2023-06-18 19:49:00
Last Tuesday, the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis signed a bill that would ban automakers from using off-the-shelf models in the Sunshine State. However, the initiative has a clause that has attracted attention, since electric vehicle companies will be left out of the legislation, such as Tesla, whose owner is Elon Musk. DeSantis’s decision has given something to talk regarding due to the close relationship he maintains with the tycoonwho hosted his presidential campaign launch last month in a virtual event on Twitter.
The initiative, titled HB 637, will take effect from next July and will prevent most car manufacturers from selling directly to customers., so they will be forced to depend on franchised dealers. In addition, the bill will limit manufacturers’ participation in inventories and give dealers the power to ignore the Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). In turn, they can choose the combination of models they want.
However, the bill is not a total ban, since, as already anticipated, it exempts electric car companies, which will not need a dealer. In that sense, Musk will be one of the privileged manufacturers in the Florida territoryas well as the owners of other small brands such as Rivian, Lucid and Polestar.
Elon Musk will be able to sell his Tesla cars directly to his customers in Florida
Initially, HB 637 prohibited direct sales of any vehicle in Florida, including Tesla’s. However, the pressure groups of this company negotiated a new wording in the initiative that would allow it to keep its branches open in the State of the Sun, as detailed Florida Politics. Years ago, lawyers for Musk’s company successfully sued the state of Michigan for a permit to sell there, which may have helped in the negotiation to exempt them from DeSantis’ bill. Currently, there are 23 Tesla showrooms or galleries in the Florida Territory.
It is not the first time that the Republican administration has made deals with Musk. Last year, an agreement was reached for SpaceX to establish Startlink satellite services in some areas of the southwest of the state that were affected by Hurricane Ian.
DeSantis maintains a close relationship with the also owner of TwitterThis was demonstrated on May 24, when he officially announced his presidential run for the US elections in 2024. The event was held virtually. There, the Floridian praised his host on several occasions and assured that he was a “defender of freedom of expression.”
In addition, Musk publicly showed his support for the Republican through a tweet in which he assured that Donald Trump was already too old to compete in future electoral contests. He added that DeSantis would easily win the battle once morest President Joe Biden, who announced his re-election bid last April.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis maintains a close relationship with Elon Musk Facebook/Ron DeSantisLA NACION
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