Real Estate Titans Battle DeSantis Over China Property Crackdown

(Bloomberg) — Ron DeSantis rattled corporate America by making Walt Disney Co. a target of his conservative culture wars. Now, the Florida governor’s campaign to rid the state of Chinese influence is fueling a forceful backlash from big-name investors.

A group that represents companies including Blackstone Inc., Steve Ross’s Related Cos. and Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Capital wants to roll back a law that went into effect in July that bans most Chinese investment in real estate in Florida. Other developers, including home builder Lennar Corp., also are pushing back on the statute. Lobbyists are pressing state lawmakers to pass legislation early next year to relax the restrictions, people involved in the process say.