAACP issuing a travel advisory for Florida in direct response to his policies.

“As Governor DeSantis announced last week, Florida is seeing record-breaking tourism,” his spokesman told Fox News Monday. “This is nothing more than a stunt.”

Over the weekend, the NAACP issued a travel advisory for the Sunshine State, writing that DeSantis and Florida’s Republican-dominated legislature had made the state “openly hostile toward African-Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.”

“Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, the State of Florida has criminalized protests, restricted the ability of educators to teach African-American history, and engaged in a blatant war against diversity and inclusion,” the NAACP said.

Earlier in 2023, DeSantis forced changes to AP African-American history classes in high schools after he objected to some of the coursework. He’s also fought against diversity, equity and inclusion programs throughout the state.

Tourism is Florida’s top industry, so the state economy could be impacted if people heed the NAACP’s warning.

However, DeSantis’ leadership hasn’t stopped tourists in the past. According to state data, 126 million people visited Florida in 2018. DeSantis took office in 2019, and another 131 million people visited that year. In 2022, the first complete post-pandemic year, Florida welcomed 137 million people.

DeSantis has already picked a major fight with one of Florida’s biggest tourism draws: Disney. The Mouse House recently canceled a planned $1 billion project in the state amid a legal fight with DeSantis.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, issued similar warnings ahead of the NAACP’s advisory.

DeSantis, 44, is widely expected to formally declare his campaign for president in the coming days. He’s already launched an ad campaign.