Big Pharma bad. Big Media bad. Big Tech bad. Big Oil … good? Not so fast, Governor

Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a political career out of taking on the out-of-state giants. Big Pharma? He sued them. Big Tech? He fined them. Big Media? He mocks them daily. He even went after the California-based “Big Mouse.”

If it smells like out-of-state interference in Florida’s affairs, DeSantis is usually first in line with a flamethrower.

Which is why it’s so strange he’s now reportedly considering buckling to pressure to veto HB 1143, a bill written by local lawmakers, passed unanimously by the Legislature, and designed to keep out-of-state Big Oil out of Florida’s precious Apalachicola River Basin.

So, here’s the question: Why would Louisiana Big Oil interests get a pass?

And yes, you read it right — even in the most contentious Legislative Session in recent memory, HB 1143 passed unanimously. The House: 116-0. The Senate: 39-0. That kind of vote total in this Capitol only happens when you’re naming a state dessert or issuing a resolution about puppies.

HB 1143, led by Rep. Jason Shoaf, creates a 10-mile no-drill buffer zone around national estuarine research reserves. The legislation was introduced after a Louisiana oil company applied to drill dangerously close to the banks of the Apalachicola River — a project that would not be allowed were the bill to be signed.

The new legislation is not radical — it’s smart. It protects tourism, seafood jobs, and ecosystems still scarred from the Deepwater Horizon spill. Shoaf said it plainly: “Just the threat of a spill crippled our economy.” He’s right. Apalachicola doesn’t need a second wake-up call.

Sen. Corey Simon offered an amendment that slightly weakened the bill — perhaps to appease industry pressure — but he held firm and voted “yes.” Every single lawmaker did. And yet, lobbyists from Bayou State boardrooms and Washington trade associations want DeSantis to override all of them.

Let’s step back.

This is the same DeSantis who:

— Sued the FDA to allow Canadian drug imports, railing against Big Pharma’s stranglehold on Florida.

— Signed a bill to fine Big Tech platforms up to $250,000 a day for “deplatforming” political candidates.

— Declared about Big Tech: “We’re not going to let them be de facto monopolies” controlling public discourse and eventually signed legislation to stop censorship.

— Dismantled Disney’s decades-old self-governing status after they opposed his education agenda, slamming the company as a “corporate kingdom”.

But now, suddenly Big Oil may get to use the ceremonial veto pen?

And lest anyone think DeSantis is some Johnny-come-lately to environmental policy, consider his actual record: He’s invested over $6 billion in environmental protection since taking office — more than any Governor in Florida history. He has championed Everglades restoration, stood up a resilience office to prepare for sea-level rise, and aggressively worked on blue-green algae and red tide. Even the Everglades Foundation gave him high marks. That’s not just rhetoric — it’s a real, tangible record of prioritizing Florida’s natural resources.

Hopefully, DeSantis isn’t getting bad legal advice, such as the specious argument that the bill is moot because of a recent court ruling. Yes, an administrative law Judge ruled in favor of the local residents who sued the Department of Environmental Protection. But the recommended order is nonbinding and only applies to a single oil well, not the company’s entire wish list.

Only HB 1143 will keep the region safe.

If DeSantis folds to oil interests from outside Florida, it will mark a sharp — and glaring —departure from his well-honed persona as a defender of state sovereignty … and the environment.

This bill is not the Green New Deal. It’s the Red Snapper Deal. The Oystermen Protection Act. The “Don’t Let Texas or Louisiana Decide What Happens in Franklin County” Act.

So, Governor, if you meant what you said about fighting outsiders with agendas — and protecting the environment — here’s your moment. Don’t let Big Oil do what Disney, Facebook and Pfizer couldn’t.

Sign the bill. Protect Florida’s coast. Stand with Floridians.

Because a veto would be a Big Mistake.