Over 100 Florida banks sign anti-ESG agreement to not ‘politically discriminate’
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Banks across Florida have signed an agreement with the state’s chief financial officer to not “politically discriminate” in exchange for being designated Qualified Public Depositories, or QPDs, that can accept public funds.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced Friday that 117 banks have signed on.
Some major banks that signed on include Bank of America, Citibank, PNC, TD Bank, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase.
Retail health company has Chase accounts suddenly terminated, owner critical of COVID vaccines, FDA
“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. “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.”
HB 3 became Florida law on July 1, 2023. It barred public dollars from depositing into banks that are not designated as QPDs. It prevents banks from becoming QPDs if they deny service based on political or religious beliefs, including applying tactics like “social credit scores.”
Reps. Bob Rommel, R-Naples, and Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, sponsored the House version of the bill. Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, sponsored the Senate version.
The chief financial officer said since the bill became law, banks have approached his office saying they “reject woke-ism.”
“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,” he said. “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.”
“The success of this bill has helped ensure that Florida remains a safe haven for freedom, where citizens can rest assured that they will not face discrimination from our financial institutions,” Patronis said.
