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Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

floridapolitics.com

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Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#31

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Florida is overall one of the best run states in the country. The public pensions are largely pre-funded and there's no state income tax. The biggest issue is the property insurance marketplace. https://equable.org/pension-plan-funded-ratio-rankings-2022/

> property insurance

That's the issue. Florida's effective tax rate is about equal to Georgia which has a ~5.5% income tax. And it's going to continue to increase with homeowner's insurance prices even outside of the Miami metro area skyrocketing (which you pay for even if you rent, in terms of rent increases owners enact to cover costs).

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#32

The single greatest politically backward thing in America is how the republican party has positioned itself as a pro free market party by, as best as I can tell, often championing precisely the opposite.

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Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#33

Tesla is exempt...

So are other new automakers: > The change confirms newer manufacturers like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid are authorized to hold a franchise dealer license for direct sales of EVs if they are not otherwise prohibited under federal law. That carve-out apparently does not extend to traditional manufacturers such as GM, Ford, Honda and Toyota, all of which now make battery-powered cars. It's basically a protection racket for…

If I'm not mistaken, the Ford Lightning EV pickup truck has only been available through direct sales online ordering.

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#35

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I feel that on a national level, politics is almost entirely captured by stunts and not by actual policy. So it doesn’t matter if his policies are corrupt, he’s owning the libs.

And owning Trump with his white boots

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So are other new automakers: > The change confirms newer manufacturers like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid are authorized to hold a franchise dealer license for direct sales of EVs if they are not otherwise prohibited under federal law. That carve-out apparently does not extend to traditional manufacturers such as GM, Ford, Honda and Toyota, all of which now make battery-powered cars. It's basically a protection racket for…

If I'm not mistaken, the Ford Lightning EV pickup truck has only been available through direct sales online ordering.

That and the 2024 Mustang, but it's online reservation-based; the dealerships are still ultimately the ones buying the cars and reselling them to the end-user. I've heard stories of $20k or more markups even for reservation holders, since they know they'll be able to sell it if the original buyer walks away.

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#38
post #17

> The attempt by auto manufacturers to cut out the dealer would only result in higher prices and less customer service to the public,” he said. “The new car dealer is the customer’s advocate when it comes to warranty work and service on a manufacturer’s product, and this bill will protect that So this is the reason given in the article, but what are good reasons, if any, to prevent direct-to-customer sales? I haven't…

Dealership owners are a reliable Republican constituency. This kind of local bigwig was one of the most reliable Trump supporters and I'd guess the same is true for DeSantis. I mean you decide if that's a "good" reason but it is the real one.

Here's a recent article supporting that: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/05/rich-republicans...

Re: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning most direct-to-consumer auto sales

#39
The auto dealership lobby is one of the most powerful in America. It leans heavily Republican, and Republicans dutifully propose legislations which protect these wealthy -- but almost wholly unnecessary -- middlemen. Slate had an expose [1] recently about them that is very enlightening.

[1] https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/05/rich-republicans...

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