One of the biggest supporters of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill has seen his home severely damaged by Hurricane Ian.
Rep. Spencer Roach is a Republican representing Lee County. He voted in favor of HB 1557, the Parental Rights in Education bill. It’s more commonly known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation.
Roach went further, taking aim at “woke” Disney. He led efforts to strip Disney of its special tax privileges within the state following the corporation taking a stand against HB 1557.
He was among the first in the Florida house to call for an end to the Reedy Creek Improvement Act. The legislation basically allows Disney to make its own rules and act as the local government over the area covered by its theme park in the state.
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Yesterday was the 2nd meeting in a week w/fellow legislators to discuss a repeal of the 1967 Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which allows Disney to act as its own government. If Disney wants to embrace woke ideology, it seems fitting that they should be regulated by Orange County. pic.twitter.com/6sj29Gj6Wz
— SpencerRoach (@SpencerRoachFL) March 30, 2022
Roach later went on to claim his motivation was less to do with Disney’s support of LGBTQ rights, but to level the playing field for other theme parks, such as Seaworld.
“Because Disney has made this unforced political error, it’s presented us with an opportunity where they’re politically weak to go out and correct this historic aberration of the free market,” Roach told Buzzfeed in April.
The Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) is due to cease next year, but Disney and lawmakers are in negotiations over what should replace it.
Related: Tornado hits home of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ lawmaker
Home flooded by storm surge
Florida Politics reveals Roach’s North Fort Myers home was flooded by the hurricane. Roach evacuated to safety before Ian made landfall in Cayo Costa.
“It’s going to take over a decade to rebuild Lee County,” Roach said. “People have made a lot of comparisons to Irma and Charley,” he said. “This is more similar to Katrina than the Florida storms we are familiar with. There is a different level of devastation and recovery, and it is going to impact a lot of folks.”
Roach purchased his home in 2018 and says he’d invested $100,000 in renovations. That’s all been wiped away by the storm surge.
Roach says his possessions, including two sets of jeans, a couple T-shirts and a change of shoes, are in his car. “That’s all I have that is not underwater,” he says.
Lee County and Charlotte are currently the worst hit counties in Florida, with reports of over 700 people requiring rescuing. Yesterday, President Biden warned that Ian might be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history. Power outages mean that around 2.2million homes across the state lost their power, with many still needing reconnection.
Related: Christian Walker sobs as he questions his move to Florida
Mister P
God’s wrath for being an A-hole
Neoprene
What about the thousands of other Floridians of every stripe whose homes were destroyed? Same reason?
cc423
Neoprene: someone had to vote this jerk into office… it didn’t happen in a vacuum.
jt1990
@Mister P or maybe for building too close to the ocean? Pro tip: build or buy inland. The Atlantic has been pretty homicidal these past few years in particular. Anyway keep laughing, this ‘right wing bigot’ here is still standing b!tches!
RIGay
Au-yup. God has spoken.
Neoprene
cc423 – Apparently you got your GED from the same place as Lauren Boebert.
ShiningSex
It’s Florida. God hates Florida. Who wouldn’t?
Mister P
Nope. I’m just using the nonsense that people like him spew regularly to show how ridiculous it is.
God isn’t real.
cc423
But it does feel kinda good to throw it back in their faces when they use God to bash us.
KyleMichelSullivan
Exactly. The Knife-of-truth doesn’t care who or what it cuts.
barryaksarben
snots and bears.
abfab
Ian was surely a Gay Hurricane. Now children, remember. Bypass homes with rainbow flags while searching for victims. The Gov says so!
m
Jebus has spoken. He hates FL
ZzBomb
That’s nice.
So what’s everyone doing for lunch?
cc423
Shopping for jeans…
abfab
BLTs
LeBlevsez
Watch as this clown stuffs his pockets with money from every assistance, relief, and recovery program currently being implemented. It’ll be a substantial net gain for him.
Then watch him decry the graft while campaigning.
