Global Courant 2023-05-13 00:36:15
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill Friday banning the use of a “centralized digital dollar,” also known as a central bank digital currency, or CBDC, in the state.
DeSantis has been relentless in his attacks on CBDCs, saying last week they were part of “woke up politicsthat he wants to fight. Now the part of Florida law that defines money explicitly states:The term does not include central bank digital currencies.”
During the press conference, DeSantis stated that President Joe Biden’s administration had announced that this would happen Studying CBDCs last year because it wants to “displace and eliminate other types of digital assets, such as cryptocurrency”.
Standing behind a podium that read “Big Brother’s Digital Dollar,” DeSantis suggested that the government could hypothetically use CBDCs to prevent people from buying gas to combat global warming or to track how often someone buy firearms.
“Anyone with an open eye can see the danger these kinds of arrangements pose to Americans who want to exercise their financial independence and conduct business without the government knowing every transaction they make in real time.” .”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference to sign several bills related to public education and teacher salary increases, in Miami, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Ron Desantis Renews Attack on CBDCs as Part of ‘Woke Politics’
The bill, SB-7054had alone one vote against in his final appearance last week at a session of the Florida House of Representatives. When DeSantis introduced the legislation in Marchhe said a CBDC would be about “watching Americans and controlling Americans.”
A few days later, DeSantis announced that Florida would do just that accept Bitcoin as payment for state taxes, but only from corporations, not individual taxpayers.
While he has not yet announced his candidacy, DeSantis is leading polls for potential Republican Party nominees and recently released a book outlining his stance against what he calls “awakened” politics.
