Governor Ron DeSantis, along with fellow State Board of Administration (SBA) Trustees Attorney General Ashley Moody and CFO Jimmy Patronis, today accepted the SBA’s recommendation of removing Airbnb from the Scrutinized Companies List. Following pressure from Governor DeSantis and the state of Florida opposing their policy of commercial discrimination against Israel, Airbnb reversed a company policy that eliminated approximately 200 listings in Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank.
“Today’s action by the SBA Trustees illustrates Florida’s willingness to acknowledge when companies correct their mistakes and do the right thing,” said Governor DeSantis. “As Governor, I have an obligation to oppose policies that unfairly target Israel. Once Airbnb eliminated their discriminatory policy toward Israel, we decided to remove them from the Scrutinized Companies List. I am pleased with this outcome.”
The decision to remove Airbnb from the Scrutinized Companies List follows Governor DeSantis’ recent business development mission to Israel last week with a bipartisan delegation of more than 100 Floridians. While there, the Governor visited many cultural sites important to the nation of Israel, including the Gush Etzion region, where some Airbnb listings were targeted for removal. The visit marked the first time a Florida Governor has crossed the “Green Line” into Judea and Samaria, Israel’s biblical heartland.
