Here are the Top 10 Most Read columns by Scott Maxwell of 2022 | Commentary

Scott Maxwell had a busy 2022.

From keeping up Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ dispute with Walt Disney World to the movements of Florida’s legislators during the legislative sessions, and everything in between, Maxwell worked hard to provide commentary and insight for Orlando Sentinel readers.

Here are the Orlando Sentinel’s Top 10 Most Read column by Scott Maxwell for 2022:

10. Revamped Interstate 4 set to open with $14 tolls lowered to $3 ‘introductory rates’

Last weekend, we had friends in town for an event, and they wondered how long our drive would take.

I said: “Well, it’s supposed to be about 30 minutes. But we have to take I-4. So the congestion will probably add another 10 or 15 minutes.”

9. DeSantis spends millions on legal bills at $725 an hour. And he just lost again

Last week, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Gov. Ron DeSantis has racked up more than $5 million in legal bills, paying lawyers as much as $725 an hour — often to lose cases that everyone knew he was going to lose in the first place.

8. Sheriff encourages Floridians to shoot intruders ‘like grated cheese.’ The next week, two shot at an innocent woman

We have several topics to cover today, including some election predictions, praise for a unique charitable donation from Disney and an update on the Seminole Chamber’s internal investigation into its CEO, Sen. Jason Brodeur.

But first, let’s check in with Polk County.

After Hurricane Ian stormed through Florida, Sheriff Grady Judd made national news for urging Floridians to shoot suspected looters.

Judd told Fox and Friends: “I would highly suggest that if a looter breaks into your home, comes into your home while you’re there to steal stuff, that you take your gun and you shoot him. You shoot him so that he looks like grated cheese. Because you know what? That’s one looter that won’t break into anyone else’s home …”

7. Florida lawmakers push for lower wages. Yes, lower

Some Florida politicians really seem to want to keep people poor.

I didn’t always believe that. I used to think they were just indifferent to the working poor. But we have evidence lawmakers want to keep them that way.

6. DeSantis relocates Texas migrants, lets Florida businesses keep using illegal labor

By now, you’ve heard plenty about Ron DeSantis’ stunt where he used Florida tax dollars to fly a plane full of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard.

I won’t waste time debating the morality of the shtick. Either you find it indecent for a politician to use desperate families fleeing repressive regimes as human pawns in a publicity stunt or you think it’s a hoot-and-a-half. Either way, your values are clear.

5. DeSantis, Florida GOP did favors for Disney – until Disney stopped giving them money

Last year, when Florida Republicans were preparing to crack down on social media companies, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ staff was working behind the scenes to help Disney avoid any pain.

4. Florida’s anti-gay crusade is funded by the Disneys of the world

Florida politicians are obsessed with gay and transgender people in the worst possible way.

Every year or so, Republicans in the Legislature come up with some new way to try to degrade, demonize or discriminate against LGBTQ families.

They’ve tried to use bathrooms, youth sports, adoption laws — and now attempts to censor classroom discussions that might upset anyone who doesn’t like the idea of a kid having two mommies.

This obsession with gay families isn’t normal. Nor are these the issues most Floridians — even many sensible conservatives — care about.

3. Campaign battle for Disney district involves Trump Jr., tax and residency questions

Many Florida legislative races are dull as dirt. But this year, the two big parties are waging an intense war over one little district in southwest Orange County with a particularly valuable prize — Disney World.

2. Dear Disney: Will you fight back vs. DeSantis, Florida? (I’m not sure you need to.)

Dear Disney,

Hi. How are you? Probably not great.

You have more GOP politicians gunning for you these days than those Dalmatians had puppies.

Not only that, people on Fox News and inside the governor’s office are trying to portray you as pedophiles. I’m guessing nobody in the Burbank or Orlando C-suites had that on their 2022 bingo card.

1. It’s not just ‘Don’t Say Gay.” Florida also ordered Disney to alter its diversity training

For decades, Disney and Florida politicians have had a symbiotic relationship — kind of like dung beetles and skunk cabbage.

Much like the beetles pollinate the foul-smelling plants, Disney would fertilize the politicians’ campaign accounts with cash — top it off with free hotel rooms and park passes — and then the politicians would do whatever Disney wanted.