Today we’re covering a couple of topics with a common theme — justice.
Specifically we’re looking at the questionable activity by powerful people that tends to be overlooked by law enforcement, compared to the low-hanging fruit that often snags their attention.
Let’s start with the latest crusade of Florida’s attorney general, who announced last week that she has her sights set on Starbucks.
Yes, with Disney back to stroking campaign checks to Florida politicians who say they’re ready to make nice with the entertainment giant, this state’s top leaders needed a new culture-war boogeyman. Apparently that’s Starbucks.
During a radio segment with Gov. Ron DeSantis, Moody announced that she wanted to go after the Seattle-based coffee company.
For what crimes? Well, none actually. Moody doesn’t like Starbucks’ commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.
Specifically, Moody suggested in a letter to the state’s Human Relations Commission that the agency investigate the “anti-bias” training Starbucks offers its employees.
Now, it’s important to note that the courts have already told Florida Republicans that their attempt to silence “woke” speech in the private sector is unconstitutional. Just two months ago, a panel of conservative judges — including appointees of Donald Trump — rejected the portion of the state’s so-called “Stop WOKE” act that pertained to private employers. The judges said government can’t outlaw the speech of private people or companies just because the politicians don’t like the message. Or because that message might make some people uncomfortable.
Basically, the judges reminded Florida Republicans that this isn’t China.
GOP judges: DeSantis violated the Constitution again. Lawyers made $725/hr | Commentary
But Moody apparently didn’t concern herself with the federal judges, the U.S. Constitution or the $725 an hour taxpayers have spent paying lawyers to defend this dog of a law. She suggested state officials look to see whether Starbucks’ anti-bias training constitutes an “abusive work environment.”
Moody also complained about Starbucks’ stated commitment to employing a diverse workforce.
Specifically, she noted that the company said it wanted 30% of its executives and 40% of its overall workforce to be people of color. The company said it wants to ensure it is A) hiring fairly; and B) employing a workforce that represents the population it was serving.
Now, the numbers here are important. The U.S. Census Bureau says that 48% of Florida’s population are something other than non-Hispanic White. In other words, Starbucks’ goal — in the state where Moody enforces the law — is to employ a workforce that’s still potentially less diverse than the state’s overall population.
But Moody says that may still be unfair to White people.
And if you want to know why she thinks that, I want to let you hear Moody explain in her own words.
Last week, a reporter from WTSP in Tampa asked Moody why the state should try to stop a private company aspiring to have a workforce that closer mirrors the population it serves.
Here is Moody’s unedited response:
“So, interestingly, in the last few years, you, um and, and many times, I want to say: And many times, a lot of programs I think start with very good intentions, and so I wanted to say that right off the bat. But we have seen the effect of many of these — I’m going to use the term because that’s what others in corporate entities use the term — ‘DEI’ programs within their corporations, in trying to make sure there is zero tolerance for discrimination of any type, they have almost swung the pendulum to the other side where there may be discrimination against other folks.”
I’m starting to better understand why the state spends so much money on outside attorneys to speak for it in court.
Still, it’s worth noting that those costly, outside attorneys still lose. And also that these are the kinds of issues Florida’s top law-enforcer is focused on.
As compared to …
Politicians get a pass
In this country, powerful people often get a pass.
Steal a TV, you’ll get perp walked and a jail sentence. Steal millions from taxpayers, and you’ll probably get a deal — if you get investigated at all.
The same often goes for politicians accused of wrongdoing. Last month, I highlighted two local cases — one involving a Democratic legislator and one involving a Republican — that screamed out for investigations. (“Scandals for Antone, Amesty. Where are the probes?”)
Scandals for Antone, Amesty. Where are the probes? | Commentary
Democrat Rep. Bruce Antone faced questions about not living in his district as the law requires. And Amesty, a Republican freshman, has made headlines for filing a funding request for millions of tax dollars that the supposed beneficiary said contained a lie. And also about a signature on a document she notarized for her family’s private university that appears bogus, according to both the man whose signature it is supposed to be and to multiple handwriting experts.
My key question in that piece was: Why aren’t this state’s law enforcers looking into these issues?
Well, after that column ran, the Sentinel learned that Amesty was, in fact, being investigated for her notary activity — but only by a state agency that can’t file criminal charges and only because a reader of the Orlando Sentinel filed a complaint after reading about the hubbub.
State probes whether Rep. Carolina Amesty broke notary laws
Asked why he filed the complaint, reader Dennis Warren, a retired law enforcement officer, said: “I just think issues like this need to be at least investigated and addressed.”
What a basic concept. Yet, in this state, it apparently takes a newspaper reader to prompt even cursory, non-criminal investigations of powerful people.
Maybe everything both these folks did was completely above board. But if you ever wonder why powerful people don’t seem to be held accountable or even questioned, this is the reason. Because the enforcers are more interested in targeting a coffee company that holds employee-training sessions that might make some people feel uncomfortable.
smaxwell@orlandosentinel.com
