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"We're definitely very concerned about them leaving offers on
the table," said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis
in a telephone interview late on Wednesday afternoon.
A poison pill the company adopted last week in response to
Musk's interest "hurts our state’s equity position in Twitter,
and I’m not happy," Patronis said.
Patronis is one of three elected officials who are trustees of
the State Board of Administration (SBA), with some $250 billion
in retirement assets. It will vote 808,093 Twitter shares at
next month's annual meeting, about the 70th largest investor.
Twitter representatives did not immediately respond to
questions.
While the stake would only be decisive in a close contest,
Patronis' comments show how politics has shaped the discussion
around who controls the social media platform.
Musk, chief executive officer of carmaker Tesla Inc, has
described his interest in Twitter as an extension of his
concerns for free speech.
Republicans including Patronis have criticized Twitter for steps
like banning the account of former U.S. President Donald Trump
due to the risk of further incitement of violence after the
storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, another pension trustee, on
Tuesday also made comments
https://www.bloomberg.com/
news/articles/2022-04-19/desantis-says-florida-could-act-over-twitter-s-musk-rebuffal
critical of Twitter's board. Patronis said he, DeSantis, and
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, the third trustee, have
not yet decided how to vote on Twitter directors.
But they have told Lamar Taylor, the SBA's interim executive
director, to express their concerns to Twitter's leadership.
Taylor's mission, Patronis said, was to "go and put these guys
on notice, we’re sitting trigger finger itchy to make something
happen."
Patronis called himself a "rabid Elon Musk fan" but said he
would welcome higher bids. "If some equity group wants to come
and buy the whole thing out, more power to them," he said.
(Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Chris Reese)
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