Takin’ bets.
Cam
And like a typical Republican, he’ll try to stuff his pockets with federal dollars supplied by Blue state taxpayers.
He likely did not spend $100,000 upgrading the house, he’s saying that to get more money from FEMA likely.
Richpontone
Don’t worry, Racist Ron will give him money that are double his Hurricane losses all thanks to Federal Hurricane Relief money.
All the money will be given to Ron’s Republican supporters so they can reward him in his 2024 Presidential campaign.
Too bad, Brett Favre doesn’t live in Florida.
He would getting 10 Million bucks for giving non-existent speeches and creation of Soccer stadiums.
edensasp
God’s gonna get ‘cha for that
God’s gonna get ‘cha for that
There’s no place to run and hide
For He knows where you’re at
This doggone world we’re living in
It’s giving me a fit
It seems like everywhere I turn
I see a hypocrite
Peter
For insurance purposes he’ll pull a trump: He’ll claim he paid $300K for the house but now it’s worth $3M. I hate all these trump-loving, anti-gay, anti-trans, let’s ban books that offend Buffy Rs, but I don’t want to see entire communities wiped out despite their politics. It’s tragic, but somewhat preventable: don’t build matchstick homes that close to the water. How many studies have been done to tell them that? And keep denying climate change has anything to do with it, Rs. Stupid politicians taking money from oil companies will assure this keeps happening. Keep voting these dumbass politicians into office and nothing will ever change.
Fahd
Is there still such a thing as hurricane insurance in Florida?
If so, I hope he didn’t have it, and
if so, I don’t think it will be around for the next hurricane.
Huron132
Do you hear that? I think it’s KARMA and she is a b!$@h. Slapping her way across the state! Good for her!
SDR94103
mama always said the Lord works in mysterious ways. Thank you.
Kangol2
I feel bad for all the people, whatever their political affiliation or ideology, who’ve died, been injured or lost everything because of this hurricane.
No one mentioned it but I do wonder if this anti-gay Repug Roach is a climate change-denier like the GQP in general.
I also wonder if he’s still so rabidly anti-big government that he’s going to turn down Federal help. I see DeSantis turned on a dime and now has his hand out for help, though Biden immediately vowed to provide whatever help the US is able to provide, with FEMA and other US agencies ready to provide all manner of assistance. It was anything but a Bush-Katrina or Don the Con-Maria debacle.
ohiogreg
Karma
sfophx
Roach says his possessions, including two sets of jeans, a couple T-shirts and a change of shoes, are in his car. “That’s all I have that is not underwater,” he says…..
You don’t even deserve those….a******!
Tranceboi1
Karma gets you in the end. Hurricane Ian you only had one job to do. Hit Maralago!
ShiningSex
It’s Florida! IT deserves it
HMFan
Hurricane Ian is God’s punishment for allowing twice-impeached Trump to ruin the office of the U.S. Presidency.
abfab
another day in paradise…god that phrase always bothered the shit out of me
Melania, put your work pumps on and get out there and BE BEST. Oy vay.
StuMi
“It’s going to take over a decade to rebuild Lee County,” Roach said.
Sea levels will continue to rise because of man-made climate change. We really shouldn’t rebuild in these areas. But the Enlightenment seems to have skipped over these people.
abfab
And then it will take another hour of one storm to knock it all down again…..Shirley Bassey said it once………………it’s just a little bit of history repeating. Oh Dame Shirley!
abfab
And as they get washed away in the swelling sea levels attached to a soaked TRUMPeePee MAGA flag they scream….”DONALD HELP US! WHERE ARE YOU!!!! OH DONALD!”
wikidBSTN
NO handouts now. Pull yourself up by those conservative bootstraps and show the world you’re not a hypocritical piece of trash. LOL, yeah, right.
johncp56
As you all like to use, god stuck down the hateful with this storm LOL your words come back on you buddy, hate gets hate, I still love you when you get on your knees in front of me ! to pray